"Though for forty years," says Vandam, "Alexandre Dumas could not have earned less than £8,000 per annum; though he neither smoked, drank, nor gambled; though in spite of his mania for cooking, he himself was the most frugal eater—the beef from the soup of the previous day, grilled, was his favourite dish—it rained writs and summonses around him, while he himself was frequently without a penny."
No wonder, when the veriest stranger could farm himself upon the indulgent host, and then send the cabman, who took him to the station, back to the house to ask for the fare! Truly Dumas had a right to say, "If I have been a spendthrift I haven't made all the holes in my purse!"
This leads us to a delicate topic, with which Blaze de Bury, who knew Dumas intimately, deals in this fashion: —
"There are no parasites worse than rapacious women, and to these Dumas gave way as long as he lived. As one left another entered. The place was never empty, and the disgraced favourite, leaving one evening, would locate herself somewhere else the next day, carrying all sorts of things away with her, even to furniture.
"Take all," cried the master, looking on at the dismantling; "take all, but for heaven's sake leave me at least my genius!'"
