COUTURIER (Abbe), curate of Saint-Leonard church at Alencon, time of Louis XVIII.  Spiritual adviser of Mlle. Cormon, remaining her confessor after her marriage with Du Bousquier, and influencing her in the way of excessive penances. [Jealousies of a Country Town.]

CREMIERE, tax-collector at Nemours during the Restoration.  Nephew by marriage of Dr. Minoret, who had secured the position for him, furnishing his security.  One of the three collateral heirs of the old physician, the two others being Minoret-Levrault, the postmaster, and Massin-Levrault, copy-clerk to the justice of the peace.  In the curious branching of these four Gatinais bourgeois families—­the Minorets, the Massins, the Levraults and the Cremieres—­the tax collector belonged to the Cremiere-Cremiere branch.  He had several children, among others a daughter named Angelique.  After the Revolution of July, 1830, he became municipal councillor. [Ursule Mirouet.]

CREMIERE (Madame), nee Massin-Massin, wife of the tax-collector, and niece of Dr. Minoret—­that is, daughter of the old physician’s sister.  A stout woman with a muddy blonde complexion splotched with freckles.  Passed for an educated person on account of her novel-reading.  Her lapsi linguoe were maliciously spread abroad by Goupil, the notary’s clerk, who labelled them, “Capsulinguettes”; indeed, Mme. Cremiere thus translated the two Latin words. [Ursule Mirouet.]

CREMIERE-DIONIS, always called Dionis, which name see.

CREVEL (Celestin), born between 1786 and 1788; clerked for Cesar Birotteau the perfumer—­first as second clerk, then as head-clerk when Popinot left the house to set up in business for himself.  After his patron’s failure in 1819, he purchased for five thousand seven hundred francs, “The Queen of Roses,” making his own fortune thereby.  During the reign of Louis Philippe he lived on his income.  Captain, then chief of battalion in the National Guard; officer of the Legion of Honor; mayor of one of the arrondissements of Paris, he ended up by being a very great personage.  He had married the daughter of a farmer of Brie; became a widower in 1833, when he gave himself over to a life of pleasure.  He maintained Josepha, who was taken away from him by his friend, Baron Hulot.  To avenge himself he tried to win Mme. Hulot.  He “protected” Heloise Brisetout.  Finally he was smitten with Mme. Marneffe, whom he had for mistress and afterwards married when she became a widow in 1843.  In May of this same year, Crevel and his wife died of a horrible disease which had been communicated to Valerie by a negro belonging to Montes the Brazilian.  In 1838 Crevel lived on rue des Saussaies; at the same time he owned a little house on rue du Dauphin, where he had prepared a secret chamber for Mme. Marneffe; this last house he leased to Maxime de Trailles.  Besides these Crevel owned:  a house on rue Barbet de Jouy; the Presles property bought of Mme. de Serizy at a cost of three million francs.  He caused himself to be made a member of the General Council of Seine-et-Oise.  By his first marriage he had an only daughter, Celestine, who married Victorin Hulot. [Cesar Birotteau.  Cousin Betty.] In 1844-1845 Crevel owned a share in the management of the theatre directed by Gaudissart. [Cousin Pons.]