“No, really?” said Thuillier, “how?”
“Here,” replied la Peyrade, feeling under his gown for his pocket and bringing out a paper, “here’s what I scribbled just now in the court-room while the lawyer on the other side rambled on like an expert.”
“What is it about?” asked Thuillier.
“Read and you’ll see.”
The paper read as follows:—
Estimate for a newspaper, small size, at thirty francs a year.
Calculating the editions at 5,000 the costs are:—
Paper, 5 reams at 12 francs . . . . . . . . . . 1,860 francs.
Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,400 ”
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 ”
One administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ”
One clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ”
One editor (also cashier) . . . . . . . . . . . 200 ”
One despatcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ”
Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 ”
One office boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 ”
Office expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 ”
Rent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ”
License and postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 ”
Reporting and stenographic news . . . . . . . . 1,800 ”
————-
Total monthly, 15,110 ”
“ yearly, 181,320 ”
“Do you want to set up a paper?” asked Thuillier, in dread.
“I?” asked la Peyrade, “I want nothing at all; you are the one to be asked if you want to be a deputy.”
“Undoubtedly I do; because, when you urged me to become a municipal councillor, you put the idea into my head. But reflect, my dear Theodose, one hundred and eighty one thousand three hundred and twenty francs to put out! Have I a fortune large enough to meet such a demand?”
“Yes,” said la Peyrade, “you could very well support that expense, for considering the end you want to obtain there is nothing exorbitant in it. In England they make much greater sacrifices to get a seat in Parliament; but in any case, I beg you to observe that the costs are very high on that estimate, and some could be cut off altogether. For instance, you would not want an administrator. You, yourself, an old accountant, and I, an old journalist, can very well manage the affair between us. Also rent, we needn’t count that; you have your old apartment in the rue Saint-Dominique which is not yet leased; that will make a fine newspaper office.”