MACQUART (MADAME JEAN), second wife of Jean Macquart.  See Melanie Vial.  Le Docteur Pascal.

MACQUART (LISA), born 1827, daughter of Antoine Macquart.  When a child of seven she was taken as maid-servant by the wife of the postmaster at Plassans, whom she accompanied to Paris on her removal there in 1839.  La Fortune des Rougon.

The old lady became very much attached to the girl, and when she died left her all her savings, amounting to ten thousand francs.  Gradelle, a pork-butcher, who had become acquainted with Lisa by seeing her in the shop with her mistress, offered her a situation.  She accepted, and soon the whole place seemed to belong to her; she enslaved Gradelle, his nephew Quenu, and even the smallest kitchen-boy.  She became a beautiful woman, with a love of ease and the determination to secure it by steady application to duty.  After the sudden death of Gradelle, she married Quenu, who had succeeded to the business, and they had one daughter, Pauline.  Soon their affairs became so prosperous that Lisa induced her husband to remove to a larger shop.  On Florent’s return from exile, she received him kindly, and at once proposed to hand over to him his share of the money and property left by Gradelle, his uncle, which, however, he refused to accept.  After a time she became tired of always seeing her brother-in-law about the house doing nothing, and was the means of making him accept the situation as Inspector at the Fish Market.  When she heard of the Revolutionary meetings in Lebigre’s wine-shop and of the leading part taken by Florent, she became greatly alarmed, more especially as Quenu had begun to accompany his brother occasionally.  She succeeded in frightening her husband into giving up the meetings, and made it clear to Florent that he was no longer welcome in her house.  Alarmed by the gossip of Mlle. Saget and others as to the progress of the conspiracy, she determined, after consultation with Abbe Roustan, to secure the safety of her husband and herself by informing the police of the plot.  On going to the prefect, however, she learned that he had all along known of Florent’s presence in Paris, and of the meetings, and was only waiting a favourable opportunity of arresting the plotters.  She concealed the impending arrest from her husband and from Florent.  Notwithstanding her action in this matter, Lisa was not an ill-natured or callous woman.  She was only determined that nothing should come between her and a life of ease.  In her there was much of her father’s nature, though she did not know it.  She was merely a steady, sensible Macquart with a logical desire for comfort, and to procuring this she gave all her time and thought.  Le Ventre de Paris.

She died in 1863 from decomposition of the blood.  La Joie de Vivre.

MACQUART (URSULE), born 1791, daughter of Macquart and Adelaide Fouque; married in 1810 a hatter named Mouret and went to live at Marseilles.  She died of consumption in 1840, leaving three children.  La Fortune des Rougon.