The
pineapples were expected to sell at five francs each, instead of a
louis (twenty francs), which was the ordinary price; in other words,
five hundred thousand francs for the season's crop; from this amount a
hundred thousand francs would have to be deducted for the cost of
cultivation, the glass frames, and the coal; accordingly, there would
remain a net profit of four hundred thousand, which would constitute a
splendid income for the happy possessor,--'without having to turn out a
page of copy,' he used to say. This was nothing; Balzac had a thousand
projects of the same sort; but the beautiful thing about this one was
that we went together to the Boulevard Montmartre to look for a shop in
which to sell these pineapples that were not yet even planted. The shop
was to be painted black, with gold trimmings, and there was to be a
sign proclaiming in enormous letters: PINEAPPLES FROM LES JARDIES.
"However, he yielded to our advice not to hire the shop until the
following year, in order to save needless expense.
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