VABRE, a notary of Versailles who retired to Paris with a fortune, part of which he invested in the house in Rue de Choiseul occupied by the Duveyriers, the Josserands, and others. He had unfortunately a hidden passion for gambling in stocks and shares, and when he died it was found that his whole fortune had been dissipated, even his house being heavily mortgaged. Pot-Bouille.
VABRE (AUGUSTE), eldest son of M. Vabre, carried on a silk merchant’s business in part of the premises which belonged to his father. He married Berthe Josserand, but as he suffered much from neuralgia, and was, in addition, of a niggardly disposition, the marriage was not a happy one. An intrigue between Madame Vabre and Octave Mouret followed, and on its discovery she returned to her parents. For a considerable time Vabre refused to forgive his wife, but a reconciliation was ultimately brought about through the intervention of Abbe Mauduit. Vabre’s fortunes were adversely affected by the extension of Madame Hedouin’s business, known as “The Ladies’ Paradise.” Pot-Bouille.
The rapid success of Octave Mouret’s business led to the ruin of Vabre, a result to which the extravagance of his wife also contributed. Au Bonheur des Dames.
VABRE (MADAME AUGUSTE), wife of the preceding. See Berthe Josserand. Pot-Bouille.
VABRE (CAMILLE), son of Theophile Vabre and his wife Valerie Louhette. Pot-Bouille.
VABRE (CLOTILDE), daughter of Vabre the notary, and wife of Duveyrier. She did not get on well with her husband, whom she hated, and her only passion was for music, which she practised to an inordinate extent. Pot-Bouille.
VABRE (THEOPHILE), second son of M. Vabre, “a little old man of twenty-eight, a victim to coughs and toothache, who first tried all sorts of trades and then married the daughter of a neighbouring haberdasher.” His life was shadowed by suspicions of his wife, with whom he constantly quarrelled. He was with difficulty prevented from making a scene at the marriage of his brother Auguste to Berthe Josserand. Pot-Bouille.
VABRE (MADAME VALERIE), wife of the preceding, nee Louhette, was the daughter of a wealthy haberdasher. She did not get on well with her husband, who accused her, not entirely without reason, of carrying on a liaison with some one whose name he was unable to discover. Pot-Bouille.
VADON (MARGUERITE), daughter of a linen-draper at Grenoble, found it desirable to come to Paris for a time, and got a situation at “The Ladies’ Paradise.” She as a well-conducted girl, and ultimately returned to Grenoble to take charge of her parents’ shop, and marry a cousin who was waiting for her. Au Bonheur des Dames.
VALENCAY (BARON DE), aide-de-camp to the Emperor. He married the eldest daughter of the Comtesse de Bretigny. L’Assommoir.