Paris in the Twentieth Century by Jules Verne Page A

the consumption of paper had
increased to unheard-of proportions; France, which a century before had produced
some sixty million kilograms of paper, now utilized more than three hundred
million kilograms;
    moreover
there was no longer any need to fear the exhaustion of rag-based stocks, which
had been advantageously replaced by alfa, aloes, Jerusalem artichoke, lupine,
and twenty other cheaply cultivated plants; in twelve hours, the Watt and
Burgess [15] processes could turn a piece of wood into a splendid grade of paper; forests
no longer served for firewood, but for printing.
    The
Casmodage Bank had been one of the first to adopt this wood-based paper; when
used for contracts, letters, and deeds, it was prepared with Lemfelder's gallic
acid, which rendered it impregnable to the chemical agents of forgers; since
the number of thieves had increased with the volume of commerce, it was essential
to take protective measures.
    Such
was this establishment, in which enormous deals were transacted. Young Dufrénoy
was to play the most modest of roles in it, as the first servant of his calculating
machine, and would enter upon his functions that very day. Such mechanical
labor was very difficult for him, for he did not possess the sacred fire, and
the machine functioned quite poorly under his fingers; try as he would, a month
after his installation, he made more errors than on his first day, and yet he
struggled with the infernal keyboard until he felt he had reached the brink of
madness.
    He
was kept under severe discipline, moreover, in order to break any impulses of
independence or artistic instincts; he had no Sunday free, and no evening to
spend with his uncle, and his only consolation was to write him, in secret.
Soon discouragement and disgust got the better of him, and he grew incapable of
continuing the tasks he had been assigned. At the end of November, the
following conversation regarding him occurred between Monsieur Casmodage,
Boutardin fils, and the Cashier:
    "The
boy is monumentally inept, " the banker observed.
    "The
claims of truth oblige me to agree, " replied the Cashier.
    "He
is what used to be called an artist, " Athanase broke in, "and what
we would call a ninny. "
    "In
his hands, the machine is becoming a dangerous instrument, " returned the
banker. "He brings us sums instead of subtractions, and he's never been
able to give us a calculation of interest at only fifteen percent!"
    "A
pathetic case, " observed the cousin.
    "But
how can we use him?" inquired the Cashier.
    "Can
he read?" asked Monsieur Casmodage.
    "Presumably,
" Athanase replied.
    "We
might use him for the Ledger; he could dictate to Quinsonnas, who's been asking
for an assistant. "
    "A
fine idea, " observed the cousin. "He's not good for much else
besides dictating—his handwriting is dreadful. "
    "And
nowadays everyone writes such a fine hand, " commented the Cashier.
    "If
he doesn't work out at this new job, " declared Monsieur Casmodage,
"he won't be good for anything but sweeping the offices!"
    "And
even that...," observed the cousin.
    "Bring
him in, " said the banker.
    Michel
appeared before the redoubtable triumvirate. "Monsieur Dufrénoy, "
said the Director, his lips spread in the most scornful of smiles, "your
notorious incapacity compels us to withdraw you from the operation of Machine
Number Four; the results you have been producing are a constant cause of errors
in our statements; this cannot continue. "
    "I
regret the fact, Monsieur—" Michel replied coldly.
    "Your
regrets are of no use whatever, " the banker replied severely;
"henceforth you will be assigned to the Ledger. I am told that, you can
read. You will dictate. "
    Michel
said nothing. The change meant nothing to him; the Ledger and the Machine were
interchangeable as far as he was concerned. He then withdrew, after asking
when his position would change.
    "Tomorrow,
" answered Athanase. "Monsieur Quinsonnas will be informed. "
    The
young man left the offices, thinking not of