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Bill of exchange

lettre de change

A lettre de change is a written payment instrument drawn through another party, not cash already available to the bearer.

From the book

The Gods Are Athirst

Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

Phrase.

A lettre de change is a written payment instrument drawn through another party, not cash already available to the bearer. Julie and Fortuné receive one for a Paris banker, but the banker’s imprisonment prevents them collecting. The distinction explains why an apparently funded journey leaves them destitute and dependent on borrowed shoeblacking tools.

Places to read

  1. Chapter XVIII, paragraph 39Frenchune lettre de change pour un banquier de Paris: a bill of exchange on a Paris banker. Julie’s account immediately reveals that the bank office is shut and the banker imprisoned.