"The Marriage Contract" by Honoré de Balzac, summary Automatic translate

This book is a social and domestic novella by Honoré de Balzac, written in 1835. The author examines in detail the financial and legal mechanisms of noble-bourgeois unions during the Restoration era, demonstrating the destruction of sincere feelings when confronted with financial calculations. The novella is part of the "Human Comedy" cycle and is located in the "Scenes from Private Life" section.

The Education of Paul de Manerville and His Plans for Life

Paul de Manerville’s father, a nobleman of Norman descent, married a wealthy Bordeaux woman and acquired the Château de Lanstrac in the Médoc. During the Revolution, he left for Martinique, entrusting the management of his estates to the honest notary Mathias. Upon his return, the count had become a despotic miser. Paul graduated from the College Vendôme in 1810 and lived for three years under his father’s strict control. His father forced his son to attend the boring royalist salons of Bordeaux, teaching him only fencing and horseback riding. This upbringing stifled the young man’s will: Paul grew up soft-spoken, shy, and incapable of fighting back.

His father’s death in 1813 left Paul free to dispose of his fortune. The young count left for Europe, serving as a diplomat in Naples, Madrid, and London, spending seven hundred thousand francs in six years. Having become a Parisian dandy, he grew tired of the bachelor life. At twenty-seven, Paul returned to Bordeaux with the intention of managing his estates, marrying, and advancing in politics.

Paul’s Parisian friend, the cynical analyst Henri de Marsay, tried to dissuade him from marriage. De Marsay argued that a weak man in family life would become a laughingstock and fall under the control of his wife. However, Paul sincerely craved the tranquility of home, the warmth of family, and a faithful wife.

Meet Natalie Evangelista

Paul lavishly restored the town mansion and Château de Lanstrac, earning the nickname "Sweet Pea" among the public. Soon, the Count fell passionately in love with the leading beauty of Bordeaux, nineteen-year-old Nathalie Evangelista.

The girl was raised by her mother, the widow of a wealthy Spanish merchant from the Casa Real family. Mrs. Evangelista lived in luxury, spending her deceased husband’s fortune and creating the appearance of immense wealth. The townspeople considered Natalie the richest bride. Suitors were deterred only by rumors of the girl’s enormous spending on dresses and Mechelen lace. No one suspected that her carefree mother had squandered almost all of her daughter’s inheritance in ten years. Guided by the Spanish motto "Odiate e aspettate" — "Hate and wait," the widow knew how to conceal her true feelings.

Paul, who had known of the Evangelista family’s wealth since childhood, didn’t bother to investigate their actual financial situation. City salons persistently matched the young men. Madame Evangelista saw the gentle count as the ideal son-in-law. The widow hoped to use his noble connections to move to Paris and gain influence at court.

The struggle to draw up a marriage contract

At the end of 1822, Paul proposed through a relative. The contract resulted in a battle between two notaries: the experienced and honest old Maître Mathias, who defended Paul’s interests, and the young and vain Maître Soloné, who defended the widow’s interests.

Upon checking the documents, Mathias discovered that the mother had squandered her daughter’s share. She was left with only four hundred thousand francs in bonds and a mansion, although the papers listed Natalie as having one million one hundred fifty-six thousand francs. Soloné attempted to force Paul to sign a receipt for the full dowry, shifting the blame for the squandering to the groom.

Seeing a trap, Maître Matthias proposed to the king the establishment of an entail. He demanded that the Lanstrac estate, the Parisian house, and the lands of Saint-Froux and Auzaque acquired with his bride’s money be withdrawn from free circulation, making them the inalienable property of his future children. This saved Paul from immediate loss of his property, but aroused the secret hatred of Madame Evangelista. The widow harbored a grudge and promised revenge on her son-in-law.

The contract was signed during the Ball of the White Camellias. The mother gave her daughter the family diamonds worth two hundred and fifty thousand francs, including the historic Discreto diamond, once owned by Philip II and the Duke of Alba. Paul generously returned the jewels to Natalie, confusing the financial arrangements.

Family life and ruin

After the midnight wedding, the young couple departed for Paris. Before leaving, Mrs. Evangelista taught her daughter lessons in husband management. She taught Natalie to exert absolute power over her husband, maintain a cool demeanor, use excuses like "I can’t do this" or "I don’t want to," and demand compliance with any whim.

In Paris, Natalie became a cold, selfish socialite. She craved endless parties, luxurious gowns, and trips to the opera and balls. Paul, blindly in love and lacking in willpower, gave in to his wife in everything. Wanting to please his wife, he commissioned jewelry, such as a 100,000-franc diamond corn wreath, bought horse-drawn carriages, and went into debt.

Within five years of marriage, Paul was completely ruined. He spent his cash, mortgaged his property, and sold his wife’s five-percent bonds. His annual income of forty-six thousand francs didn’t cover his expenses, which reached two hundred thousand. Meanwhile, Madame Evangelista carefully purchased her son-in-law’s mortgaged estates through a front man, the moneylender Lecuyer, transferring the ownership to herself and her daughter.

By 1827, Paul was on the brink of ruin. His lands in Grassole, Guadet, and the Bellerose estate were seized. Nathalie filed the claim, seeking a court-ordered division of the property.

Sailing to India and Exposure

Wanting to escape public disgrace, the Count decided to leave. In the autumn of 1827, he visited the elderly notary Mathias in Bordeaux, deceiving his wife with the tale of a business trip. Paul bought passage on the ship "Belle Amelie," bound for Calcutta, planning to make a new fortune in India under the name Camille.

Before sailing, the Count sent Natalie a letter filled with tenderness. He took the blame for the ruin, asked his wife to continue her normal life, and entrusted the care of her affairs to Henri de Marsay.

On board the ship, Paul received two replies. Natalie’s letter announced her pregnancy and assured him of her love, but simultaneously criticized her husband for his secrecy and approved of his departure.

The second letter came from Henri de Marsay. His friend opened Paul’s eyes to what was happening. De Marsay reported that his mother-in-law and wife had systematically robbed the Count. Madame Evangelista had bought out all of Paul’s debts and estates, creating an income of one hundred and twenty thousand francs for herself and her daughter. De Marsay also revealed that Nathalie had long been indifferent to her husband and was infatuated with Count Félix de Vandenesse.

The Marquis de Marsay urged Paul to abandon the trip, return to Paris, shoot his rival in a duel, and restore power. But the ship had already set sail. Realizing the depth of his loved ones’ betrayal, Paul sank into a heavy sleep of despair.