,,the ,,works ,,of ,,anatole ,,france ,,in ,,an ,,english ,,translation ,,edited ,,by ,,frederic ,,chapman ,,the ,,elm-,,tree ,,on ,,the ,,mall ,illustration ,,the ,,elm-,,tree ,,on ,,the ,,mall ,a ,,chronicle ,,of ,,our ,,own ,,times ,,by ,,anatole ,,france ,a ,,translation ,,by ,m4 ,p4 ,,willcocks ,illustration ,,london3 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,new ,,york3 ,,john ,,lane ,,company3 ,,mcmx ,printed by ,,ballantyne ,,co4 ,,limited ,tavistock ,street1 ,covent ,garden1 ,london ,,the ,,elm-,,tree ,,on ,,the ,,mall ,i ,the salon which the ,cardinal-,archbishop used as a reception room had been fitted1 in the time of ,louis ,,xv41 with panellings of carved wood painted a light grey4 ,seated figures of women surrounded by trophies filled the angles of the cornices4 ,the mirror on the chimney-piece being in two divisions1 was covered1 as to its lower half1 with a drapery of crimson velvet which threw into relief a pure white statue of ,our ,lady of ,lourdes with her pretty blue scarf4 ,along the walls1 in the middle of the panels1 hung enamel plates framed in reddish plush1 portraits of ,popes ,pius ,,ix4 and ,leo ,,xiii4 printed in colours1 and pieces of embroidery1 either souvenirs of ,rome or gifts from the pious ladies of the diocese4 ,the gilded side-tables were loaded with plaster models of ,gothic or ,romanesque churches3 the ,cardinal-,archbishop was fond of buildings4 ,from the plaster rose hung a ,merovingian chandelier executed from the designs of ,m4 ,quatrebarbe1 diocesan architect and ,knight of the ,order of ,saint ,gregory4 ,tucking his cassock up above his violet stockings and warming his short1 stout legs at the fire1 ,monseigneur was dictating a pastoral letter1 whilst1 seated at a large table of brass and tortoiseshell1 on which stood an ivory crucifix1 the vicar-general1 ,m4 de ,goulet1 was writing3 ,so that nothing may occur to sadden for us the joys of our retreat4 ''' ,monseigneur dictated in a dry1 colourless voice4 ,he was a very short man1 but the great head with its square face softened by age was carried erect4 ,notwithstanding its coarse and homely lineaments1 his face was expressive of subtlety and a kind of dignity born of habit and the love of command4 8,the joys of our retreat4 ''' ,here you will expound the ideas of harmony1 of the subduing of the mind1 of that submission to the powers that be which is so necessary1 and which ,i have already dealt with in my previous pastoral letters40 ,m4 de ,goulet raised his long1 pale1 refined head adorned by beautiful curled locks as though by a ,louis ,quatorze wig4 8,but this time10 said he1 8would it not be expedient1 while repeating these declarations1 to show that reserve appropriate to the position of the secular powers1 shaken as they are by internal convulsions and henceforth incapable of imparting to their covenants what they themselves do not possess--,i mean continuity and stability8 ,for you must see1 ,monseigneur1 that the decline of parliamentary predominance '''0 ,the ,cardinal-,archbishop shook his head4 8,without reservation1 ,monsieur de ,goulet1 without any species of reservation4 ,you are full of learning and piety1 ,monsieur de ,goulet1 but your old pastor can still give you a few lessons in discretion1 before handing over the government of the diocese1 at his death1 to your youthful energy4 ,have we not to congratulate ourselves upon the attitude of ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 who regards our schools and our labours with favour8 ,and are we not welcoming to our table to-morrow the general in command of the division and the president-in-chief8 ,and1 propos of that1 let me see the menu40 ,the ,cardinal-,archbishop inspected it1 made alterations and additions1 and gave special directions that the game should be ordered from ,rivoire1 the poacher to the prefecture4 ,a servant entered and presented him with a card on a silver tray4 ,having read the name of ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary1 on the card1 ,monseigneur turned towards his vicar-general4 8,i'll wager10 said he1 8that ,m4 ,lantaigne is coming to complain to me again about ,m4 ,guitrel40 ,abb de ,goulet rose to leave the salon4 ,but ,monseigneur stopped him4 8,stay6 ,i want you to share with me the pleasure of listening to ,m4 ,lantaigne1 who1 as you know1 is spoken of as the finest preacher in the diocese4 ,for1 if one listened only to public opinion1 it would seem that he preaches better than you1 dear ,monsieur de ,goulet4 ,but that is not my opinion4 ,between ourselves1 ,i care neither for his inflated style nor for his involved scholarship4 ,he is terribly wearisome1 and ,i am keeping you here to help me to get rid of him as quickly as possible40 ,a priest entered the salon and bowed4 ,he was very tall and immensely corpulent1 with a serious1 simple1 abstracted face4 ,at sight of him ,monseigneur exclaimed gaily3 8,ah6 good-day1 ,monsieur l'abb ,lantaigne4 ,at the very moment that you sent in your name the vicar-general and ,i were talking about you4 ,we were saying that you are the most distinguished orator in the diocese1 and that the ,lenten course you preached at ,saint-,exupre is proof positive of your great talents and profound scholarship40 ,abb ,lantaigne reddened4 ,he was sensitive to praise1 and it was by the door of pride alone that the ,enemy could find entrance to his soul4 8,monseigneur10 he answered1 his face lit up by a smile which quickly died away1 8the approval of ,your ,eminence gives me a deep delight which comes felicitously to soothe the opening of an interview which is a painful one to me4 ,for it is a complaint which the head of the high seminary has the misfortune to pour into your paternal ears40 ,monseigneur interrupted him3 8,tell me1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne1 has that ,lenten course at ,saint-,exupre been printed80 8,a synopsis of it appeared in the diocesan ,semaine religieuse4 ,i am moved1 ,monseigneur1 by the marks of interest which you deign to show in my apostolic labours4 ,alas6 it is long enough ago since ,i first entered the pulpit4 ,in #ahhj1 when ,i had too many sermons1 ,i gave them to ,m4 ,roquette1 who has since been raised to a bishopric40 8,ah60 cried ,monseigneur1 with a smile1 8that good ,m4 ,roquette6 ,when ,i went last year ad limina apostolorum ,i met ,m4 ,roquette for the first time just as he was gaily setting out for the ,vatican4 ,a week later ,i met him in ,saint-,peter's1 where he was imbibing the solace that he much needed after being refused the cardinal's hat40 8,and why10 demanded ,m4 ,lantaigne1 in a voice that whistled like a whip-lash1 8why should the purple have descended on the shoulders of this poor creature1 a mediocrity in character1 a nonentity in doctrine1 whose mental density has made him ridiculous1 and whose sole recommendation is that he has sat at table with the ,president of the ,republic at a masonic banquet8 ,could ,m4 ,roquette only rise above himself1 he would be astonished at finding himself a bishop4 ,in these times of trial1 when a future confronts us pregnant with awful menace as well as with gracious promise1 it would be expedient to build up a body of clergy powerful both in character and in scholarship4 ,and in fact1 ,monseigneur1 ,i come to interview ,your ,eminence about another ,roquette1 about another priest who is unfitted to sustain the weight of his great duties4 ,the professor of rhetoric at the high seminary1 ,m4 l'abb ,guitrel '''0 ,monseigneur interrupted with a feigned jest1 and asked1 with a laugh1 whether ,abb ,guitrel were in a fair way to become a bishop in his turn4 8,what an idea1 ,monseigneur60 cried ,abb ,lantaigne4 8,if perchance this man were raised to a bishopric1 we should behold once more the days of ,cautinus1 when an unworthy pontiff defiled the see of ,saint ,martin40 ,the ,cardinal-,archbishop1 curled up in his arm-chair1 remarked genially3 8,cautinus1 ,bishop ,cautinus0 7it was the first time he had heard the name71 8,cautinus who was a successor of ,saint ,martin4 ,are you quite sure that this ,cautinus behaved as badly as they make out8 ,it is an interesting point in the history of the ,gallic ,church concerning which ,i should much like to have the opinion of so learned a man as yourself1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne40 ,the head of the high seminary drew himself up4 8,the testimony1 ,monseigneur1 of ,gregory of ,tours is explicit in the passage touching ,bishop ,cautinus4 ,this successor of the blessed ,martin lived in such luxury and robbed the ,church of its treasures to such an extent that1 at the end of two years of his administration1 all the sacred vessels were in the hands of the ,jews of ,tours4 ,and if ,i have coupled the name of ,cautinus with that of this unhappy ,m4 ,guitrel1 it is not without reason4 ,m4 ,guitrel carries off the artistic curios1 wood-carvings1 or finely chased vessels1 which are still to be found in country churches1 in the care of ignorant churchwardens1 and it is for the benefit of the ,jews that he devotes himself to this robbery40 8,for the benefit of the ,jews80 demanded ,monseigneur4 8,what is this that you are telling me80 8,for the benefit of the ,jews10 returned ,abb ,lantaigne1 8and to embellish the drawing-rooms of ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 ,jew and freemason4 ,madame ,worms-,clavelin is fond of antiquities4 ,through the medium of ,m4 ,guitrel she has gained possession of the copes treasured for three hundred years in the vestry of the church at ,lusancy1 and she has1 ,i am told1 turned them into seats of the kind called poufs40 ,monseigneur shook his head4 8,poufs6 ,but if the transfer of these disused vestments has been conducted legally1 ,i do not see that ,bishop ,cautinus ''' ,i mean ,m4 ,guitrel1 has done wrong in taking part in this lawful transaction4 ,there is no reason why these copes of the pious priests of ,lusancy should be revered as relics of the saints4 ,there is no sacrilege in selling their cast-off clothes to be turned into poufs40 ,m4 de ,goulet1 who had been nibbling his pen for some moments1 could not refrain from a murmur4 ,he deplored the fact that the churches should be thus robbed of their artistic treasures by infidels4 ,the head of the high seminary answered in firm tones3 8,let us1 ,monseigneur1 if you please1 drop the subject of the trade to which the friend of ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 the ,jewish prfet1 devotes himself1 and allow me to enumerate the only too definite complaints which ,i have to bring against the professor of rhetoric at the high seminary4 ,i impugn3 first1 his doctrine2 second1 his conduct4 ,i say that ,i indict first his doctrine1 and that on four grounds3 first '''0 ,the ,cardinal-,archbishop stretched out both his arms as though to ward off such a multitude of charges4 8,monsieur ,lantaigne1 ,i see that for some time the vicar-general has been biting his pen and making desperate signs to remind me that our printer is waiting for our pastoral letter1 which has to be read on ,sunday in the churches of our diocese4 ,allow me to finish dictating this charge1 which1 ,i trust1 will bring some solace to our priests and faithful people40 ,abb ,lantaigne bowed1 and very sadly withdrew4 ,after his departure the ,cardinal-,archbishop1 turning to ,m4 de ,goulet1 said3 8,i did not know that ,m4 ,guitrel was so friendly with the prfet4 ,and ,i am grateful to the head of the seminary for having warned me of it4 ,m4 ,lantaigne is sincerity itself3 ,i prize his frankness and straightforwardness4 ,with him1 one knows where one is '''0 ,he corrected himself3 8,where one would be40 ,,ii ,m4 ,lantaigne1 principal of the high seminary1 was working in his study1 the whitewashed walls of which were three parts covered by deal shelves loaded with the dark bindings of his working library1 the whole of ,migne's ,patrologie1 and cheap editions of ,saint ,thomas ,aquinas1 ,baronius and ,bossuet4 ,a ,virgin in the manner of ,mignard surmounted the door1 with a dusty sprig of box sticking out of the old gilt frame4 ,uninviting horsehair chairs stood on the red tiles in front of the windows1 through which the stale smell of the refectory ascended to the cotton window-curtains4 ,the principal1 bending over his little walnut-wood desk1 was turning over the pages of the registers handed him by ,abb ,perruque1 the master of method1 who stood at his side4 8,i see10 said ,m4 ,lantaigne1 8that again this week a hoard of sweetmeats has been discovered in a pupil's room4 ,such infractions are far too often repeated40 ,in fact1 the students of the seminary made a practice of hiding cakes of chocolate among their school-books4 ,this was what they called theology ,menier4 ,they used to meet in a room at night1 by twos or threes1 to discuss it4 ,m4 ,lantaigne begged the master of method to use unfaltering severity4 8,this disorder is deplorable in that it may involve the most serious misconduct40 ,he asked for the register of the rhetoric class4 ,but when ,m4 ,perruque had handed it to him1 he looked away from it4 ,his heart swelled at the idea that sacred rhetoric was taught by this ,guitrel1 a man with neither morals nor learning4 ,he sighed within himself3 8,when will the scales fall from the ,cardinal-,archbishop's eyes1 that he may see the unworthiness of this priest80 ,then1 tearing himself from this bitter thought only to plunge into the bitterness of another3 8,and ,pidagnel80 he asked4 ,for two years ,firmin ,pidagnel had caused incessant anxiety to the head of the seminary4 ,the only son of a cobbler who kept his stall between two buttresses of ,saint-,exupre1 he was1 through the brightness of his intelligence1 the most brilliant pupil in the house4 ,of placid temperament1 he had a very fair report for conduct4 ,the timidity of his character and the weakness of his constitution seemed a good safeguard for his moral purity4 ,but he had neither the instinct for theology nor the vocation for the priesthood4 ,his very faith was unstable4 ,with his great spiritual knowledge1 ,m4 ,lantaigne had no inordinate fear of those violent crises among his young ,levites1 which1 often salutary1 are to be allayed by grace4 ,he dreaded1 on the contrary1 the indifference of a placidly intractable mind4 ,he almost despaired of a soul to whom doubt was light and bearable and whose thoughts flowed to irreligion by a natural inclination4 ,such a one the shoemaker's clever son showed himself to be4 ,m4 ,lantaigne had one day unexpectedly chanced1 by one of those brusque wiles which were natural to him1 to plumb the depths of this nature1 double-faced through its courtesy4 ,he perceived with consternation that from the teaching at the seminary ,firmin had only acquired an elegant ,latin style1 skill in sophistry1 and a kind of sentimental mysticism4 ,from that time ,firmin had appeared to him as a being weak and formidable1 pitiable and noxious4 ,yet he loved this lad1 loved him tenderly1 to infatuation4 ,in spite of his disappointment it pleased him that he should be the honour1 the glory of the seminary4 ,he loved in ,firmin the charm of his mind1 the subtle harmony of his style1 and even the tenderness of those pale1 short-sighted eyes1 like bruises under the quivering eyelids4 ,he sometimes took pleasure in seeing in him one of the victims of this ,abb ,guitrel1 whose intellectual and moral poverty must 7so he firmly believed7 injure and depress an intelligent and quick-sighted pupil4 ,he flattered himself that1 if better trained in the future1 ,firmin1 although too weak ever to give to the ,church one of those powerful leaders whom she so much needs1 would at least produce for religion1 perhaps1 a ,preyve or a ,gerbet1 one of those priests who carry into the priesthood the heart of a young mother4 ,but1 incapable of long self-flattery1 ,m4 ,lantaigne speedily rejected this unlikely hope and saw in this lad a ,guroult1 a ,renan4 ,and the sweat of anguish chilled his forehead4 ,his fear was lest1 in rearing such pupils1 he might be training formidable enemies of the truth4 ,he knew that it was in the temple itself that the hammers were forged which overthrew it4 ,he very often said3 8,such is the power of theological discipline that it alone is capable of rearing great reprobates2 an unbeliever who has not passed through our hands is powerless and without weapons for evil4 ,it is within our walls that they imbibe all knowledge1 even that of blasphemy40 ,from the mass of the students he only demanded industry and integrity1 feeling certain that these would make good parish priests of them4 ,but in his finest students he feared curiosity1 pride1 the impious boldness of the intellect1 and even the qualities that brought the angels to perdition4 8,monsieur ,perruque10 said he brusquely1 8let us see the notes on ,pidagnel40 ,the master of method1 with his thumb moistened at his lips1 turned over the leaves of the register1 and then pointed out with his great dirt-encircled forefinger the lines traced on the margin of the book3 ,m4 ,pidagnel holds thoughtless conversations4 ,m4 ,pidagnel gives way to depression4 ,m4 ,pidagnel refuses to take any physical exercise4 ,the director read and shook his head4 ,he turned the leaf and continued reading3 ,m4 ,pidagnel has written a poor essay on the unity of the faith4 ,at this ,abb ,lantaigne burst out3 8,unity--that is just what he will never grasp6 ,and yet it is the idea above all others which ought to be impressed on the priest's mind4 ,for ,i do not fear to affirm that this conception is entirely of ,god1 and1 as it were1 ,his most vivid manifestation among men40 ,he turned his hollow1 gloomy gaze towards ,abb ,perruque4 8,this subject of the unity of the faith1 ,monsieur ,perruque1 is my touchstone by which ,i try the spirits4 ,the simplest minds1 if they do not fail in sincerity1 draw logical conclusions from the idea of unity2 and the most able derive an admirable philosophy from this principle4 ,in the pulpit1 ,monsieur ,perruque1 ,i have three times handled the unity of the faith1 and the wealth of the subject still amazes me40 ,he resumed his reading3 ,m4 ,pidagnel has compiled a note-book1 which has been found in his desk1 and which contains1 written in ,m4 ,pidagnel's own hand1 extracts from different love-poems1 composed by ,leconte de ,lisle and ,paul ,verlaine1 as well as by several other loose writers1 and the choice of the extracts betrays excessive profligacy both of the mind and the senses4 ,he shut the register and pushed it away roughly4 8,what we lack nowadays10 sighed he1 8is neither learning nor intelligence2 it is the theological mind40 8,monsieur10 said ,abb ,perruque1 8the steward wants to know if you can receive him at once4 ,the contract with ,lafolie for butcher's meat expires on the fifteenth of this month1 and they are waiting for your decision before renewing an arrangement upon which the house can scarcely plume itself4 ,for you cannot fail to have remarked the bad quality of the beef supplied by ,lafolie40 8,tell the steward to come in10 said ,m4 ,lantaigne4 ,and1 left alone1 he put his head in his hands and sighed3 8,o quando finieris et quando cessabis1 universa vanitas mundi8,a ,far from ,thee1 ,o ,god1 we are but wandering shadows4 ,there are no greater crimes than those committed against the unity of the faith4 ,vouchsafe to lead the world back to this blessed unity60 ,a 8,when wilt thou end1 when wilt thou cease to be1 oh1 ever-present vanity of this world80 ,when1 during the recreation hour after the midday meal1 the principal crossed the courtyard1 the seminarists were playing a game of football4 ,on the gravelled playground there was a great commotion of ruddy heads poised on stalks like black knife-handles1 the jerky gestures of puppets1 and shouts and cries in all the rustic dialects of the diocese4 ,the master of method1 ,abb ,perruque1 his cassock tucked up1 was joining in the game with the zest of a cloistered peasant1 drunk with air and exercise1 and in athletic style was kicking from the toe of his buckled shoe the huge ball covered with its leather quarters4 ,at sight of the principal the players stopped4 ,m4 ,lantaigne made a sign to them to continue4 ,he followed the grove of stunted acacia trees that fringes the courtyard on the side towards the ramparts and the country4 ,half-way along he met three pupils who1 arm in arm1 were walking up and down as they talked4 ,since they usually spent the recreation hours in this way1 they were called the peripatetics4 ,m4 ,lantaigne called one of them1 the shortest1 a pale-faced lad1 with slightly stooping shoulders1 a refined and mocking mouth1 and timid eyes4 ,he did not hear at first1 and his neighbour had to nudge him with an elbow and say to him3 8,pidagnel1 the principal is calling you40 ,at this ,pidagnel approached ,abb ,lantaigne and bowed to him with a half-graceful clumsiness4 8,my child10 said the principal to him1 8you will be so good as to be my server at mass to-morrow40 ,the young man blushed4 ,it was a coveted honour to serve the principal's mass4 ,abb ,lantaigne1 his breviary under his arm1 went out by the little door that opens on the fields and took the customary road in his walks1 a dusty track edged with nettles and thistles that follows the ramparts4 ,he was thinking3 8,what will become of this poor child1 if he is suddenly expelled1 ignorant of any sort of manual labour1 weak1 delicate1 and timid8 ,and what grief there will be in his infirm father's shop60 ,he walked along over the flints of the barren road4 ,having reached the mission cross1 he took off his hat1 wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his silk handkerchief1 and said in a low voice3 8,oh ,god1 inspire me to act according to ,thy interests1 whatever it may cost my paternal heart60 ,at half-past six next morning ,abb ,lantaigne was saying the concluding words of the mass in the bare1 deserted chapel4 ,in front of a side-altar a solitary old sacristan was setting paper flowers in porcelain vases1 beneath the gilt statue of ,saint ,joseph4 ,a grey1 rainy daylight poured sadly through the blurred window-panes4 ,the celebrant1 upright at the left of the high altar1 was reading the last ,gospel4 8,et ,verbum caro factum est10 said he1 bending his knees4 ,firmin ,pidagnel1 who was serving the mass1 knelt at the same time on the step where stood the bell2 then he rose and1 after the last responses1 preceded the priest into the sacristy4 ,abb ,lantaigne set down the chalice with the corporal and waited for the server to help him remove his priestly vestments4 ,firmin ,pidagnel1 being sensitive to the mysterious influences of things1 felt the charm of this scene1 so simple and yet so sacred4 ,his soul1 suffused with tender unction1 tasted with a kind of joy the familiar grandeur of the priesthood4 ,never had he felt so deeply the desire to be a priest and in his turn to celebrate the holy sacrifice4 ,having kissed and carefully folded up the alb and chasuble1 he bowed before ,abb ,lantaigne ere retiring4 ,the head of the seminary1 who had resumed his great-coat1 made a sign to him to stay1 and looked at him with such nobility and kindness that the young man received the look as a favour and a blessing4 ,after a long silence3 8,my child10 said ,m4 ,lantaigne1 8whilst celebrating this mass which ,i asked you to serve1 ,i prayed ,god to give me the strength to send you away4 ,my prayer has been granted4 ,you are no longer a member of this household40 ,as he took in these words1 ,firmin was stupefied4 ,it seemed to him that the flooring was giving way beneath his feet4 ,through eyes big with tears1 he vaguely saw the lonely road1 the rain1 a life darkened with misery and toil1 the fate of a lost child terrified by its own weakness and timidity4 ,he looked at ,m4 ,lantaigne4 ,the resolute gentleness1 the quiet strength1 the calmness of this man revolted him4 ,suddenly a feeling was born and grew in him1 a feeling that sustained and strengthened him1 a hatred of the priest1 a deathless and fruitful hatred1 a hatred to fill a whole life4 ,without uttering a word1 he went with great strides out of the sacristy4 ,,iii ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary of '''1 wrote the following letter to ,monseigneur the ,cardinal-,archbishop of '''3 8,,monseigneur1 8,when1 on the #agth of this month1 ,i had the honour of being received by ,your ,eminence1 ,i feared to trespass on your paternal kindness and on your pastoral clemency by expounding at sufficient length the matter about which ,i came to converse with you4 ,but as this affair reflects on your high and holy jurisdiction and concerns the government of this diocese1 which counts among the most ancient and beautiful provinces of ,christian ,gaul1 ,i conceive it to be my duty to submit to the watchful impartiality of ,your ,eminence the facts concerning which it is called upon to judge in the plenitude of its authority and in the fulness of its wisdom4 8,in bringing these facts to the knowledge of ,your ,eminence1 ,i am fulfilling a duty which ,i should characterise as painful to my heart1 if ,i did not know that the accomplishment of every duty brings to the soul an inexhaustible spring of consolation1 and that it is not enough to obey ,god1 if one does not obey ,him with ready gladness4 8,the facts which it behoves you to know1 ,monseigneur1 relate to ,abb ,guitrel1 professor of rhetoric at the high seminary4 ,i will state them as briefly and as accurately as possible4 8,these facts concern3 8,first1 the doctrine2 8,second1 the morals of ,abb ,guitrel4 8,i will first state the facts relating to ,m4 ,guitrel's doctrine4 8,on reading the note-books from which he delivers his lectures on sacred rhetoric1 ,i noticed in them various opinions which do not agree with the tradition of the ,church4 8,first1 ,m4 ,guitrel1 whilst condemning as to their conclusions the commentaries on ,holy ,scripture drawn up by atheists and so-called reformers1 does not condemn them in their principle and origin1 in which he is seriously in error4 ,for it is evident that1 the care of the ,scriptures having been confided to the ,church1 the ,church alone is capable of interpreting the books which she alone preserves4 8,second1 led astray by the recent example of a monk who thirsted for the applause of the age1 ,m4 ,guitrel presumes to explain the scenes of the ,gospel by means of that pretended local colour and that pseudo-psychology of which the ,germans make a great show2 and he does not perceive that1 by thus walking in the way of infidels1 he is skirting the abyss into which they have fallen4 ,i should weary the benevolent attention of ,his ,eminence ,monseigneur the ,cardinal-,archbishop were ,i to place before his reverend glance the passages where ,m4 ,guitrel with pitiable childishness follows the narratives of travellers1 as to #8the boat-service on the ,lake of ,tiberias1' and those where1 with intolerable indecency1 he describes what he calls #8the soul-states' and #8the psychic crises' of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 8,these foolish innovations1 blameworthy in a cloistered worldling1 should not be tolerated in a secular cleric entrusted with the instruction of young aspirants to the priesthood4 ,hence ,i was more grieved than surprised when ,i heard that an intelligent pupil1 whom ,i have since been obliged to expel for his bad disposition1 described the professor of rhetoric as a #8fin de sicle' priest4 8,third1 ,m4 ,guitrel affects a culpable laxity in relying on the untrustworthy authority of ,clement of ,alexandria1 who is not included in the martyrology4 ,in this the professor of rhetoric betrays the weakness of a mind misled by the example of the so-called mystics1 who imagine that they find in the ,stromata a purely allegorical interpretation of the most concrete mysteries of the ,christian faith4 ,and1 without actually going astray1 ,m4 ,guitrel shows himself1 in this matter1 to be inconsistent and light-minded4 8,fourth1 since depravity of taste is one of the results of doctrinal weakness1 and since a mind which rejects strong food battens on worthless nourishment1 ,m4 ,guitrel seeks models of eloquence for the use of his pupils even in the speeches of ,m4 ,lacordaire and the homilies of ,m4 ,gratry4 8,secondly1 ,i will enumerate the facts relating to ,m4 ,guitrel's morals4 8,first1 ,abb ,guitrel consorts with ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin both secretly and constantly1 and in this he throws off the reserve which it always behoves an ecclesiastic of lower rank to observe in relation to the public authorities1 a reserve which1 under present circumstances and towards a ,jewish official1 there is no excuse for dropping4 ,and by the care which he takes never to enter the prefecture save by a private door1 ,m4 ,guitrel seems to acknowledge to himself the falseness of a position which he nevertheless maintains4 8,it is also notorious that ,m4 ,guitrel occupies a position with respect to ,madame ,worms-,clavelin that is more mercantile than religious4 ,this lady is fond of antiquities1 and although a ,jewess1 she does not despise any articles connected with religion1 provided that they have the merit of art or of antiquity4 ,it is unhappily well attested that ,m4 ,guitrel busies himself in buying for ,madame ,worms-,clavelin at an absurd price the antique furniture of village parsonages1 left in the care of ignorant churchwardens4 ,in this way carved wainscoting1 priestly vestments1 chalices1 and pyxes are torn from the sacristies of your rural churches1 ,monseigneur1 in order that at the prefecture they may adorn the private apartments of ,m4 and ,madame ,worms-,clavelin4 ,and everybody knows that ,madame ,worms-,clavelin has trimmed with the splendid and sacred copes of ,saint-,porchaire the species of furniture vulgarly called #8poufs4' ,i do not imply that ,m4 ,guitrel has derived any material and direct profit from these transactions2 but it must needs grieve your paternal heart that a priest of the diocese should have joined in robbing your churches of that wealth which proves1 even in the eyes of unbelievers1 the superiority of ,christian to profane art4 8,second1 without complaint or protest ,abb ,guitrel allows the rumour to spread and grow that his elevation to the vacant bishopric of ,tourcoing is favoured by the ,president of the ,council1 the ,minister for ,justice and ,religion4 ,now this rumour is prejudicial to the minister1 for1 although a freethinker and a freemason1 he ought to be too careful of the interests of the ,church over which he has been appointed civil overseer to place in the seat of the blessed ,loup a priest such as ,m4 ,guitrel4 ,and if this invention were to be traced to its source1 it is to be feared that in ,m4 ,guitrel himself would be found the first and foremost contriver of it4 8,third1 having formerly occupied his leisure in translating into ,french verse the ,bucolics of that ,latin poet called ,calpurnius1 whom the best critics agree in relegating to the lowest class of insipid babblers1 ,abb ,guitrel1 with a carelessness which ,i would fain believe to be quite unintentional1 has allowed this work of his youth to circulate privately4 ,a copy of the ,bucolics was addressed to the free-thinking radical paper of the district1 le ,phare1 which published extracts from it2 among them there occurred in particular this line1 which ,i blush to put before the paternal eyes of ,your ,eminence3 8,and our heaven of bliss is a well-loved breast4,b 8,this quotation was accompanied in le ,phare by the most derogatory comments on the private character1 as well as the literary taste1 of ,abb ,guitrel4 ,and the editor1 whose ill-will is only too well known to ,your ,eminence1 took this wretched line as a pretext for charges of wanton thoughts and dishonourable intentions generally against all the professors of the high seminary1 and even against all the priests in the diocese4 ,this is why1 without inquiring whether as a scholar ,m4 ,guitrel had any excuse for translating ,calpurnius1 ,i deplore the publication of his work as the cause of a scandal which1 ,i am sure1 was more bitter to your benevolent heart1 ,monseigneur1 than gall and wormwood4 8,fourth1 ,m4 ,guitrel is in the habit of going every day at five o'clock in the afternoon to the confectioner's shop kept by ,dame ,magloire1 in the ,place ,saint-,exupre4 ,and there1 leaning over the sideboards1 counters and tables1 he examines with deep interest and careful diligence the dainties piled up on plates and dishes4 ,then1 stopping at the spot where are arranged the kinds of cakes which they tell me are called clairs and babas1 he touches first one and then another of these pasties with the tip of his finger1 and afterwards has these dainty morsels wrapped up in a sheet of paper4 ,far be it from me to bring a charge of sensuality against him on account of this ridiculously careful choice of a few cream-cakes or sugar-pasties4 ,but if one reflects that he goes to ,dame ,magloire's at the very moment when the shop is thronged with fashionable folk of both sexes1 and that he makes himself a butt for the jests of worldlings1 one will ask oneself whether the professor of rhetoric at the high seminary does not leave some part of his dignity behind him in the confectioner's shop4 ,in fact1 the choice of two cakes has not escaped the ill-natured comment of observers1 and it is said1 either rightly or wrongly1 that ,m4 ,guitrel keeps one for himself and gives the other to his servant4 ,he may doubtless1 without incurring any blame1 share any dainties with the woman attached to his service1 especially if that woman has attained the canonical age4 ,but malicious gossip interprets this intimacy and familiarity in the most shameful sense1 and ,i should never dare to repeat to ,your ,eminence the remarks which are made in the town as to the relations between ,m4 ,guitrel and his domestic4 ,i do not wish to entertain these charges4 ,nevertheless1 ,your ,eminence will see that ,m4 ,guitrel is not easily to be excused for having given a show of truth to the calumny by his mischievous behaviour4 ,i have related the facts4 ,it now remains for me only to conclude4 8,i have the honour to propose that ,your ,eminence should cancel the appointment of ,m4 ,guitrel 7,joachim7 as professor of sacred rhetoric at the high seminary of '''1 in accordance with your spiritual powers as recognised by the ,state 7decree of #agth ,march1 #ahjh74 8,vouchsafe1 ,monseigneur1 to continue your paternal kindness towards one who1 being placed in command of your seminary1 has no dearer wish than to give you proofs of his complete devotion and of the profound respect with which he has the honour to be1 8,monseigneur1 0,the most humble and obedient servant of ,your ,eminence1 8,,lantaigne40 ,having written this letter1 ,m4 ,lantaigne sealed it with his seal4 ,b 8,notre ciel nous1 c'est un sein chri40 ,,iv ,it is true that ,abb ,guitrel1 professor of sacred rhetoric at the high seminary of '''1 was intimately connected with ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin and with ,madame ,worms-,clavelin1 ne ,coblentz4 ,but ,abb ,lantaigne was wrong in believing that ,m4 ,guitrel frequented the drawing-rooms of the prefecture1 where his presence would have been equally disquieting to the ,archbishop and to the masonic lodges1 since the prfet was master of the lodge 8,the ,rising ,sun40 ,it was in the confectioner's shop kept by ,dame ,magloire in the ,place ,saint-,exupre1 where he went every ,saturday at five o'clock to buy two little three-sou cakes1 one for his servant and the other for himself1 that the priest had met the prfet's wife1 while she was eating babas there in the company of ,madame ,lacarelle1 wife of ,m4 le prfet's private secretary4 ,by his demeanour1 at once obsequious and discreet1 which inspired entire confidence and removed all apprehensions1 the professor of sacred rhetoric had instantly gained the good graces of ,madame ,worms-,clavelin1 to whom he suggested the mind1 the face1 and almost the sex of those old-clothes women1 the guardian angels of her youth in the difficult days of ,batignolles and the ,place ,clichy1 when ,nomi ,coblentz had finished growing up and was beginning to fade in the business office kept by her father ,isaac in the midst of distress-sales and police-raids4 ,one of these dealers in second-hand clothes1 a ,madame ,vacherie1 who esteemed her1 had acted as go-between for her and an active and promising young barrister1 ,m4 ,thodore ,worms-,clavelin1 who1 finding her seriously-minded and practically useful1 had married her after the birth of their daughter ,jeanne1 and she in return had cleverly pushed him in the administration4 ,abb ,guitrel was very much like ,madame ,vacherie4 ,they had the same look1 the same voice1 the same gestures4 ,this propitious likeness had aroused in ,madame ,worms-,clavelin a sudden sympathy4 ,besides1 she had always revered the ,catholic clergy as one of the powers of this world4 ,she constituted herself ,m4 ,guitrel's advocate in her husband's good graces4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 who recognised in his wife a quality that remained him a deep mystery1 the quality of tact1 and who knew her to be clever1 received ,abb ,guitrel courteously the first time he met him in the jeweller's shop kept by ,rondonneau junior in the ,rue des ,tintelleries4 ,he had gone there to see the designs for the cups ordered by the ,state to be given as prizes in the races organised by the ,society for the ,improvement of ,horse-breeding4 ,after that visit he frequently returned to the goldsmith's1 drawn by an innate taste for precious metals4 ,on his side1 ,abb ,guitrel contrived frequent occasions for visiting the show-rooms of ,rondonneau the younger1 maker of sacred vessels3 candlesticks1 lamps1 pyxes1 chalices1 patens1 monstrances1 and tabernacles4 ,the prfet and the priest were not ill-pleased at these meetings in the first-storey show-rooms1 out of sight of prying eyes1 in front of a counter loaded with bullion and amidst the vases and statuettes that ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin called bondieuseries4,c ,stretched out in ,rondonneau junior's one arm-chair1 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin sent a little wave of his hand to ,m4 ,guitrel1 who1 black and fat1 stole along by the glass cases like a great rat4 ,c ,lit4 good-goderies--i4e41 pious gimcrackeries4 8,good-day1 monsieur l'abb4 ,delighted to see you60 ,and it was true4 ,he vaguely felt that1 in contact with this ecclesiastic of peasant stock1 as ,french in priestly character and in type as the blackened stones of ,saint-,exupre and the old trees on the ,mall1 he was frenchifying himself1 naturalising himself1 stripping off the ponderous remnants of his ,german and ,semitic descent4 ,intimacy with a priest was flattering to the ,jewish official4 ,in it he tasted1 without actually acknowledging it to himself1 the pride of revenge4 ,to browbeat1 to patronise one of those tonsured heads entrusted for eighteen centuries1 both by heaven and earth1 with the excommunication and extermination of the circumcised1 was for the ,jew a keen and flattering success4 ,and besides1 this dirty1 threadbare1 yet respected1 cassock that bowed before him entered chteaux where the prfet was not received4 ,the aristocratic women of the department revered this garb now humiliated before the official uniform4 ,deference from one of the clergy was almost equivalent to deference from that rural nobility that had not completely come over1 and of whose scornful coldness the ,jew1 though by no means sensitive1 had had painful experiences4 ,m4 ,guitrel1 humble1 yet with finesse1 made his deference appreciated4 ,being honoured as a powerful master by this ecclesiastical politician1 the head of the department returned in patronage what he received in deference1 and flung conciliatory speeches at ,abb ,guitrel3 8,doubtless there are good1 devoted1 and intelligent priests4 ,when the clergy takes its stand upon its privileges '''0 ,and ,abb ,guitrel bowed4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin went on3 8,the ,republic does not wage systematic war on the parish priests4 ,and1 if the fraternities had submitted to the law1 many of their difficulties would have been avoided40 ,and ,m4 ,guitrel protested3 8,it is a matter of principle4 ,i should have decided in favour of the fraternities4 ,it is also a matter of business4 ,the fraternities did a great deal of good40 ,the prfet summed up from out of the cloud of his cigar-smoke4 8,harking back over what has been done is useless4 ,but the new spirit is a spirit of conciliation40 ,and again ,m4 ,guitrel bowed1 while ,rondonneau junior bent over his account books his bald head where the flies pitched4 ,one day1 being asked to give her opinion about a vase that the prfet was to present with his own hand to the winner in the race for draught-horses1 ,madame ,worms-,clavelin came to ,rondonneau junior's with her husband4 ,she found ,m4 ,guitrel in the jeweller's office4 ,he made a feint to leave the place4 ,but they begged him to remain4 ,they even consulted him as to the nymphs who formed1 by their bending figures1 the handles of the cup4 ,the prfet would have preferred them to be ,amazons4 8,amazons1 doubtless10 murmured the professor of sacred rhetoric4 ,madame ,worms-,clavelin would have liked centauresses4 8,centauresses1 yes1 yes10 said the priest2 8or rather centaurs40 ,meanwhile ,rondonneau junior was holding up the wax model in his fingers in front of the spectators and smiling in admiration4 8,monsieur l'abb10 asked the prfet1 8does the ,church always ban the nude in art80 ,m4 ,guitrel replied3 8,the ,church has never absolutely proscribed nude studies2 but she has always judiciously restrained their employment40 ,madame ,worms-,clavelin looked at the priest and thought how remarkably like ,madame ,vacherie he was4 ,she confided to him that she had a passion for curios1 that she was mad about brocades1 stamped velvets1 gold fringes1 embroidery and lace4 ,she disclosed to him the covetous desires accumulated in her mind since the days when she used to trail in her youth and poverty in front of the shop-windows of the second-hand dealers in the ,quartier ,brda4 ,she told him that she had dreams of a salon with old copes and old chasubles1 and that she was also collecting antique jewels4 ,he answered that in truth the ornaments of the priests provided precious models for artists1 and that there we had a proof that the ,church was no enemy to art4 ,from that day forward ,m4 ,guitrel began to hunt in the country sacristies for splendid antiques1 and scarcely a week passed that he did not carry into ,rondonneau junior's1 under his great-coat1 a chasuble or a cope1 adroitly pillaged from some innocent priest4 ,m4 ,guitrel was1 moreover1 very scrupulous in remitting to the rifled vestry-board the hundred-sou piece with which the prfet paid for the silk1 the brocade1 the velvet and the lace4 ,in six months' time ,madame ,worms-,clavelin's drawing-room had become like a cathedral treasury2 a clinging odour of incense lingered round it4 ,one summer day in that year1 ,m4 ,guitrel1 according to custom1 mounted the goldsmith's stairs1 and found ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin puffing away merrily in the shop4 ,for the day before the prfet had succeeded in getting his candidate1 a cattle-breeder1 and young turn-coat royalist1 returned2 and he was counting on the approval of the minister1 who secretly preferred the new to the old republicans as being less exacting and more humble4 ,in the elation of his boisterous satisfaction1 he slapped the priest on the shoulder3 8,monsieur l'abb1 what we want is many priests like you1 enlightened1 tolerant1 free from prejudices--for you haven't any prejudices1 not you6--priests who recognise the needs of the present day and the requirements of a democratic society4 ,if the episcopate1 if the ,french clergy would only catch the progressive yet conservative sentiments that the ,republic professes1 they would still have a fine part to play40 ,then1 amidst the smoke of his big cigar1 he expounded ideas on religion which testified to an ignorance that filled ,m4 ,guitrel with inward dismay4 ,the prfet1 however1 declared himself to be more ,christian than many ,christians1 and in the language of the masonic lodge he extolled the moral teaching of ,jesus1 while he rejected indiscriminately local superstitions and fundamental dogmas1 the needles thrown into the piscina of ,saint ,phal by marriageable girls1 and the real presence in the ,eucharist4 ,m4 ,guitrel1 an easy-going soul1 but incapable of yielding a point as to dogma1 stammered out3 8,one must make a distinction1 monsieur le prfet1 one must make a distinction40 ,in order to make a diversion1 he drew out from a pocket of his great-coat a roll of parchment which he opened on the counter4 ,it was a large page of plain-chant1 with ,gothic text under the four-line divisions1 with rubrics and a decorated initial4 ,the prfet fixed his great1 lamp-globe eyes on the page4 ,rondonneau junior1 stretching out his rosy bald head1 said3 8,the miniature in the initial is rather fine4 ,it's ,saint ,agatha1 isn't it80 8,the martyrdom of ,saint ,agatha10 said ,m4 ,guitrel4 8,here are seen the executioners torturing the breasts of the saint40 ,and he added in a voice which flowed as sweetly as thick syrup3 8,according to authentic records1 such was in fact the torment inflicted on ,saint ,agatha of blessed memory by the proconsul4 ,a page from an antiphonary1 ,monsieur le prfet--a trifle1 a mere trifle1 which perhaps will find a little niche in the collections of ,madame ,worms-,clavelin1 so devoted to our ,christian antiquities4 ,this page gives us a fragment of the proper of the saint40 ,and he deciphered the ,latin text1 marking the tonic accent energetically3 8,dum torqueretur beata ,agata in mamill graviter dixit ad judicem3 #8,impie1 crudelis et dire tyranne1 non es confusus amputare in femin quod ipse in matre suxisti8 ,ego habeo mamillas integras intus in anim quas ,domino consecravi4'0,d ,d 8,while the blessed ,agatha was being cruelly tortured in the breast1 she said to the judge3 #8,oh1 wicked1 cruel1 and savage tyrant1 art thou not ashamed to mutilate in a woman that with which your mother fed you8 ,within my soul ,i have breasts undesecrated which ,i have sanctified to ,god4'0 ,the prfet1 who was a graduate1 half understood1 and in his desire to appear ,gallic1 remarked that it was piquant4 8,nave10 answered ,abb ,guitrel gently1 8nave40 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin granted that the language of the ,middle ,ages had1 in fact1 a certain navet4 8,it has also sublimity10 said ,m4 ,guitrel4 ,but the prfet was rather inclined to seek in ,church ,latin for the piquancy of broad humour1 and it was with a sly little laugh of obstinacy that he crammed the parchment into his pocket1 with many thanks to his dear ,guitrel for this discovery4 ,then1 pushing the ,abb into the window-recess1 he whispered in his ear3 8,my dear ,guitrel1 when the chance comes1 ,i will do something for you40 ,v ,there was one party in the town which openly declared that ,abb ,lantaigne1 principal of the high seminary1 was a priest worthy of a bishopric and fitted to fill the vacant see of ,tourcoing honourably1 until the time when ,monseigneur ,charlot's death should enable him1 cross in hand and amethyst on finger1 to assume the mitre in the town that had witnessed his labours and his merits4 ,this was the scheme of the venerable ,m4 ,cassignol1 ex-president in chief1 and a ,state pensioner of twenty-five years' standing4 ,with these plans were associated ,m4 ,lerond1 deputy attorney-general at the time of the decrees1,e now a barrister practising at '''1 and ,abb de ,lalonde1 formerly an ,army chaplain1 and now chaplain to the ,dames du ,salut4 ,these1 belonging to the most respected1 but not to the most influential1 class in the town1 made up practically the whole of ,abb ,lantaigne's party4 ,the head of the high seminary had been invited to dine with ,m4 ,cassignol1 the chief president1 who said to him1 in the presence of ,m4 de ,lalonde and ,m4 ,lerond3 ,e ,the coup d'tat of #ahea4 8,monsieur l'abb1 put yourself forward as a candidate4 ,when it shall come to a choice between ,abb ,lantaigne1 who has so nobly served both religion and ,christian ,france by pen and tongue1 who has protected the oft-betrayed cause of the rights of the ,french ,church within the ,catholic ,church with the force of his mental endowments and high character1 and ,m4 ,guitrel1 none will have the effrontery to hesitate4 ,and since it seems that this time the honour of supplying a bishop for the town of ,tourcoing is to fall to our city1 the faithful of the diocese are willing to lose you for a time for the good of the episcopate as well as of ,christendom40 ,and the venerable ,m4 ,cassignol1 who was now in his eighty-sixth year1 added with a smile3 8,we shall see you again1 ,i have a firm conviction of that4 ,you will come back to us from ,tourcoing1 monsieur l'abb40 ,abb ,lantaigne had replied3 8,monsieur le prsident1 with no intention of anticipating any honour1 ,i yet shall shirk no duty40 ,he yearned and longed for the see of the lamented ,monseigneur ,duclou4 ,but this priest1 whose ambition was frozen by his pride1 was waiting until they came to bring him the mitre4 ,one morning ,m4 ,lerond came to see him at the seminary1 and brought news of how ,abb ,guitrel's candidature was progressing at the ,ministry of ,public ,worship4 ,it was suspected that ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was working hard in favour of ,m4 ,guitrel in the offices of the ,ministry1 where all the freemasons had already received their orders4 ,this was what he had been told at the offices of le ,libral1 the religious and moderate paper of the district4 ,with regard to the intentions of the ,cardinal-,archbishop1 nothing was known4 ,the truth was that ,monseigneur ,charlot dared neither oppose nor support any candidate4 ,his characteristic caution had been growing on him for years4 ,if he had any preferences he let no one guess them4 ,for a long time he had been comfortably and pleasurably concealing his policy1 just as he played his game of bezique every evening with ,m4 de ,goulet4 ,and1 in fact1 the promotion of a priest of his diocese to a non-suffragan bishopric was in no way an affair of his4 ,but he was forced to take part in this intrigue4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 the prfet1 whom he did not wish to offend1 had caused him to be sounded4 ,his ,eminence could not be ignorant of the shrewd and urbane disposition of which ,m4 ,guitrel had given plain proofs in the diocese4 ,on the other hand1 he believed this ,guitrel to be capable of anything4 8,who knows10 thought he1 8whether he is not scheming to get himself appointed here as my coadjutor1 instead of going to that gloomy little metropolis of ,northern ,gaul8 ,and if ,i declare him worthy of a bishopric1 will it not be believed that ,i intend him to share my see80 ,this apprehension that he would be given a coadjutor embittered ,monseigneur ,charlot's old age4 ,in ,abb ,lantaigne's case he had strong reasons for being silent and holding aloof4 ,he would not have supported this priest's candidature for the simple reason that he foresaw its failure4 ,monseigneur ,charlot never willingly put himself on the losing side4 ,moreover1 he loathed the principal of the high seminary4 ,yet this hatred1 in a mind so easy-going and kindly as ,monseigneur's1 was not actually prejudicial to ,m4 ,lantaigne's ambitions4 ,in order to get rid of him1 ,monseigneur ,charlot would have consented to his becoming either bishop or ,pope4 ,m4 ,lantaigne had a high reputation for piety1 learning1 and eloquence3 one could not1 without a certain shamelessness1 be openly against him4 ,now ,monseigneur ,charlot1 being popular and very keen to gain every one's goodwill1 did not despise the opinion of honourable men4 ,m4 ,lerond was unable to follow the secret thoughts of ,monseigneur1 but he knew that the ,archbishop had not yet committed himself4 ,he judged that it might be possible to bring influence to bear on the old man's mind and that an appeal to his pastoral instincts might not be in vain4 ,he urged ,m4 ,lantaigne to proceed at once to the ,archbishop's palace4 8,you will beg ,his ,eminence1 with filial deference1 for advice in the probable event of the bishopric of ,tourcoing being offered to you4 ,it is the right step1 and it will produce an excellent effect40 ,m4 ,lantaigne objected3 8,it behoves me to wait for a more solemn call40 8,what call could be more solemn than the suffrages of so many zealous ,christians1 who hail your name with a unanimity that recalls the ancient popular acclamations with which a ,mdard and a ,remi were greeted80 8,but1 monsieur10 answered honest ,lantaigne1 8those acclamations1 in the obsolete custom to which you refer1 came from the faithful of the diocese which these holy men were called upon to govern4 ,and ,i am not aware that the ,catholics of ,tourcoing have acclaimed me40 ,at this point lawyer ,lerond said what had to be said3 8,if you do not bar the road for him1 ,m4 ,guitrel will become a bishop40 ,the next day ,m4 ,lantaigne had fastened over his shoulders his visiting cloak1 the turned-back wing of which flapped on his sturdy back1 the while on the road to the ,archbishop's palace he besought his ,god to spare the ,church of ,france an unmerited disgrace4 ,his ,eminence1 at the moment when ,m4 ,lantaigne bowed before him1 had just received a letter from the nunciature asking him for a confidential note about ,m4 ,guitrel4 ,the nuncio made no secret of his liking for a priest reputed to be intelligent and zealous and capable of being useful in negotiations with the temporal power4 ,his ,eminence had immediately dictated to ,m4 de ,goulet a note in favour of the nuncio's protg4 ,he exclaimed in his pleasant tremulous voice3 8,monsieur ,lantaigne1 how glad ,i am to see you60 8,monseigneur1 ,i have come to ask ,your ,eminence for your paternal counsel in case the ,holy ,father1 regarding me with favour1 should nominate me '''0 8,very happy to see you1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne4 ,you come just in the nick of time60 8,i would venture1 if ,your ,eminence did not deem me unworthy of '''0 8,you are1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne1 an eminent theologian and a priest of the highest possible learning in the canon law4 ,you are an authority on knotty points of discipline4 ,your advice is precious on questions of the liturgy and1 in general1 on any point that concerns religion4 ,if you had not come1 ,i was going to send for you1 as ,m4 de ,goulet can tell you4 ,at the present moment ,i am in great need of your insight40 ,and ,monseigneur1 with his gouty hand1 well practised in benediction1 waved the principal of the high seminary to a seat4 8,monsieur ,lantaigne1 be kind enough to listen to me4 ,the venerable ,m4 ,laprune1 the cur of ,saint-,exupre1 is just gone from here4 ,i must tell you that this poor cur has this morning found a man hanged in his church4 ,just conceive his distress6 ,he is beside himself4 ,and in such a crisis1 ,i myself need to take the advice of the most learned priest in my diocese4 ,what ought we to do8 ,tell me60 ,m4 ,lantaigne collected himself for a moment4 ,then1 in the tone of a pedagogue1 he began to expound the traditions concerning the purification of churches3 8,the ,maccabees1 after having washed the temple profaned by ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 in the year #afd before the ,incarnation1 celebrated its dedication4 ,that is the origin1 ,monseigneur1 of the festival called ,hanicha--that is to say1 renewal4 ,in fact '''0 ,and he developed his ideas4 ,monseigneur listened with an air of admiration1 and ,m4 ,lantaigne drew up from his inexhaustible memory endless texts relating to the ceremonies of purification1 precedents1 arguments1 commentaries4 8,john1 ,chapter ,x41 verse #bb ''' the ,roman ,pontifical ''' the ,venerable ,bede1 ,baronius '''0 ,he spoke for three-quarters of an hour4 ,after this the ,cardinal-,archbishop replied3 8,it should be noted that the hanged man was found in the porch of the side door1 on the epistle side40 8,was the inner door of the porch closed80 asked ,m4 ,lantaigne4 8,alas6 alas60 answered ,monseigneur1 8it was not wide open ''' but neither was it completely shut40 8,ajar1 ,monseigneur80 8,that's it6 ,ajar40 8,and the suicide1 ,monseigneur1 was within the space covered by the porch8 ,that is a point which it is materially important to ascertain4 ,your ,eminence perceives the whole importance of that80 8,assuredly1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne4 ''' ,monsieur de ,goulet1 was there not one arm of the hanged man which projected from the porch and jutted into the church80 ,m4 de ,goulet replied with a blush and some incoherent syllables4 8,i feel certain10 replied ,monseigneur1 8that the arm went beyond1 or1 at any rate1 part of the arm40 ,m4 ,lantaigne concluded from this that the church of ,saint-,exupre was profaned4 ,he quoted precedents and described the proceedings after the dastardly assassination of the ,archbishop of ,paris1 in the church of ,saint-tienne-du-,mont4 ,he travelled up the ages1 passed through the ,revolution1 when the churches were transformed into armouries1 referred to ,thomas ,becket and the impious ,heliodorus4 8,what scholarship6 ,what sound doctrine60 said ,monseigneur4 ,he rose and stretched out his hand for the priest to kiss4 8,it is a priceless service that you have rendered me1 ,monsieur ,lantaigne2 be assured that ,i have a great esteem for your scholarship and accept my pastoral benediction4 ,farewell40 ,and ,m4 ,lantaigne1 dismissed1 perceived that he had not been able to say a single word about the important business on which he had come4 ,but1 with the echoes of his own words all round him1 full of his learning and his application of it1 and much flattered1 he descended the grand staircase still turning over in his own mind the matter of the suicide of ,saint-,exupre and the urgent need for the purification of the parish church4 ,outside he was still thinking of it4 ,as he was descending the winding street of the ,tintelleries1 he met the cur of ,saint-,exupre1 the venerable ,m4 ,laprune1 who1 standing in front of cooper ,lenfant's shop1 was examining the corks4 ,his wine had been turning sour1 and this deterioration he attributed to the defective way in which his bottles were corked4 8,it is deplorable10 he murmured1 8deplorable60 8,and your suicide80 demanded ,abb ,lantaigne4 ,at this question the worthy cur of ,saint-,exupre opened his full1 round eyes and asked in astonishment3 8,what suicide80 8,the man who hanged himself in ,saint-,exupre1 the miserable suicide whom you found this morning in the porch of your church40 ,m4 ,laprune1 terrified1 wondering from what he had just heard1 whether he or ,m4 ,lantaigne had gone mad1 replied that he had found no one hanged4 8,what60 replied ,m4 ,lantaigne1 surprised in his turn1 8wasn't a man found this morning hanged in the porch of a door on the epistle side60 ,in sign of denial1 the vicar twice revolved on his shoulders a face whereon shone the sacred truth4 ,abb ,lantaigne now looked like a man taken with giddiness3 8,but it was the ,cardinal-,archbishop who has just told me himself that you found a man hanged in your church60 8,oh60 replied ,m4 ,laprune1 suddenly reassured1 8,monseigneur wanted to amuse himself4 ,he loves a jest4 ,he is a capital hand at it1 and knows how to keep within the bounds of seemliness4 ,he has so much wit60 ,but ,abb ,lantaigne1 raising heavenwards his fiery1 sombre glance1 exclaimed3 8,the ,archbishop has deceived me6 ,this man will1 then1 never speak the truth1 save when on the steps of the altar1 taking the consecrated host in his hands1 he pronounces the words3 ,domine1 non sum dignus60 ,,vi ,now that he was no longer inclined to the saddle and liked to keep his room1 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot had reduced his division to cards in small cardboard boxes1 which he placed every morning on his desk1 and which he arranged every evening on the white deal shelves above his iron bedstead4 ,he marshalled his cards day by day with scrupulous exactitude1 in an order which filled him with satisfaction4 ,every card represented a man4 ,the symbol by which he henceforth thought of his officers1 non-commissioned officers and men1 satisfied his craving for method and suited his natural bent of mind4 ,cartier de ,chalmot had always been noted as an excellent officer4 ,general ,parroy1 under whom he had served1 said of him3 8,in ,captain de ,chalmot the capacity for obedience is exactly balanced by the power of command4 ,a rare and priceless quality of the true military spirit40 ,cartier de ,chalmot had always been scrupulous in the performance of his duty4 ,being upright1 diffident1 and an excellent penman1 he had at last hit upon a system which fitted in with his abilities1 and1 in command of his division of cards1 he applied his method with the utmost vigour4 ,on this particular day1 having risen according to his custom at five o'clock in the morning1 he had passed from his tub to his work-table2 and1 whilst the sun was mounting with solemn slowness above the elms of the ,archbishop's palace1 the general was organising manuvres by manipulating the boxes of cards that symbolised reality1 and that were actually identical with reality to an intelligence which1 like his1 was excessively reverent towards everything symbolic4 ,for more than three hours he had been poring over his cards with a mind and face as wan and melancholy as the cards themselves1 when his servant announced the ,abb de ,lalonde4 ,then he took off his glasses1 wiped his work-reddened eyes1 rose1 and half smiling1 turned towards the door a countenance which had once been handsome and which in old age remained quite simple in its lineaments4 ,he stretched out to the visitor who entered a large hand the palm of which had scarcely any lines1 and said good-day to the priest in a gruff1 yet hesitating voice1 which revealed at the same time the diffidence of the man and the infallibility of the commander4 8,my dear abb1 how are you8 ,i am very glad to see you40 ,and he pushed forward to him one of the two horsehair chairs which1 with the desk and the bed1 comprised all the furniture of this clean1 bright1 empty room4 ,the abb sat down4 ,he was a wonderfully active little old man4 ,in his face of weather-worn1 crumbling brick1 there were set1 like two jewels1 the blue eyes of a child4 ,they looked at one another for a moment1 understandingly1 without saying a word4 ,they were two old friends1 two comrades-in-arms4 ,formerly a chaplain in the ,army1 ,abb de ,lalonde was now chaplain to the ,dames du ,salut4 ,as military chaplain1 he had been attached to the regiment of guards of which ,cartier de ,chalmot had been colonel in #ahgj1 and which1 forming part of the division '''1 had been shut up in ,metz with ,bazaine's army4 ,the memory of these homeric1 yet lamentable1 weeks came back to the minds of these two friends every time they saw one another1 and every time they made the same remarks4 ,this time the chaplain began3 8,do you remember1 general1 when we were in ,metz1 running short of medicine1 of fodder1 running short of salt8 '''0 ,abb de ,lalonde was the least sensual of men4 ,he had hardly felt the want of salt for himself1 but he had suffered much at not being able to give the men salt as he gave them tobacco1 in little packets carefully wrapped up4 ,and he remembered this cruel privation4 8,ah6 general1 the salt ran short60 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot replied3 8,they made up for it1 to a certain extent1 by mixing gunpowder with the food40 8,all the same10 answered the chaplain1 8war is a terrible thing40 ,thus spoke this innocent friend of soldiers in the sincerity of his heart4 ,but the general did not acquiesce in this condemnation of war4 8,pardon me1 my dear abb6 ,war is1 of course1 a cruel necessity1 but one which provides for officers and men an opportunity of showing the highest qualities4 ,without war1 we should still be ignorant of how far the courage and endurance of men can go40 ,and1 very seriously1 he added3 8,the ,bible proves the lawfulness of war1 and you know better than ,i how in it ,god is called ,sabaoth--that is1 the ,god of armies40 ,the abb smiled with an expression of frank roguishness1 displaying the three very white teeth which were all that remained to him4 8,pooh6 ,i don't know ,hebrew1 not ,i4 ''' ,and ,god has so many more beautiful names that ,i can dispense with calling him by that one4 ''' ,alas6 general1 what a splendid army perished under the command of that unhappy marshal6 '''0 ,at these words1 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot began to say what he had already said a hundred times3 8,bazaine6 ''' ,listen to me4 ,neglect of the regulations touching fortified towns1 culpable hesitation in giving orders1 mental reservations before the enemy4 ,and before the enemy one ought to have no mental reservations ''' ,capitulation in open country4 ''' ,he deserved his fate4 ,and then a scapegoat was needed40 8,for my part10 answered the chaplain1 8,i should beware of ever saying a single word which might injure the memory of this unfortunate marshal4 ,i cannot judge his actions4 ,and it is certainly not my business to noise abroad even his indubitable shortcomings4 ,for he granted me a favour for which ,i shall feel grateful as long as ,i live40 8,a favour80 demanded the general4 8,he8 ,to you80 8,oh6 a favour so noble1 so beautiful6 ,he granted me a pardon for a poor soldier1 a dragoon condemned to death for insubordination4 ,in memory of this favour1 every year ,i say a mass for the repose of the soul of ex-,marshal ,bazaine40 ,but ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot would not let himself be turned from the point4 8,capitulation in open country6 ''' ,just imagine it4 ''' ,he deserved his fate40 ,and1 in order to hearten himself up1 the general spoke of ,canrobert1 and of the splendid stand of the 444 brigade at ,saint-,privat4 ,and the chaplain related anecdotes of a diverting kind1 with an edifying climax4 8,ah6 ,saint-,privat1 general6 ,on the eve of the battle1 a great rascal of a carabineer came to look for me4 ,i see him still1 all blackened1 in a sheepskin4 ,he cries to me3 #8,to-morrow's going to be warm work4 ,i may leave my bones to rot there4 ,confess me1 monsieur le cur1 and quickly6 ,i must go and groom my little mare4' ,i say to him3 #8,i don't want to delay you1 friend4 ,still1 you must tell me your sins4 ,what are your sins8' ,in astonishment he looks at me and replies3 #8,why1 all6' #8,what1 all8' #8,yes1 all4 ,i have committed all the sins4' ,i shake my head4 #8,all1 my friend--that is a good many6 ''' ,tell me1 hast thou beaten thy mother8' ,at this question1 my gentleman grows excited1 waves his great arms1 swears like a ,pagan1 and exclaims3 #8,monsieur le cur1 you are mocking me6' ,i reply to him3 #8,calm yourself1 friend4 ,you see now that you have not committed all the sins4' '''0 ,thus the chaplain cheerily narrated pious regimental anecdotes4 ,and then he deduced the moral from them4 ,good ,christians made good soldiers4 ,it was a mistake to banish religion from the ,army4 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot approved of these maxims4 8,i have always said so1 my dear abb4 ,in destroying mystical beliefs you ruin the military spirit4 ,by what right do you exact of a man the sacrifice of his life if you take away from him the hope of another existence80 ,and the chaplain answered1 with a smile full of kindliness1 innocence and joy3 8,you will see that there will be a return to religion4 ,they are already going back to it on all sides4 ,men are not as bad as they appear and ,god is infinitely good40 ,then at last he revealed the object of his visit4 8,i come1 general1 to ask a great favour of you40 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot became attentive2 his face1 already sad1 grew sadder still4 ,he loved and respected this old chaplain1 and would have wished to give him pleasure4 ,but the very idea of granting a favour was alarming to his strict uprightness4 8,yes1 general1 ,i come to ask you to work for the good of the ,church4 ,you know ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary in our town4 ,he is a priest renowned for his piety and learning1 a great theologian40 8,i have met ,abb ,lantaigne several times4 ,he made a favourable impression on me4 ,but '''0 8,oh6 general1 if you had heard his lectures as ,i have done1 you would be amazed at his learning4 ,yet ,i was able to appreciate but a trifling part of it4 ,thirty years of my life ,i have spent in reminding poor soldiers stretched on a hospital bed of the goodness of ,god4 ,i have slipped in a good word along with a screw of tobacco4 ,for another twenty-five years ,i have been confessing holy maidens1 full of sanctity1 of course1 but less charming in character than were my soldiers4 ,i have never had the time to read the ,fathers2 ,i have neither enough brain nor enough theology to appreciate ,m4 l'abb ,lantaigne at his true worth1 for he is a walking encyclopedia4 ,but at least ,i can assure you1 general1 that he speaks as he acts1 and he acts as he speaks40 ,and the old chaplain1 winking his eye roguishly1 added3 8,all ecclesiastics1 unfortunately1 are not of this kind40 8,nor are all soldiers10 said the general1 smiling a very wan smile4 ,and the two men exchanged a sympathetic glance1 in their common hatred of intrigue and falsity4 ,abb de ,lalonde1 who was1 however1 capable of a little guile1 wound up his eulogy of ,abb ,lantaigne with this touch3 8,he is an excellent priest1 and if he had been a soldier he would have made an excellent soldier40 ,but the general demanded brusquely3 8,well6 what can ,i do for him80 8,help him to slip on the violet stockings1 which he has richly deserved1 general4 ,he is an admitted candidate for the vacant bishopric of ,tourcoing4 ,i beg you to support him with the ,minister of ,justice and ,religion1 whom1 ,i am told1 you know personally40 ,the general shook his head4 ,in fact1 he had never asked anything of the ,government4 ,cartier de ,chalmot1 as a royalist and a ,christian1 regarded the ,republic with a disapproval that was complete1 silent and whole-hearted4 ,reading no newspapers and talking with no one1 he undervalued on principle a civil power of whose doings he knew nothing4 ,he obeyed and held his tongue4 ,he was admired in the chteaux of the neighbourhood for his melancholy resignation1 inspired by the sentiment of duty1 strengthened by a profound scorn for everything which was not military1 intensified by a growing difficulty in thought and speech rendered obvious and affecting by the progress of an affection of the liver4 ,it was well known that ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot remained a faithful royalist in the depths of his heart4 ,it was not so well known that one day in the year #ahic his heart had received one of those shocks which can only be compared with what ,christians describe as the workings of grace1 and which bring with the force of a thunderbolt deep and unlooked-for peace to a man's innermost being4 ,this event took place at five o'clock in the evening of the #dth of ,june in the drawing-rooms of the prefecture4 ,there1 among the flowers that ,madame ,worms-,clavelin had herself arranged1 ,president ,carnot1 on his way through the town1 had received the officers of the garrison4 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot1 being present with his staff1 saw the ,president for the first time1 and instantly1 for no apparent reason1 on no explicable grounds1 was pierced through and through by a terrible admiration4 ,in a second1 before the gentle gravity and honest inflexibility of the head of the ,state1 all his prejudices fell away4 ,he forgot that this sovereign was a civilian4 ,he revered and loved him4 ,he suddenly felt himself bound with ties of sympathy and respect to this man1 sad and sallow like himself1 but august and serene like a ruler4 ,he uttered with a soldierly stutter the official compliment which he had learnt by heart4 ,the ,president answered him3 8,i thank you in the name of the ,republic and of our country which you loyally serve40 ,at this1 all the devotion to an absent prince which ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot had stored up for twenty-five years welled forth from his heart towards the ,president1 whose quiet face remained surprisingly immobile1 and who spoke in a melancholy voice with no movement of cheek or lips1 on which his black beard set a seal4 ,on this waxen face1 in these slow1 honest eyes1 on this feeble breast1 across which blazed the broad red ribbon of his order1 in the whole figure of this suffering automaton1 the general perceived both the dignity of the leader1 and the affliction of the ill-fated man who has never laughed4 ,with his admiration there was mingled a strain of tenderness4 ,a year later he heard of the tragic end of this ,president for whose safety he would willingly have died1 and whom he henceforth pictured in his thoughts as dark and stiff1 like the flag rolled round its staff in the barracks and covered with its case4 ,from that time he had ignored the civil rulers of ,france4 ,he cared to know nothing save of his military superiors1 whom he obeyed with melancholy punctiliousness4 ,pained at the idea of answering the venerable ,abb de ,lalonde by a refusal1 he bethought himself for a moment1 and then gave his reasons4 8,a matter of principle4 ,i never ask anything of the government4 ,you agree with me1 don't you8 ''' ,for from the moment that one lays down a rule for oneself '''0 ,the chaplain looked at him with an expression of sadness that seemed as though thrown over his happy old face4 8,oh6 how could ,i agree with you1 general--,i who beg of everybody8 ,i am a hardened beggar4 ,for ,god and the poor1 ,i have pleaded with all the powers of the day1 with ,king ,louis ,philippe's ministers1 with those of the provisional government1 with ,napoleon ,,iii4's ministers1 with those of the ,ordre ,moral and those of the present ,republic4 ,they have all helped me to do some good4 ,and since you know the ,minister of ,religion '''0 ,at this moment a shrill voice called in the passage3 8,poulot6 ,poulot60 ,and a stout lady in a morning wrapper1 her white hair crowned with hair-curlers1 entered the room with a rush4 ,it was ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot1 who was calling the general to djeuner4 ,she had already shaken her husband with imperious tenderness1 and exclaimed once more3 8,poulot60 before she became aware of the presence of the old priest crushed up against the door4 ,she apologised for her untidy dress4 ,she had had so much to do this morning6 ,three daughters1 two sons1 an orphan nephew and her husband--seven children to look after6 8,ah6 madame10 said the abb1 8it is ,god himself who has sent you6 ,you will be my providence40 8,your providence1 monsieur l'abb60 ,in her grey dressing-gown her figure revealed the ample dignity of classic motherhood4 ,on her beaming moustachioed face shone a matronly pride2 her large gestures expressed at once the briskness of a housewife habituated to work and the ease of a woman accustomed to official deference4 ,the general disappeared behind her4 ,she was his household goddess and his guardian angel1 this ,pauline who carried on her brave1 energetic shoulders all the burden of this poverty-stricken1 ostentatious house1 who played the part of seamstress to the family1 as well as cook1 dressmaker1 chambermaid1 governess1 apothecary1 and even milliner with a frankly gaudy taste1 and yet showed at big dinners and receptions an imperturbable good breeding1 a commanding profile1 and shoulders that were still beautiful4 ,it was commonly said in the division that if the general became ,minister of ,war1 his wife would do the honours of the htel in the ,boulevard ,saint-,germain,f in capital fashion4 ,f ,where the ,french ,war ,office is situated4 ,the energy of the general's wife spread freely over into the outer world and flourished vigorously in pious and charitable works4 ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot was lady patroness of three crches and a dozen charities recommended by the ,cardinal-,archbishop4 ,monseigneur ,charlot showed a special predilection for this lady1 and said to her sometimes1 with his man-of-the-world smile3 8,you are a general in the army of ,christian charity40 ,and1 being a professor of orthodoxy1 ,monseigneur ,charlot never failed to add3 8,and there is no charity outside the ,christian charity2 for the ,church alone is in a position to solve the social problems whose difficulties perplex the minds of all and cause special anxiety to our paternal heart40 ,this was just what ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot thought4 ,she was lavishly1 glaringly pious1 and not free from the rather loud magnificence that was aptly accented by the sound of her voice and the flowers in her hats4 ,her faith1 voluminous and decorative like the bosom which enshrined it1 made a splendid show in drawing-rooms4 ,by the breadth of her religious sentiments she had done much harm to her husband4 ,but neither of them paid any heed to this4 ,the general also believed in the ,christian creed1 although this would not have prevented him from having the ,cardinal-,archbishop arrested on a written order from the ,minister of ,war4 ,yet he was regarded with suspicion by the democracy4 ,and the prfet1 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin himself1 though little of a fanatic1 regarded ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot as a dangerous man4 ,this was his wife's fault4 ,she was ambitious1 but the soul of honour and incapable of betraying her ,god4 8,how can ,i be your providence1 monsieur l'abb80 ,and when she heard that the point at issue was the raising to the bishopric of ,tourcoing of ,abb ,lantaigne1 a man of such noble1 steadfast piety1 she caught fire and showed her courage4 8,those are the bishops we want4 ,m4 ,lantaigne ought to be nominated40 ,the old chaplain began to make use of this happy valiancy4 8,then1 madame1 induce the general to write to the ,minister of ,religion1 who turns out to be his friend40 ,she shook the crown of curlers on her head vigorously4 8,no1 monsieur l'abb4 ,my husband will not write4 ,it is useless to persist4 ,he thinks that a soldier ought never to ask for anything4 ,he is right4 ,my father was of this opinion4 ,you knew him1 monsieur l'abb1 and you know that he was a fine man and a good soldier40 ,the old ,army chaplain smote his forehead4 8,colonel de ,balny6 ,yes1 of course1 ,i knew him4 ,he was a hero and a ,christian40 ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot interposed3 8,my father-in-law1 ,colonel de ,balny1 was chiefly commendable for having mastered in their entirety the regulations of #ahbi on cavalry manuvres4 ,these regulations were so complicated that few officers mastered them in their completeness4 ,they were afterwards withdrawn1 and ,colonel de ,balny conceived such a disgust at this that it hastened his end4 ,new regulations were imposed1 possessing the unquestionable advantage of simplification4 ,yet ,i question whether the old state of things was not preferable4 ,you must exact much from a cavalryman in order to get a little out of him4 ,it is the same with the foot-soldier40 ,and the general began anxiously to manipulate his division of cards drawn up in the boxes4 ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot had heard these same words very often4 ,she always made the same reply to them4 ,once more this time she said3 8,poulot6 how can you say that papa died of chagrin1 when he fell down in an apoplectic fit at a review80 ,the old chaplain1 by a crafty wile1 brought the conversation back to the subject which interested him4 8,ah6 madame1 your excellent father1 ,colonel de ,balny1 would have certainly appreciated the character of ,m4 ,lantaigne1 and he would have offered up prayers that this priest might be raised to a bishopric40 8,i also1 monsieur l'abb1 will offer up prayers for that10 answered the general's wife4 8,my husband cannot1 ought not to make any application4 ,but if you think that my intervention will be useful1 ,i will drop a word to ,monseigneur4 ,he doesn't terrify me at all1 our ,archbishop40 8,doubtless a word from your mouth '''0 murmured the old man4 8444 ,the ear of ,monseigneur ,chariot will be open to it40 ,the general's wife announced that she would be seeing the ,archbishop at the inauguration of the ,pain de ,saint ,antoine1 of which she was president1 and that there ''' ,she interrupted herself3 8,the cutlets6 ''' ,excuse me1 monsieur l'abb '''0 ,she rushed out on to the landing and shouted orders to the cook from the staircase4 ,then she reappeared in the room4 8,and there ,i shall draw him aside1 and beg him to speak to the nuncio in favour of ,m4 ,lantaigne4 ,is that the right way to go to work80 ,the old chaplain made as if to take her hands1 yet without actually doing so4 8,that's just the way1 madame4 ,i am sure that the good ,saint ,anthony of ,padua will be with you and will help you to persuade ,monseigneur ,charlot4 ,he is a great saint4 ,i mean ,saint ,anthony4 ''' ,ladies ought not to believe that he devotes himself exclusively to finding the jewels which they have lost4 ,in heaven he has something better to do4 ,to beg him for bread for the poor1 that is assuredly far worthier4 ,you have realised that1 dear madame4 ,the ,pain de ,saint ,antoine is a fine work4 ,i must inform myself more fully about it4 ,but ,i shall take good care not to breathe a word of it to my good sisters40 ,he was referring to the ,dames du ,salut1 to whom he was chaplain4 8,they have already too many undertakings4 ,they are excellent sisters1 but too much absorbed in trifling duties1 and far too petty1 the poor ladies40 ,he sighed1 recalling the time when he was a regimental chaplain1 the tragic days of the war1 when he accompanied the wounded stretched out on an ambulance litter and gave them a drop of brandy4 ,for it was by doles of tobacco and spirits that he was in the habit of carrying on his apostolic labours4 ,he again gave way to his love of talking about the fighting round ,metz and told some anecdotes4 ,he had several concerning a certain sapper1 a native of ,lorraine called ,larmoise1 a man full of resources4 8,i did not tell you1 general1 how this great devil of a sapper used to bring me a bag of potatoes every morning4 ,one day ,i asked him where he picked them up4 ,says he3 #8,in the enemy's lines4' #8,you villain1' ,i say to him4 ,thereupon he explains to me how he has found some fellow-countrymen among the ,german guards4 #8,fellow-countrymen8' #8,yes1 fellow-countrymen1 fellows from home4 ,we are only separated by the frontier4 ,we embraced one another1 we talked about our relatives and friends4 ,and they said to me3 0,you can take as many potatoes as you like40'0 ,and the chaplain added3 8,this simple incident made me feel better than any reasoning how cruel and unjust war is40 8,yes10 said the general1 8these annoying intimacies occasionally occur at the points of contact of two armies4 ,they must be sternly repressed1 having due regard1 of course1 to the circumstances40 ,,vii ,on the promenade along the ramparts that evening ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary1 fell in with ,m4 ,bergeret1 a professor of literature who was considered a man of remarkable1 but eccentric character4 ,m4 ,lantaigne forgave him his scepticism and chatted with him willingly1 whenever he met him under the elm-trees on the ,mall4 ,on his side1 ,m4 ,bergeret had no objection to studying the mind of an intelligent priest4 ,they both knew that their conversations on a seat in the promenade were equally displeasing to the dean of the ,faculty and to the ,archbishop4 ,but ,abb ,lantaigne knew nothing about worldly prudence1 and ,m4 ,bergeret1 very weary1 discouraged1 and disillusioned1 had given up caring for fruitless considerations of policy4 ,sceptical within the bounds of decorum and good taste1 the assiduous devotions of his wife and the endless catechisms of his daughters had resulted in his being impeached of clericalism in the ministerial bureaux1 whilst certain speeches that had been attributed to him were used against him1 both by professing ,catholics and professional patriots4 ,foiled in his ambitions1 he still meant to live in his own way1 and having failed to learn how to please1 tried discreetly to displease4 ,on this peaceful and radiant evening ,m4 ,bergeret1 seeing the head of the high seminary coming along his usual road1 advanced several paces to meet the priest and joined him under the first elm-trees on the ,mall4 8,to me the place is happy where ,i meet you10 said ,abb ,lantaigne1 who loved1 before a university man1 to air his harmless literary affectations4 ,in a few very vague phrases they made a mutual confession of the great pity aroused in them both by the world in which they lived4 ,it was ,abb ,lantaigne alone who deplored the decay of this ancient city1 so rich1 during the ,middle ,ages1 in knowledge and thought1 and now subject to a few petty tradesmen and freemasons4 ,in frank opposition to this1 ,m4 ,bergeret said3 8,in days gone by men were just what they are now2 that is to say1 moderately good and moderately bad40 8,not so60 answered ,m4 ,lantaigne4 8,men were vigorous in character and strong in doctrine when ,raymond the ,great1 surnamed the balsamic doctor1 taught in this town the epitome of human knowledge40 ,the professor and the priest sat down on a stone bench where two old men1 pale-faced and decrepit1 were already sitting without saying a word4 ,in front of this bench1 green meadows1 wreathed in light mist1 stretched gently downwards to the poplars that fringed the river4 8,monsieur l'abb10 said the professor1 8,i have1 like everybody else1 turned over the pages of the ,hortus and the ,thesaurus of ,raymond the ,great in the municipal library4 ,moreover1 ,i have read the new book that ,abb ,cazeaux has devoted to the balsamic doctor4 ,now1 what struck me in that book '''0 8,abb ,cazeaux is one of my pupils10 interrupted ,m4 ,lantaigne4 8,his book on ,raymond the ,great is based on facts1 which is praiseworthy2 it is founded on theology1 which is still more praiseworthy and rare1 for theology is lost in this decadent ,france1 which was the greatest of the nations as long as she was the most theological40 8,this book of ,m4 ,cazeaux's10 answered ,m4 ,bergeret1 8appeared to me to be interesting from several points of view4 ,for want of a knowledge of theology ,i lost myself in it more than once4 ,yet ,i fancied ,i could see in it that the blessed ,raymond1 rigidly orthodox monk as he was1 claimed for the teacher the right of professing two contradictory opinions on the same subject1 the one theological and in accordance with revelation1 the other purely human and based on experience or reason4 ,the balsamic doctor1 whose statue adorns so sternly the courtyard of the ,archbishop's palace1 maintained1 according to what ,i have been able to understand1 that one and the same man may deny1 as an observer or as a disputant1 the truths which1 as a ,christian1 he believes and confesses4 ,and it seemed to me that your pupil1 ,m4 ,cazeaux1 approved of a system so strange40 ,abb ,lantaigne1 quite animated by what he had just heard1 drew his red silk handkerchief from his pocket1 unfurled it like a flag1 and with flushed face and mouth wide open flung himself fearlessly on the challenge thrown down4 8,monsieur ,bergeret1 as to whether one can have1 on the same subject1 two distinct opinions1 the one theological and of divine origin1 the other purely rational or experimental and of human origin1 that is a question which ,i answer in the affirmative4 ,and ,i am going to prove to you the truth of this apparent contradiction by a most common instance4 ,when1 seated in your study1 before your table loaded with books and papers1 you exclaim1 #8,it is incredible6 ,i have just this moment put my paper-knife on this table and now ,i do not see it there4 ,i see it1 ,i'm sure ,i see it1 and yet ,i no longer see it1' when you think in this way1 ,monsieur ,bergeret1 you have two contradictory opinions with respect to the same object1 one that your paper-knife is on the table because it ought to be there3 that opinion is based on reason2 the other that your paper-knife is not on the table1 because you do not see it there3 that opinion is based on experience4 ,there you have two irreconcilable opinions on the same subject4 ,and they are simultaneous4 ,you affirm at the same time both the presence and the absence of the paper-knife4 ,you exclaim1 #8,it is there1 ,i am sure of it1' at the very moment you are proving it is not there40 ,and1 having finished his demonstration1 ,abb ,lantaigne waved his chequered1 snuff-besprinkled silk handkerchief1 like the flaming banner of scholasticism4 ,but the professor of literature was not convinced4 ,he had no difficulty in showing the emptiness of this sophism4 ,he replied quite gently in the rather weak voice that he habitually husbanded1 that1 in looking for his paper-knife1 he experienced fear and hope1 by turns and not simultaneously1 the result of an uncertainty which could not last2 for it ended by his making sure whether the knife was on the table or not4 8,there is nothing1 monsieur l'abb10 added he1 8nothing in this instance of the boxwood knife that is applicable to the contradictory judgment which the blessed ,raymond1 or ,m4 ,cazeaux1 or you yourself1 might form on such or such a fact recorded in the ,bible1 when you state that it is at the same time both true and false4 ,allow me1 in my turn1 to give you an instance4 ,i choose1--not1 of course1 in order to ensnare you1 but because this incident comes of its own accord into my mind1--,i choose the story of ,joshua causing the sun to stand still4 '''0 ,m4 ,bergeret passed his tongue over his lips and smiled4 ,for in truth he was1 in the secret places of his soul1 a ,voltairean3 8444 ,joshua causing the sun to stand still4 ,will you tell me1 straight out1 monsieur l'abb1 that ,joshua made the sun stand still and did not make it stand still80 ,the head of the high seminary had by no means an air of embarrassment4 ,splendid controversialist as he was1 he turned to his opponent with flashing eyes and heaving breast4 8,after every reservation has been expressly made with respect to the true interpretation1 both literal and spiritual1 of the passage in ,judges which you attack and against which so many unbelievers have blindly dashed themselves before you1 ,i will reply to you fearlessly4 ,yes1 ,i have two distinct opinions as to the interpretation of this miracle4 ,i believe as a natural philosopher1 for reasons drawn from physics1 that is to say1 from observation1 that the earth turns round a motionless sun4 ,and as a theologian ,i believe that ,joshua caused the sun to stand still4 ,there is here a contradiction4 ,but this contradiction is not irreconcilable4 ,i will prove it to you at once4 ,for the idea which we form of the sun is purely human2 it only concerns man and could not be applicable to ,god4 ,for man1 the sun does not turn round the earth4 ,i grant it1 and ,i am willing to decide in favour of ,copernicus4 ,but ,i will not go so far as to force ,god to become a ,copernican like myself1 and ,i shall not inquire whether1 for ,god1 the sun turns or does not turn round the earth4 ,to speak truly1 ,i had no need of the text of ,judges in order to know that our human astronomy is not the astronomy of ,god4 ,speculations as to time1 number and space do not embrace infinity1 and it is a mad idea to wish to entangle the ,holy ,spirit in a physical or mathematical difficulty40 8,then10 asked the professor1 8you admit that1 even in mathematics1 it is permissible to have two contradictory opinions1 the one human1 the other divine80 8,i will not risk being reduced to that extremity10 answered ,abb ,lantaigne4 8,there is in mathematics an exactitude which practically reconciles it with absolute truth4 ,numbers1 on the contrary1 are only dangerous because the reason1 being tempted to seek in them for its own principle1 runs the risk of going so far astray as to see nothing in the universe save a system of numbers4 ,this error has been condemned by the ,church4 ,yet ,i will answer you boldly that human mathematics are not divine mathematics4 ,doubtless1 however1 it would not be possible for one to contradict the other1 and ,i prefer to believe that you do not wish to make me say that for ,god three and three can make nine4 ,but we do not know all the properties of numbers1 and ,god does4 8,i hear that there are priests1 regarded as eminent1 who maintain that science ought to agree with theology4 ,i detest this impertinence1 ,i will say this impiety1 for there is a certain impiety in making the immutable and absolute truth walk in harmony with that imperfect and provisional truth which is called science4 ,this madness of assimilating reality to appearance1 the body to the soul1 has produced a multitude of miserable1 baneful opinions through which the apologists of this period have allowed their foolhardy feebleness to be seen4 ,one1 a distinguished member of the ,society of ,jesus1 admits the plurality of inhabited worlds2 he allows that intelligent beings may inhabit ,mars and ,venus1 provided that to the earth there be reserved the privilege of the ,cross1 by which it again becomes unique and peculiar in the ,creation4 ,the other1 a man who not without some merit occupied in the ,sorbonne the chair of theology which has since been abolished1 grants that the geologist can trace the vestiges of preadamites and reduces the ,genesis of the ,bible to the organisation of one province of the universe for the sojourn of ,adam and his seed4 ,o dull folly6 ,o pitiable boldness6 ,o ancient novelties1 already condemned a hundred times6 ,o violation of sacred unity6 ,how much better1 like ,raymond the ,great and his historian1 to proclaim that science and religion ought no more to be confused with each other than the relative and the absolute1 the finite and the infinite1 the darkness and the light60 8,monsieur l'abb10 said the professor1 8you despise science40 ,the priest shook his head4 8,not so1 ,monsieur ,bergeret1 not so6 ,i hold1 on the contrary1 according to the example of ,saint ,thomas ,aquinas and all the great doctors1 that science and philosophy ought to be held in high esteem in the schools4 8,one does not despise science without despising reason2 one does not despise reason without despising man2 one does not despise man without insulting ,god4 ,the rash scepticism which lays the blame on human reason is the first step towards that criminal scepticism that defies the divine mysteries4 ,i value science as a gift which comes to us from ,god4 ,but if ,god has given us science1 he has not given us ,his science4 ,his geometry is not ours4 ,ours speculates on one plane or in space2 ,his works in infinitude4 ,he has not deceived us3 that is why ,i consider that there is a true human science4 ,he has not taught us all3 that is why ,i declare the powerlessness of this science1 even though true1 to agree with the truth of truths4 ,and this discrepancy1 every time that it occurs between the two1 ,i see without fear3 it proves nothing1 neither against heaven1 nor earth40 ,m4 ,bergeret confessed that this system seemed to him as clever as it was bold1 and ultimately consonant with the interests of the faith4 8,but10 added he1 8it is not our ,archbishop's doctrine4 ,in his pastoral letters1 ,monseigneur ,charlot speaks voluntarily of the truths of religion being confirmed by the discoveries of science1 and especially by the experiments of ,m4 ,pasteur40 8,oh60 answered ,abb ,lantaigne in a nasal voice that hissed with scorn1 8,his ,eminence observes1 in philosophy at least1 the vow of evangelical poverty40 ,at the moment when this phrase was lashing the air beneath the quincunxes1 a corpulent great-coat1 capped by a wide clerical hat1 passed in front of the bench4 8,speak lower1 monsieur l'abb10 said the professor2 8,abb ,guitrel hears you40 ,,viii ,m4 le ,prfet ,worms-,clavelin was chatting with ,abb ,guitrel in the shop of ,rondonneau junior1 goldsmith and jeweller4 ,he leant back in an arm-chair and crossed his legs so that the sole of one of his boots stuck up towards the placid old man's chin4 8,monsieur l'abb1 it is useless for you to speak3 you are an enlightened priest2 you see in religion a collection of moral precepts1 a necessary discipline1 and not a set of antiquated dogmas1 of mysteries whose absurdity is only too little mysterious40 ,as a priest1 ,m4 ,guitrel had excellent rules of conduct4 ,one of these rules was to avoid scandal and to hold his tongue1 rather than expose the truth to the mockery of unbelievers4 ,and1 as this precaution agreed with the bent of his character1 he observed it scrupulously4 ,but ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was lacking in discretion4 ,his vast1 fleshy nose1 his thick lips1 seemed like a powerful apparatus of suction and absorption1 whilst his receding forehead1 above his great pale eyes1 betrayed his opposition to all moral delicacy4 ,he persisted1 marshalled against ,christian dogmas the arguments of the masonic lodges and the literary cafs1 and concluded by saying that it was impossible for an intelligent man to believe a word of the ,catechism4 ,then1 bringing down his fat1 beringed hand on the priest's shoulder1 he said3 8,you don't answer1 my dear abb2 you are of my opinion40 ,m4 ,guitrel1 in some sort a martyr1 was forced to confess his faith4 8,pardon me1 monsieur le prfet2 that little book1 the ,catechism1 which it is the fashion to despise in certain quarters1 contains more truths than the great treatises on philosophy which make such a vast noise in the world4 ,the ,catechism unites the most learned metaphysics with the most effective simplicity4 ,this appreciation is not mine2 it is that of an eminent philosopher1 ,m4 ,jules ,simon1 who ranks the ,catechism above ,plato's ,timus40 ,the prfet dared not contradict the opinion of an ex-minister4 ,he remembered at the same time that his official superior1 the present ,secretary of ,state for the ,home ,department1 was a ,protestant4 ,he said3 8,as an official ,i respect all religions equally1 ,protestantism as well as ,catholicism4 ,as a man1 ,i am a freethinker1 and if ,i had any preference as to dogma1 let me tell you1 monsieur l'abb1 that it would be in favour of the ,reformed ,party40 ,m4 ,guitrel replied in an unctuous voice3 8,there are1 doubtless1 among ,protestants1 many persons eminently estimable from the point of view of morals1 and ,i dare say many exemplary persons1 if they are judged from the world's standpoint4 ,but the so-called reformed ,church is but a limb hacked from the ,catholic ,church1 and the place of the wound still bleeds40 ,indifferent to this powerful phrase1 borrowed from ,bossuet1 ,m4 le prfet drew from his case a big cigar1 lighted it1 and holding out the case to the priest3 8,will you accept a cigar1 monsieur l'abb80 ,being densely ignorant of ecclesiastical discipline1 and believing that tobacco-smoking was forbidden to the clergy1 he offered a cigar to ,m4 ,guitrel in order to make him look awkward or to lead him astray4 ,in his ignorance he believed that by this offer he was leading a wearer of the cassock into sin1 making him fall into disobedience1 perhaps into sacrilege1 and almost into apostasy4 ,but ,m4 ,guitrel placidly took the cigar1 slipped it carefully into the pocket of his great-coat1 and said urbanely that he would smoke it after supper in his room4 ,thus ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin and ,abb ,guitrel1 professor of sacred rhetoric at the high seminary1 conversed in the goldsmith's office4 ,near them1 ,rondonneau junior1 contractor to the ,archbishop1 who also worked for the prefecture1 listened to the conversation discreetly1 without taking part in it4 ,he was preparing his mail1 and his bald pate came and went among his account-books and the samples of commercial jewellery heaped up on the table4 ,with a brusque movement ,m4 le prfet stood upright1 pushed ,abb ,guitrel to the other end of the room1 into the recess of the window1 and whispered in his ear3 8,my dear ,guitrel1 you know that the bishopric of ,tourcoing is vacant40 8,i have in fact10 answered the priest1 8learnt of the death of ,monseigneur ,duclou4 ,it is a great loss for the ,church of ,france4 ,monseigneur ,duclou's merits were only equalled by his modesty4 ,he excelled in preaching4 ,his pastoral addresses are models of hortatory eloquence4 ,shall ,i dare to recall to mind that ,i knew him in ,orleans1 at the time when he was still ,abb ,duclou1 the revered cur of ,saint-,euverte1 and that at that time he deigned to honour me with his gracious friendship8 ,the news of his premature death was particularly distressing to me40 ,he was silent1 letting his lips droop in sign of grief4 8,it's not a question of that10 said the prfet4 8,he is dead2 it is a question of filling his place40 ,m4 ,guitrel's face changed4 ,now1 screwing up his little eyes till they were quite round1 he looked like a rat who sees bacon in the larder4 8,you must know1 my dear ,guitrel10 continued the prfet1 8that this business has nothing whatever to do with me4 ,it is not ,i who appoint the bishops4 ,i am not the keeper of the seals1 nor the nuncio1 nor the ,pope4 ,god be thanked60 ,and he began to laugh4 8,by the bye1 on what terms do you stand with the nuncio80 8,the nuncio1 monsieur le prfet1 looks upon me with friendliness1 as a humble and dutiful servant of the ,holy ,father4 ,but ,i do not flatter myself that he especially heeds me1 in the humble station in which ,i have been placed and where ,i am content to remain40 8,my dear abb1 if ,i speak to you about this affair--quite between ourselves1 isn't it8--it is because there is a question of sending a priest from my county town to ,tourcoing4 ,i hear on good authority that the name of ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary1 is being brought forward1 and it is not impossible that ,i may be asked to supply confidential information about the candidate4 ,he is your ecclesiastical superior4 ,what do you think of him80 ,m4 ,guitrel answered1 with downcast eyes3 8,it is certain that ,abb ,lantaigne would bring to the episcopal see once sanctified by the apostle ,loup both eminent piety and the precious gifts of eloquence4 ,his ,lenten sermons preached at ,saint-,exupre have been justly admired for their logical arrangement of ideas and power of expression1 and it is commonly recognised that some of the sermons would fall in no respect short of perfection1 if there were present in them that unction1 that perfumed and consecrated oil1 if ,i may dare so to call it1 which alone penetrates the heart4 8,the cur of ,saint-,exupre took pleasure in being the first to declare that ,m4 ,lantaigne1 in speaking the word from the pulpit of the most venerable church in the diocese1 had deserved well of the great apostle of the ,gauls who laid the first stone of it1 by reason of an ardour and a zeal whose very excesses were excused by their benevolent origin4 ,he only deplored the orator's excursions into the domain of contemporary history4 ,for it must needs be confessed that ,m4 ,lantaigne has no fear of walking on embers that are still burning4 ,m4 ,lantaigne is distinguished by piety1 learning and talent4 ,what a pity that a priest worthy of being raised to the highest positions in the ,church should believe it to be his duty to proclaim a devotion1 doubtless praiseworthy in principle1 but reckless in its results1 to an exiled family from whom he has received favours4 ,he takes pleasure in showing a copy of the ,imitation de ,jsus-,christ1 bound in purple and gold1 which was given to him by the ,comtesse de ,paris1 and he displays far too freely the extent of his gratitude and fidelity4 ,and what a misfortune that an arrogance1 excusable perhaps in such lofty talent1 should lead him even to the lengths of speaking publicly under the quincunxes about the ,cardinal-,archbishop in terms which ,i dare not repeat6 ,alas6 failing my voice1 all the trees on the ,mall would re-utter these words that fell from the mouth of ,m4 ,lantaigne1 in the presence of ,m4 ,bergeret1 professor of literature3 #8,in brain alone1 ,his ,eminence observes the evangelical vow of poverty6' ,such sayings are habitual with him1 and was he not heard to say at the last ordination1 when ,his ,eminence advanced clothed in those pontifical ornaments which he bears with so much dignity1 notwithstanding his short stature3 #8,golden cross1 wooden bishop'8 ,most unseasonably he thus censured the magnificence with which ,monseigneur ,charlot delights to celebrate the offices as well as to regulate the ordering of his official banquets1 and especially the dinner which he gave to the general in command of the new army-corps1 and to which you were invited1 ,monsieur le prfet4 ,and in particular any better agreement between the prefecture and the archbishopric offends ,abb ,lantaigne1 who is far too inclined1 unfortunately1 to prolong the painful misunderstandings from which ,church and ,state suffer equally1 in scorn of the precepts of ,st4 ,paul and the teaching of ,his ,holiness ,leo ,,xiii40 ,the prfet opened his mouth quite wide1 being in the habit of listening with it4 ,he burst out3 8,this ,lantaigne is steeped in the most detestable spirit of clericalism6 ,he owes me a grudge8 ,what has he got against me8 ,am ,i not tolerant and liberal enough8 ,did ,i not shut my eyes when on all sides the monks and nuns re-entered the convents1 the schools8 ,for if we vigorously uphold the essential laws of the ,republic1 we hardly enforce them4 ,but priests are incorrigible4 ,you are all the same4 ,you cry out that you are being oppressed as soon as you yourself are not oppressing4 ,and what does he say about me1 this ,lantaigne of yours80 8,nothing definite can be set forth against the administration of ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 but an uncompromising soul like ,m4 ,lantaigne never forgives either your association with freemasonry or your ,jewish origin40 ,the prfet shook the ash from his cigar4 8,the ,jews are no friends of mine4 ,i have no ties in the ,jewish world4 ,but be tranquil1 my dear abb1 ,i give you my word that ,m4 ,lantaigne shall not be bishop of ,tourcoing4 ,i have enough influence in the bureaux to checkmate him4 ''' ,just listen to me1 ,guitrel3 ,i had no money when ,i started out in life4 ,i made connections for myself4 ,connections are worth nearly as much as wealth4 ,i have many and good ones4 ,i shall be on the watch to see that ,abb ,lantaigne cuts his own throat in the bureaux4 ,besides1 my wife has a candidate for the bishopric of ,tourcoing4 ,and that candidate is you1 ,guitrel40 ,at this word1 ,abb ,guitrel cast down his eyes and flung up his arms4 8,i1 sit in the seat sanctified by the blessed ,loup and by so many pious apostles of ,northern ,gaul6 ,can such a thought have occurred to ,madame ,worms-,clavelin80 8,my dear ,guitrel1 she wishes that you should wear the mitre4 ,and ,i assure you she is powerful enough to create a bishop4 ,for my part1 ,i shall not be sorry to give a ,republican bishop to the ,republic4 ,that's understood1 my dear ,guitrel2 you look after the ,archbishop and the nuncio2 my wife and ,i will set the bureaux in motion40 ,and ,m4 ,guitrel murmured with clasped hands3 8,the ancient and venerable see of ,tourcoing60 8,a third-class bishopric1 a mere hole1 my dear abb4 ,but one must make a beginning4 ,why6 do you know where ,i started my career in official life8 ,at ,cret6 ,i was sous-prfet of ,cret1 in the ,pyrnes-,orientales6 ,would any one credit it8 ''' ,but ,i am wasting my time gossiping ''' ,good evening1 ,monseigneur40 ,the prfet held out his hand to the priest4 ,and ,m4 ,guitrel went off along the winding street of the ,tintelleries1 humbly and with shoulders bent1 yet planning cunning measures and promising himself1 on the day when he wore the mitre and grasped the crozier1 to resist the civil ,government1 like a prince of the ,church1 to fight the freemasons and to hurl anathemas at the principles of freethought1 the ,republic1 and the ,revolution4 ,,ix ,an article in le ,libral informed the town of ''' that it possessed a prophetess4 ,this was ,mademoiselle ,claude ,deniseau1 daughter of a man who kept a registry for country servants4 ,up to the age of seventeen ,mademoiselle ,deniseau had not revealed to the closest observer any abnormality of mind or body4 ,she was a fair1 fat1 short girl1 neither pretty nor ugly1 but pleasant and of a lively disposition4 8,she had received10 said le ,libral1 8a good middle-class education1 and she was religious without bigotry40 ,at the beginning of her eighteenth year1 on the #crd of ,february1 #ahi-1 at six o'clock in the evening1 being engaged in laying the cloth on the table in the dining-room1 she thought she heard her mother's voice saying1 8,claudine1 go to your room40 ,she went there and between the bed and the door she perceived a bright light1 and heard a voice which spoke from the light1 saying3 8,claudine1 this country must do penance1 for that will ward off great misfortunes4 ,i am ,saint ,radegonde1 ,queen of ,france40 ,mademoiselle ,deniseau then descried in the splendour a luminous and1 as it were1 transparent face that wore a crown of gold and gems4 ,after that ,saint ,radegonde came every day to converse with ,mademoiselle ,deniseau1 to whom she revealed secrets and made prophecies4 ,she had foretold the frosts that blighted the vine in blossom1 and revealed that ,m4 ,rieu1 cur of ,sainte-,agns1 would not see the ,easter festival4 ,the venerable ,m4 ,rieu actually died on ,holy ,thursday4 ,for the ,republic and for ,france she never ceased to foretell terrible disasters close at hand--fires1 floods1 massacres4 ,but ,god1 wearied of chastising a faithless people1 would at last1 under a king1 bring back peace and prosperity to it4 ,the saint diagnosed and cured diseases4 ,under her inspiration1 ,mademoiselle ,deniseau had told ,jobelin1 the road-mender1 of an ointment which had cured him of an anchylosis of the knee4 ,jobelin had been able to resume his work again4 ,these marvels attracted a crowd of inquirers to the flat inhabited by the ,deniseau family in the ,place ,saint-,exupre1 above the tramway office4 ,the young girl was studied by ecclesiastics1 retired officers1 and doctors of medicine4 ,they believed that they noticed1 when she was repeating the words of ,saint ,radegonde1 that her voice became deeper1 her expression sterner1 and that her limbs became rigid4 ,they also noticed that she used expressions which are not customary with young girls1 and that her words could be explained by no natural means4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 at first indifferent and scoffing1 soon followed the extraordinary success of the prophetess with anxiety1 for she announced the end of the ,republic and the return of ,france to a ,christian monarchy4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin had entered office at the time of the scandals at the lyse under ,president ,grvy4 ,since then he had participated in those cases of corruption that are endlessly being hushed up and as constantly revived to the great detriment of ,parliament and the public authority4 ,and this spectacle1 which seemed natural to him1 had ingrafted in his mind a profound feeling of laxity1 which spread from him to all his subordinates4 ,a senator and two deputies from his department were being threatened with legal proceedings4 ,the most influential members of the party1 engineers and financiers1 were either in prison or in hiding4 ,under these circumstances1 satisfied that the people were attached to the republican rule1 he expected from them neither enthusiasm nor deference1 which seemed to him but old-fashioned qualities and the empty symbols of a vanished age4 ,events had enlarged his naturally limited intelligence4 ,the vast irony of things had passed into his soul1 making it easy-going1 mocking1 indifferent4 ,having recognised1 moreover1 that the electoral committees constituted the only real authority that still subsisted in the department1 he obeyed them with a semblance of zeal and with secret opposition4 ,if he executed their orders1 it was not without a considerable modification of their rigour4 ,in a word1 from opportunist he had become liberal and progressive4 ,he willingly allowed liberty of speech and action4 ,but he was too wise to allow any unbearable excesses1 and1 like a conscientious official1 he took good care that the government should not receive any glaring insult1 and that the ministers should peaceably enjoy that common attitude of indifference which1 by gaining over their friends as well as their enemies1 ensured at the same time both their power and their repose4 ,it pleased him that the governmental papers and the opposition ones1 both being compromised by financial transactions1 should be utterly discredited1 alike as to their praise and their blame4 ,the socialist sheet1 being the only independent one1 was also the only violent one4 ,but it was very poor2 and the fear which it inspired drove people back towards the government4 ,thus ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was entirely sincere when he informed the ,home ,secretary that the political situation was excellent in his department4 ,and here was the prophetess of the ,place ,saint-,exupre destroying the harmony of this happy state4 ,under the direction of ,saint ,radegonde1 she announced the fall of the ministry1 the dissolution of ,parliament1 the resignation of the ,president of the ,republic1 and the collapse of a discredited government4 ,she was much more violent than le ,libral and far more influential4 ,for le ,libral drew but few1 while the whole town thronged around ,mademoiselle ,deniseau4 ,the clergy1 the large landowners1 the nobility1 the clerical press1 hung upon her and drank in her words4 ,saint ,radegonde rallied the defeated enemies of the ,republic and brought together the 8,conservatives40 ,a harmless rally1 but inconvenient4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin was especially afraid lest a ,paris paper should noise the affair about4 8,it would then assume10 said he to himself1 8the proportions of a scandal and would expose me to a reprimand from the minister40 ,he resolved to look for the quietest way of silencing ,mademoiselle ,deniseau1 and first began to make inquiries as to the character of her relations4 ,her father's family was not much respected in the town4 ,the ,deniseaux were people of no position4 ,mademoiselle ,claude's father kept a registry office1 the reputation of which was neither better nor worse than that of other registries4 ,masters and servants complained of it1 but still made use of it4 ,in #ahga ,deniseau had had the ,commune proclaimed in the ,place ,saint-,exupre4 ,somewhat later1 upon the expulsion of three ,dominicans at the point of the sword1 he had offered resistance to the gendarmes1 and had got himself arrested4 ,next he had stood at municipal elections as a socialist1 and had only obtained a very small number of votes4 ,he was hot-headed and weak-minded1 but believed to be honest4 ,the mother was a ,nadal4 ,the ,nadals1 in a better position than the ,deniseaux1 were small agricultural proprietors1 all much respected4 ,one of the ,nadals1 an aunt to ,mademoiselle ,claude1 being subject to hallucinations1 had been shut up in an asylum for some years4 ,the ,nadals were religious and had clerical connections4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin could learn nothing more about them4 ,one morning he had a conversation on this subject with his private secretary1 ,m4 ,lacarelle1 who belonged to an old family in the neighbourhood and knew the department well4 8,my dear ,lacarelle1 we must put an end to this madness4 ,for it is plain that ,mademoiselle ,deniseau is mad40 ,lacarelle replied gravely1 not without the kind of arrogance inseparable from his long fair moustaches4 8,monsieur le prfet1 opinions are divided with respect to this1 and many people believe that ,mademoiselle ,deniseau is perfectly sane40 8,after all1 ,lacarelle1 you do not believe that ,saint ,radegonde comes every morning to chat with her and to drag the head of the ,state1 along with the ,government1 down into the mire40 ,but ,lacarelle was of opinion that there had been exaggeration1 that ill-disposed persons were making the most of an extraordinary manifestation4 ,it really was extraordinary that ,mademoiselle ,deniseau should prescribe sovereign remedies for incurable diseases2 she had cured ,jobelin1 the road-mender1 and an old bailiff called ,favru4 ,that was not all4 ,she foretold events that fell out as she had said4 8,i can vouch for one fact1 monsieur le prfet4 ,last week ,mademoiselle ,deniseau said3 #8,there is a treasure hidden in a field called ,faifeu1 at ,noiselles4' ,they dug at the place described and discovered a great slab of stone which blocked the entrance of an underground passage40 8,but1 still10 cried the prfet1 8you cannot maintain that ,saint ,radegonde '''0 ,he stopped1 thoughtful and questioning4 ,he was profoundly ignorant of the saintly legends of ,christian ,gaul and of the national antiquities of ,france4 ,but at school he had studied text-books of history4 ,he was struggling to recall his boyish recollections4 8,saint ,radegonde was the mother of ,saint ,louis80 ,m4 ,lacarelle1 who knew more history1 only hesitated a moment4 8,no10 said he1 8the mother of ,saint ,louis was ,blanche of ,castille4 ,saint ,radegonde was an earlier queen40 8,well1 she cannot be allowed to perform her conjuring tricks in the county town4 ,and you1 my dear ,lacarelle1 you ought to make her father understand--this ,deniseau1 ,i mean to say--that he has nothing to do but to give a good flogging to his daughter and put her under lock and key40 ,lacarelle smoothed his ,gallic moustaches4 8,monsieur le prfet1 ,i advise you to go and see this ,deniseau girl4 ,she is interesting4 ,she will give you a private sitting quite to yourself40 8,you can't mean it1 ,lacarelle6 ,fancy my going to be instructed by a little hussy that my ,government is on the point of collapse60 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was not credulous4 ,he only thought of religion from a political point of view4 ,he had inherited no creed from his parents1 who were aliens to every superstition1 as they were to every land4 ,his soul had sucked none of the nourishment of the past from any soil4 ,he remained empty1 colourless1 unfettered4 ,through metaphysical incompetency and the instinctive feeling for action and acquisition1 he clung to tangible truth1 and in all good faith believed himself to be a positivist4 ,having but lately drunk his bocks in the cafs at ,montmartre in the company of chemists with political opinions1 he still preserved a blind trustfulness in scientific methods1 which he in his turn extolled in the lodges to the leading spirits among the freemasons4 ,he enjoyed embellishing his political intrigues and administrative expedients with the fair appearance of sociological experiment4 ,and the more useful science was to him the better he appreciated it4 8,i profess10 said he in all sincerity1 8that unquestioning faith in facts which constitutes the scientist1 the sociologist40 ,and it was just because he only believed in facts and because he professed the creed of positivism that the affair of the ,sibyl began to worry him4 ,his private secretary1 ,m4 ,lacarelle1 had said to him3 8,this young woman has cured a road-mender and a bailiff4 ,these are facts4 ,she has pointed out the place where they would discover a treasure1 and they really found in that place a trap-door to the opening of a subterranean passage4 ,that is a fact4 ,she foretold the failure of the vines4 ,that is a fact40 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin had the instinct of mockery and a sense of humour1 but this word fact exercised a spell over his mind2 and it occurred vaguely to his memory that doctors like ,charcot had made observations in the hospitals on sick people gifted with extraordinary powers4 ,he remembered certain curious phenomena of hysteria and cases of second sight4 ,he wondered whether ,mademoiselle ,deniseau were not a sufficiently interesting hysteric patient for her to be handed over to the experts in mental cases1 which would rid the town of her4 ,he thought3 8,i might give an official order for the consignment of this girl to an asylum1 as in the case of any person whose mental derangement forms a danger to public order and personal safety2 but the enemies of the government would squeal like polecats1 and ,i can already hear lawyer ,lerond charging me with unlawful committal4 ,the plot must be unravelled1 if the clericals of the county town have concocted one4 ,for it is not to be endured that ,mademoiselle ,deniseau should declare every day1 as the mouthpiece of ,saint ,radegonde1 that the ,republic is sinking into the mire4 ,i grant that some regrettable deeds have been done4 ,certain partial changes will force themselves on us1 especially in national representation1 but1 thank ,god1 the government is still strong enough for me to support it40 ,x ,abb ,lantaigne1 principal of the high seminary1 and ,m4 ,bergeret1 professor of literature1 were seated in conversation on a bench on the ,mall1 according to their custom in summer4 ,on every subject they were opposed in opinion2 never were two men more different in mind and character4 ,but they were the only people in the town who took an interest in general ideas4 ,this fellow-feeling united them4 ,while philosophising beneath the quincunxes when the weather was fine1 they consoled each other1 one for the loneliness of celibacy1 the other for the vexations of domestic life2 both for their professional cares and for the unpopularity each alike shared4 ,on this particular day they could see from the bench where they sat the monument of ,jeanne d',arc still shrouded in wrappings4 ,the ,maid having once slept a night in the town1 at the house of an honest dame called la ,gausse1 in #ahi- the municipality1 with the concurrence of the ,state1 had caused a monument to be raised to commemorate this stay4 ,this monument1 the work of two artists1 the one a sculptor and the other an architect1 both natives of the district1 displayed the ,maid fully armed1 standing1 meditative1 on a high pedestal4 ,the date of the unveiling was fixed for the following ,sunday4 ,the ,minister of ,education was expected1 and it was reckoned that there would be a lavish distribution of crosses of honour and academic decorations4 ,the townsfolk thronged the ,mall to gaze at the linen which covered the bronze figure and the stone pedestal4 ,outsiders installed themselves on the ramparts4 ,on the booths set up under the quincunxes the refreshment-sellers were nailing up bands of calico bearing the legends3 ,vritable bire ,jeanne d',arc4--,caf de la ,pucelle4 ,at sight of this1 ,m4 ,bergeret remarked that one ought to rejoice in this concourse of citizens assembled to pay honour to the liberator of ,orleans4 8,the archivist of the department1 ,m4 ,mazure10 added he1 8stands out from the crowd4 ,he has written a memoir to prove that the famous historical tapestry1 representing the meeting at ,chinon1 was not made about #adcj in ,germany1 as was believed1 but that it came at that period from some studio of ,flemish ,france4 ,he submitted the conclusions of his memoir to ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 who called them eminently patriotic and approved of them4 ,he expressed a hope that he would see the author of this discovery receiving the insignia of an officer of the ,academy beneath ,jeanne's statue4 ,it is also rumoured that in his speech at the unveiling ,m4 le prfet will say1 with his eyes turned towards the ,vosges1 that ,jeanne was a daughter of ,alsace-,lorraine40 ,abb ,lantaigne1 caring but little for a joke1 made no reply and kept a grave face4 ,in principle he regarded these celebrations in honour of ,jeanne d',arc as praiseworthy4 ,two years before he had himself pronounced at ,saint-,exupre a panegyric on the ,maid1 and had declared her the type of the good ,frenchwoman and the good ,christian4 ,he found no subject for jest in a solemnity which was a glorification of faith and country4 ,as a patriot and a ,christian1 he only regretted that the bishop and his clergy would not take the first place in it4 8,the thing10 said he1 8that ensures the continuity of the ,french nation1 is neither kings nor presidents of the ,republic1 neither provincial governors nor prfets1 neither officers of the crown nor officials of the present government2 it is the episcopacy which1 from the first apostles to the ,gauls down to the present day1 has continued1 without break1 change1 or diminution1 and forms1 so to say1 the solid web of the history of ,france4 ,the power of the bishops is spiritual and stable4 ,the power of the kings1 legitimate but transitory1 is decrepit from its birth4 ,on its continuance that of the nation does not depend4 ,the nation is a spiritual conception inseparable from the moral and religious idea4 ,but1 although absent in the body from the celebrations that are being arranged for here1 the clergy will be present at them in spirit and in truth4 ,jeanne d',arc is ours1 and it is vain for unbelievers to try and steal her from us40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,it is1 however1 very natural that this simple girl1 having become a symbol of patriotism1 should be claimed by all patriots40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,i cannot imagine--,i have told you so before--nationality without religion4 ,every duty comes from ,god1 the duty of the citizen no less than that of others4 ,if ,god be ignored the call of duty is stilled4 ,if it is a right and a duty to defend one's native land against the foreigner1 it is not in virtue of any pretended rights of man which never existed1 but in conformity with the will of ,god4 ,this conformity appears in the stories of ,jael and ,judith4 ,it shines clearly in the book of the ,maccabees4 ,it can be read in the deeds of the ,maid40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,then you believe1 monsieur l'abb1 that ,jeanne d',arc received her mission from ,god ,himself8 ,that will land you in numberless difficulties4 ,i will only submit to you one of these1 because it is inherent in the nature of your beliefs4 ,it relates to the voices and apparitions which manifested themselves to the peasant of ,domremy4 ,those who grant that ,saint ,catherine really appeared to ,jacquot d',arc's daughter1 in company with ,saint ,michael and ,saint ,marguerite1 will find themselves1 ,i fancy1 much embarrassed when it has been proved to them that this ,saint ,catherine of ,alexandria never existed1 and that her history is in reality only a rather poor ,greek romance4 ,now this fact was proved as early as the seventeenth century1 not by the freethinkers of the period1 but by a learned doctor of the ,sorbonne1 ,jean de ,launoy1 a man of piety and good life4 ,the judicious ,tillemont1 although so submissive to the ,church1 rejected the biography of ,saint ,catherine as an absurd fable4 ,is not that a difficulty1 monsieur l'abb1 for those who believe that the ,voices of ,jeanne d',arc came from ,heaven80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,the martyrology1 monsieur1 worthy of all reverence as it is1 is not an article of faith2 and it is permissible1 in imitation of ,doctor de ,launoy and ,tillemont1 to cast doubts on the existence of ,saint ,catherine of ,alexandria4 ,for my part1 ,i am not inclined to go so far1 and ,i hold such an absolute denial as rash4 ,i recognise that the biography of this saint has come to us from the ,east overlaid everywhere with fabulous details1 but ,i believe that these embellishments have been laid over a solid foundation4 ,neither ,launoy nor ,tillemont is infallible4 ,it is not certain that ,saint ,catherine never existed1 and if by chance historic proof of her non-existence were established1 that would give way before the theological testimony to the contrary1 furnished by the miraculous appearances of this saint authenticated by the ,ordinary and solemnly recognised by the ,pope4 ,for1 after all1 good logic requires that truths of the scientific plane should yield to truths of a higher order4 ,but we are not yet in a position to know the opinion of the ,church as to the ,maid's apparitions4 ,jeanne d',arc has not been canonised1 and the miracles wrought for her or by her are open to discussion3 ,i neither deny nor affirm them1 and it is a purely human vision which makes me perceive in the history of this marvellous girl the hand of ,god stretched out over ,france4 ,truth to tell1 though1 that vision is powerful and penetrating40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,if ,i have rightly understood you1 monsieur l'abb1 you do not consider the strange event at ,fierbois as an attested miracle1 when ,jeanne1 as they say1 pointed out a sword concealed in the wall4 ,and you are not certain that the ,maid1 as she herself declared1 brought back a child to life at ,lagny4 ,you know my opinions1 and for my part ,i should give a natural interpretation to these two facts4 ,i suppose that the sword was fastened to the wall of the ,church as a votive offering1 and was consequently visible4 ,as for the child that the ,maid raised from the dead for the time necessary for the administration of baptism1 and who died again after having been brought to the font1 ,i confine myself to reminding you that there was near ,domremy a ,notre-,dame-des-,aviots whose particular function it was to endow still-born children with a few hours of life4 ,i suspect that the memory of ,notre-,dame-des-,aviots had a good deal to do with the illusions that possessed ,jeanne d',arc when she believed1 at ,lagny1 that she had raised a new-born child from the dead40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,there is much uncertainty in these explanations1 monsieur4 ,and rather than adopt them1 ,i suspend my judgment1 which inclines1 ,i confess1 towards the miraculous side1 at least with respect to ,saint ,catherine's sword4 ,for the passage is precise3 the sword was in the wall1 and it was necessary to excavate to find it4 ,neither is it impossible1 again1 that ,god1 upon the efficacious prayers of a virgin1 should have given life back to a child that had died without having received baptism40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,you speak1 monsieur l'abb1 of #8the efficacious prayers of a virgin4' ,do you then grant1 in accordance with the belief of the ,middle ,ages1 that there was some virtue1 some peculiar power1 in ,jeanne d',arc's virginity80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,clearly virginity is pleasing to ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ rejoices in the triumph of ,his virgins4 ,a young girl turned ,attila and his ,huns back from ,lutetia2 a young girl delivered ,orleans and caused the lawful king to be crowned at ,rheims40 ,the priest having thus expressed himself1 ,m4 ,bergeret seized on his words in a way of his own4 8,exactly10 said he4 8,jeanne d',arc was a mascotte40 ,but ,abb ,lantaigne did not hear4 ,he rose and said3 8,france's destined rle in ,christendom is not yet achieved4 ,i foresee that ere long ,god will yet again work ,his will through the nation which has been the most faithful and the most faithless to ,him40 8,and so it is10 answered ,m4 ,bergeret1 8that1 as in the profligate times of ,king ,charles ,,vii41 we behold the rise of prophetesses4 ,our town indeed holds one of them1 who is making a happier start than ,jeanne1 since ,jacquot d',arc's daughter was regarded as mad by her parents1 and ,mademoiselle ,deniseau finds a disciple in her own father4 ,still ,i do not believe that her good luck will be great and lasting4 ,our prfet1 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 is somewhat wanting in good breeding1 but he is less of a simpleton than ,baudricourt1 and it is no longer the custom for the heads of the ,state to give audience to prophetesses4 ,m4 ,flix ,faure will not be advised by his confessor to test ,mademoiselle ,deniseau4 ,here1 perhaps1 you may reply1 monsieur l'abb1 that the influence of ,bernadette of ,lourdes is stronger in our days than that of ,jeanne d',arc ever was4 ,the latter overthrew some hundreds of starving and panic-stricken ,english2 ,bernadette has set countless pilgrims on the march and drawn thousands of millions to a mountain in the ,pyrenees4 ,and my revered friend1 ,m4 ,pierre ,laffitte1 assures me that we have entered on an era of positive philosophy40 8,as for what happens at ,lourdes10 said ,abb ,lantaigne1 8without becoming latitudinarian or falling into excessive credulity1 ,i reserve my opinion on a point upon which the ,church has made no pronouncement4 ,but henceforth ,i see a triumph for religion in this crowd of pilgrims1 just as you yourself see in it a defeat for materialistic philosophy40 ,,xi ,the ministry had fallen4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin felt neither surprise nor regret at this4 ,in the depths of his heart he had always considered it too restless and too disturbing1 an object of suspicion1 and not without reason1 to the agriculturist1 the large merchant1 and the small investor4 ,without affecting the fortunate indifference of the masses1 this cabinet had exercised1 to the prfet's grief1 a vexatious influence over freemasonry1 the organisation by which1 for fifteen years past1 the whole political life of the department had been drawn together and held in check4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin had been able to turn the masonic lodges of the department into boards vested with the preliminary choice of candidates for public offices1 for electoral functions1 and for party favours4 ,exercising in this way wide and definite prerogatives1 the lodges1 being as much opportunist as they were radical1 combined1 acted in concert with one another1 and worked together for the republican cause4 ,the prfet1 rejoicing to see the ambition of some restraining the desires of others1 gathered together1 on the joint recommendation of the lodges1 a band of senators1 deputies1 municipal councillors and road-surveyors1 all equally loyal to the government1 yet sufficiently diverse in opinion and sufficiently moderate to satisfy and reassure all republican parties1 save the socialists4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin had brought about this unanimity4 ,and now the radical ministry must needs break up so happy a harmony4 ,ill-luck decreed that the holder of one of the minor portfolios 7either agriculture or commerce7 should travel through the department and stop for some hours in the county town4 ,it sufficed for him to deliver a philosophic and moral speech at one assembly to flutter all the assemblies1 divide each lodge into two1 set brother against brother1 and infuriate citizen ,mandar1 the chemist of the ,rue ,culture1 master of the lodge 8,new ,alliance10 and a radical1 against ,m4 ,tricoul1 vine-grower of ,les ,tournelles1 master of the lodge 8,sacred ,friendship10 and an opportunist4 ,mentally ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin made another complaint against the fallen ministry3 that of having lavishly distributed academic decorations and given ,orders of ,merit for agricultural proficiency to radical-socialists only1 thus robbing the prfet of the advantage of governing with the aid of these decorations1 or at least by means of tardily fulfilled promises of them4 ,m4 le prfet expressed his thoughts accurately as1 alone in his study1 he murmured these bitter words3 8,if they believed they could play at politics by upsetting my loyal lodges and fastening my useful palms to the tail of every drunken dog in the department1 they'll find themselves finely mistaken60 ,thus it was that he heard of the fall of the ministry without any regret4 ,besides1 these changes that he had foreseen never surprised him4 ,his administrative policy was always founded on the assumption that minister succeeds minister4 ,he made a point of never serving a ,home ,secretary with ardent zeal4 ,he refrained from being over-pleasing to any one1 and shunned all opportunities of doing too well4 ,this moderation1 kept up during the continuance of one ministry1 assured him the sympathy of the next one1 thus sufficiently predisposed in his favour to acquiesce in its turn in the half-hearted zeal1 which became a claim to the favour of a third cabinet4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin reigned without ruling1 corresponded briefly with the ,place ,beauvau1,g manuvred the boards1 and stayed in office4 ,g ,where the ,french ,home ,office is situated4 ,in his study1 through the half-open windows of which came the scent of flowering lilacs and the twittering of sparrows1 he was meditating1 in a gentle and peaceful mood1 on the lingering extinction of the scandals which on two occasions had gone near to ruining the leaders of the party4 ,he looked forward to the day1 still far distant1 on which it would again be possible to resume activity4 ,he reflected that1 in spite of passing difficulties1 and notwithstanding the discord unluckily communicated to the masonic lodges and the electoral committees1 he would have capital municipal elections4 ,the mayors in this agricultural district were excellent4 ,the spirit of the populace was so loyal that the two deputies1 who1 being compromised in several financial transactions1 were threatened with legal proceedings1 had yet retained all their influence in their districts4 ,he said to himself that the scrutin de liste,h would never have produced such favourable results4 ,in his exaltation of mind thoughts that were almost philosophic came to the surface of his mind as to the ease with which men can be governed4 ,he had a confused vision of this human beast allowing itself to be led1 and straggling along in tireless gloomy tractableness beneath the eye of the shepherding dog4 ,h ,in which each voter inscribes on his paper as many names as there are vacancies to be filled4 ,m4 ,lacarelle entered the study with a newspaper in his hand4 8,monsieur le prfet1 the resignation of the ministers1 having been accepted by the ,president of the ,republic1 is announced in l',officiel40 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin continued his gentle musing1 and ,m4 ,lacarelle turned up his long ,gallic moustaches and rolled his china-blue eyes1 as a sign that he was about to give expression to a thought4 ,and1 as a matter of fact1 he did so4 8,opinions differ as to the fall of the ministry40 8,really80 asked ,m4 le prfet1 who was not listening4 8,well6 monsieur le prfet1 it cannot be denied that ,mademoiselle ,claudine ,deniseau predicted that the ministry would fall at an early date40 ,m4 le prfet shrugged his shoulders4 ,he had a mind wise enough to see that there was nothing marvellous in the fulfilment of such a prophecy4 ,but ,lacarelle1 with a profound knowledge of local affairs1 a marvellously contagious stupidity1 and an exceptional aptitude for self-delusion1 immediately related to him three or four new stories which were running through the town1 and especially the story of ,m4 de ,gromance1 to whom ,saint ,radegonde had said1 in reply to her visitor's secret thought3 8,be at ease1 monsieur le comte2 the child that your wife will bear is really your son40 ,then ,lacarelle returned to the disclosure of the hidden treasure4 ,two ,roman coins had been found at the place indicated4 ,the excavations were still going on4 ,there had also been some cures of which the private secretary gave vague and rambling descriptions4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin listened uncomprehendingly4 ,the mere idea of the ,deniseau girl saddened and worried him4 ,the influence of this visionary over the townsfolk at large was beyond his understanding4 ,he was afraid of using his abilities ineffectively in a psychic case such as this4 ,this fear paralysed his reason1 although it was strong enough in ordinary circumstances4 ,as he listened to ,lacarelle1 he experienced a dread of being convinced1 and instinctively exclaimed brusquely3 8,i don't believe in such things as these6 ,i don't believe in them60 ,but doubt and anxiety overwhelmed him4 ,he wished to know what ,abb ,guitrel1 whom he regarded as both learned and intelligent1 thought on the subject of this prophetess4 ,it was just the time when he would meet the abb at the goldsmith's house4 ,he went to ,rondonneau junior's1 and found him in the inner room1 nailing up a case1 whilst ,abb ,guitrel examined a silver-gilt vase set on a long stem and surmounted with a rounded lid4 8,that's a fine chalice1 isn't it1 monsieur l'abb80 8,it is a pyx1 monsieur le prfet1 a ciborium1 a vessel intended ad ferendos cibos4,i ,in fact1 the pyx holds the sacred hosts1 the food of the soul4 ,formerly they used to keep the pyx in a silver dove hung over the baptismal font1 the altar1 or the tomb of a martyr4 ,this one is decorated in the style of the thirteenth century4 ,an austere and magnificent style1 very suitable1 monsieur le prfet1 for church furniture1 and especially for the sacred vessels40 ,i ,to bear the bread4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin was not listening to the priest1 whose restless1 crafty profile he was observing4 8,here is the man10 thought he1 8who is going to tell me about ,saint ,radegonde and the prophetess40 ,and the departmental representative of the ,republic was already screwing up his courage1 concentrating his energies1 lest he should appear weak-minded1 superstitious and credulous1 before an ecclesiastic4 8,yes1 monsieur le prfet0 said ,abb ,guitrel1 8our worthy ,m4 ,rondonneau junior has executed this beautiful specimen of goldsmith's work after ancient models4 ,i am inclined to think that they could not have done better in the ,place ,saint-,sulpice1 in ,paris1 where the best goldsmiths are to be found40 8 propos1 monsieur l'abb1 what is your opinion of the prophetess whom our town possesses80 8,what prophetess1 monsieur le prfet8 ,do you mean that poor girl who pretends to be in communication with ,saint ,radegonde1 queen of ,france8 ,alas6 monsieur1 it cannot possibly be the pious spouse of ,clotaire who suggests to that miserable girl sorry nonsense of every kind and rhapsodies which1 being irreconcilable with good sense1 are still less to be reconciled with theology4 ,foolery1 monsieur le prfet1 mere foolery60 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 who had prepared some subtle jests concerning priestly credulity1 remained silent4 8,no1 indeed10 continued ,m4 ,guitrel1 with a smile1 8it is incredible that ,saint ,radegonde should suggest this trash1 this folly1 all these silly1 empty1 sometimes heterodox1 speeches that fall from the lips of this young maiden4 ,the voice of the sainted ,radegonde would have another accent1 believe me40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,very little is known1 in fact1 about this ,saint ,radegonde40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,you mistake1 monsieur le prfet1 you mistake6 ,saint ,radegonde1 reverenced by the whole ,catholic ,church1 is the object of special worship in the diocese of ,poitiers1 which was formerly witness of her merits40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,yes1 as you say1 monsieur l'abb1 there is a special '''0 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,even atheists themselves have regarded this great figure with admiration4 ,what a sublime picture1 monsieur le prfet6 ,after the murder of her brother by her husband1 ,clotaire's noble spouse betakes herself to ,bishop ,mdard at ,noyon1 and urges him to dedicate her to ,god4 ,taken by surprise1 ,saint ,mdard hesitates2 he urges the indissolubility of marriage4 ,but ,radegonde herself covers her head with the veil of a recluse1 and flings herself at the feet of the pontiff1 who1 overcome by the saintly persistence of the queen1 and braving the wrath of the savage monarch1 offers this blessed victim to ,god40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,but1 monsieur l'abb1 do you approve of a bishop defying the civil powers in that fashion and abetting the wife of his overlord in her revolt8 ,the deuce6 if these are your opinions1 ,i shall be grateful to you for telling me so40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,alas6 monsieur le prfet1 ,i have not1 as the blessed ,mdard had1 the illumination of sanctity to enable me to discern the will of ,god in extraordinary circumstances4 ,luckily nowadays the rules which a bishop should follow with regard to the civil powers are definitely defined4 ,and monsieur le prfet will kindly remember1 in speaking of me for the bishopric of ,tourcoing to his friends in the ministry1 that ,i recognise all the obligations that follow from the ,concordat4 ,but why intrude my humble personality in these great scenes of history8 ,saint ,radegonde1 clothed in the veil of a deaconess1 founded the monastery of ,sainte-,croix in ,poitiers1 where she lived for more than fifty years in the practice of a rigorous asceticism4 ,she observed fasts and abstinences with such scrupulousness '''0 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,keep these stories of yours1 monsieur l'abb for your seminarists4 ,you don't believe that ,saint ,radegonde communicates with ,mademoiselle ,deniseau4 ,i congratulate you on that4 ,and ,i could wish that all the priests in the department were as reasonable as you4 ,but it only needs this hysteric patient--for hysteric she is--to attack the government for all the curs to come in herds to listen1 open-mouthed and applauding1 to all the insults she spits out40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,oh6 they make reservations1 monsieur le prfet1 they make reservations4 ,the ,church instructs them to be extremely wary in face of every fact that assumes the appearance of a miracle4 ,and ,i assure you that1 for my part1 ,i am very distrustful of modern miracles40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,tell me1 between ourselves3 you don't believe in miracles1 my dear abb80 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,in miracles that are not duly verified ,i have1 indeed1 but little belief40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,we are alone4 ,confess1 now1 that there are no miracles1 that there never have been any1 and that there never can possibly be any40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,not at all1 monsieur le prfet4 ,a miracle is possible2 it can be unmistakably recognised2 it is useful for the confirmation of doctrine2 and its utility is proved by the conversion of nations40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,anyhow1 you grant that it is ridiculous to believe that ,saint ,radegonde1 who lived in the ,middle ,ages '''0 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,in the sixth century1 in the sixth century40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,exactly1 in the sixth century4 ''' ,should come in #ahi- to gossip with the daughter of a registry-keeper on the political programme of the ministry and the ,chambers40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,communications between the ,church triumphant and the ,church militant are possible2 history supplies numberless undeniable instances of it4 ,but1 yet again1 ,i do not believe that the young person of whom we are speaking is favoured with a communication of this kind4 ,her sayings1 if ,i may dare to say so1 do not bear the hall-mark of a celestial revelation4 ,everything she says is somehow '''0 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,humbug40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,if you like4 ''' ,though1 indeed1 it might be quite possible that she is possessed40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,what is this that you are saying8 ,you1 an intelligent priest1 a future bishop of the ,republic1 you believe in possession6 ,it is a medival superstition6 ,i have read a book by ,michelet on it40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,but1 monsieur le prfet1 possession is a fact recognised not only by theologians1 but also by scientists1 atheists for the most part4 ,and ,michelet himself1 whom you quote1 believed in the cases of possession at ,loudun40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,what notions6 ,you are all the same6 ,and if ,claudine ,deniseau were possessed1 as you say8 '''0 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,then it would be necessary to exorcise her40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,exorcise her8 ,don't you think1 monsieur l'abb1 that that would be absurd80 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,not at all1 monsieur le prfet1 not at all40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,what does one do80 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,there are rules1 monsieur le prfet1 a formulary1 a ritual for this kind of operation1 which has never ceased to be used4 ,jeanne d',arc herself had to undergo it1 in the town of ,vaucouleurs1 unless ,i mistake4 ,m4 ,laprune1 the cur of ,saint-,exupre1 would be the right person to exorcise this ,deniseau girl1 who is one of his parishioners4 ,he is a very venerable priest4 ,it is true that1 as regards the ,deniseau family1 he is in a position which may react on his character1 and1 to a certain extent1 influence a wise and cautious mind1 as yet unenfeebled by age1 or which at any rate still seems able to bear the weight of years and the fatigues of a long and onerous ministry4 ,i mean to say that events1 regarded by some as miracles1 have taken place in the parish of this worthy cur2 and ,m4 ,laprune's zeal must needs have been led into error by the thought that the parish of ,saint-,exupre may have been privileged to such a degree that a manifestation of divine power has taken place in it1 in preference to all the other parishes in our town4 ,buoyed up by such a hope1 he has perhaps formed illusions which he has unconsciously communicated to his clergy4 ,an error and a mistake which one can excuse1 if one considers the circumstances4 ,indeed1 what blessings would not a new miracle shed on the parish church of ,saint-,exupre6 ,the zeal of the faithful would be revived by it1 an outpouring of gifts would bring wealth into the famous1 but clean-stripped1 walls of the ancient church4 ,and the favour of the ,cardinal-,archbishop would solace the last days of ,m4 ,laprune1 now arrived at the end of his ministry and strength40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,but if ,i understand you rightly1 monsieur l'abb1 it is this doddering cure of ,saint-,exupre1 it is ,m4 ,laprune1 with his vicaires1 who has got up the affair of the ,prophetess4 ,undoubtedly the priests are strong4 ,they won't believe it in ,paris1 in the bureaux1 but it is the truth4 ,the priests are a fine power6 ,here your old ,laprune has been organising these sances of clerical spiritualism which all the town attends in order to hear the ,parliament1 the presidency1 and myself insulted--for ,i am perfectly aware that they don't spare me in these conventicles of the ,place ,saint-,exupre40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,oh6 monsieur le prfet1 far be it from me to think of suspecting the worthy cur of ,saint-,exupre of having concocted a plot6 ,on the contrary1 ,i sincerely believe that1 if he has in any way encouraged this unhappy affair1 he will soon recognise his error1 and will use all his influence to efface the results of it4 ''' ,but even in his interest and in that of the diocese1 one might forestall him and inform ,his ,eminence of the real facts1 of which he is perhaps still ignorant4 ,once warned of these disorders1 he will doubtless put an end to them40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,that's an idea6 ''' ,my dear abb1 are you willing to undertake the commission8 ,for my part1 as prfet1 ,i am obliged to ignore the fact that there is an ,archbishop1 save in cases provided for by the law1 such as bells and processions4 ,when one thinks of it1 it is an absurd situation1 for from the moment that ,archbishops have an actual existence ''' ,but politics have their necessities4 ,tell me frankly4 ,are you in favour at the ,archbishop's palace80 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,his ,eminence sometimes deigns to listen to me with kindness4 ,the affability of ,his ,eminence is extreme40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,well6 tell him that it is inadmissible for ,saint ,radegonde to come to life again in order to plague the senators1 the deputies1 and the prfet of the department1 and that1 in the interests of the ,church as well as of the ,republic1 it is time to bridle the tongue of the fierce ,clotaire's spouse4 ,just tell ,his ,eminence that40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,substantially1 monsieur le prfet2 substantially ,i will tell him that40 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,set about it as you like1 monsieur l'abb1 but prove to him that he must forbid his priests to enter the ,deniseau house1 that he must openly reprimand the cur ,laprune1 condemn in la ,semaine religieuse the speeches made by this mad woman1 and officially request the editors of le ,libral to cease the campaign they are waging in support of a miracle both unconstitutional and contrary to the ,concordat40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,i will try it1 monsieur le prfet4 ,certainly1 ,i will try it4 ,but what am ,i1 a poor professor of sacred rhetoric1 before ,his ,eminence the ,cardinal-,archbishop80 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,he is intelligent1 is your ,archbishop2 he will understand that his own interests1 and the honour of ,saint ,radegonde1 by the ,lord6 '''0 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,doubtless1 monsieur le prfet1 doubtless4 ,but ,his ,eminence1 so devoted to the spiritual interests of the diocese1 perhaps considers that the prodigious crowd of souls around this poor girl is a token of that yearning after belief which torments the younger generation1 a proof that faith is more living than ever among the masses1 an example1 in fact1 which it would be well to present to the consideration of statesmen4 ,and it is possible that1 thinking thus1 he may be in no hurry to cause the sign to cease1 to suppress the proof and the example4 ,it is possible '''0 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8444 that he may make fun of everybody4 ,he is quite capable of it40 ,m4 ,,guitrel3 8,oh6 monsieur le prfet1 there is no foundation for that assumption6 ,but how much easier and more certain would my mission be1 if1 like the dove from the ark1 ,i were the bearer of an olive branch1 if ,i were authorised to say--oh6 just in a whisper6--to ,monseigneur1 that the salary of the seven poor curs of the diocese1 suspended by the former ,minister of ,religion1 was restored60 ,m4 ,,le ,,pr,,fet3 8,give1 give1 that's it1 isn't it8 ,i will think it over4 ''' ,i will telegraph to ,paris1 and ,i will bring you the answer at ,rondonneau junior's4 ,good evening1 monsieur le diplomate60 ,a week after the day of this secret conference ,abb ,guitrel had successfully accomplished his mission4 ,the prophetess of the ,place ,saint-,exupre1 disowned by the archbishopric1 abandoned by the clergy1 abjured by le ,libral1 kept on her side none save the two corresponding members of the academy of psychical research1 one of whom regarded her as a subject worthy of study and the other as a dangerous charlatan4 ,freed from this mad woman1 and delighted at the municipal elections1 which had brought forth neither new measures nor new men1 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin rejoiced from the bottom of his heart4 ,,xii ,m4 ,paillot was the bookseller at the corner of the ,place ,saint-,exupre and the ,rue des ,tintelleries4 ,for the most part the houses which surrounded this square were ancient2 those that leant against the church bore carved and painted signboards4 ,several had a pointed gable and a wooden frontage4 ,one of these1 which had kept its carved beams1 was a gem admired by connoisseurs4 ,the main joists were upheld by carved corbels1 some in the shape of angels bearing shields1 the others in the form of monks crouching low4 ,to the left of the door1 against a post1 rose the mutilated figure of a woman1 her brow encircled by a floreated crown4 ,the townsfolk declared that this was ,queen ,marguerite4 ,and the building was known by the name of ,queen ,marguerite's house4 ,it was believed1 on the authority of ,dom ,maurice1 author of a ,trsor d'antiquits1 printed in #agjc1 that ,margaret of ,scotland lodged in this house for several months of the year #adch4 ,but ,m4 de ,terremondre1 president of the ,society of ,agriculture and ,archology1 proves in a substantially constructed memoir that this house was built in #adhh for a prominent citizen named ,philippe ,tricouillard4 ,the archologists of the town1 whenever they conduct sightseers to the front of this building1 seizing a moment when the ladies are inattentive1 take pleasure in showing the canting arms of ,philippe ,tricouillard1 carved on a shield held by two angels4 ,these arms1 which ,m4 de ,terremondre has judiciously compared with those of the ,coleoni of ,bergamo1 are represented on the corbel which stands over the doorway1 under the left lintel4 ,the figures on it are very shadowy1 and are only recognisable by those who have had them pointed out4 ,as for the figure of a woman wearing a crown1 which leans against the perpendicular joist1 ,m4 de ,terremondre found no difficulty in proving that it must be regarded as a ,saint ,marguerite4 ,in fact1 there may still be made out at the feet of the saint the remains of a hideous shape which is none other than that of the devil2 and the right arm of the principal figure1 which is lacking to-day1 ought to hold the holy-water sprinkler which the blessed saint shook over the enemy of the human race4 ,it is clear what ,saint ,marguerite typifies in this place1 now that ,m4 ,mazure1 the archivist of the department1 has brought to light a document proving that in the year #adhh ,philippe ,tricouillard1 then about seventy years of age1 had lately married ,marguerite ,larrive1 daughter of a magistrate4 ,by a confusion which is not very surprising1 ,marguerite ,larrive's celestial patron was taken for the young princess of ,scotland whose sojourn in the town of ''' has left a deep impression4 ,few ladies have bequeathed a memory more full of pity than that princess who died at twenty with this last sigh on her lips3 8,out upon thee1 life60 ,the house of ,m4 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 joins on to ,queen ,marguerite's house4 ,originally it was built1 like its neighbour1 with a wooden front1 and the visible timber-work was no less carefully carved4 ,but1 in #ahfj1 ,m4 ,paillot's father1 bookseller to the ,archbishopric1 had it pulled down in order to rebuild it simply1 in the modern style1 without any pretence at wealth or art1 merely taking care to make it convenient as a dwelling-house and place of business4 ,a tree of ,jesse1 in ,renaissance style1 which covered the entire front of ,paillot's house1 at the corner formed by the ,place ,saint-,exupre and the ,rue des ,tintelleries1 was torn down with the rest1 but not destroyed4 ,m4 de ,terremondre1 coming upon it afterwards in a timber-merchant's yard1 purchased it for the museum4 ,this monument is in good style4 ,unfortunately the prophets and patriarchs1 who cluster on each branch like marvellous fruits1 and the ,virgin1 blossoming on the summit of the prophetic tree1 were mutilated by the ,terrorists in #agic1 and the tree suffered fresh damage in #ahfj1 when it was carried to the timber-yard as firewood4 ,m4 ,quatrebarbe1 the diocesan architect1 expatiates on these mutilations in his interesting pamphlet on ,les ,vandales modernes4 8,one shudders10 says he1 8at the thought that this precious relic of an age of faith ran the risk of being sawn up and burnt before our very eyes40 ,this sentiment1 being expressed by a man whose clerical tendencies were well known1 was trenchantly criticised by le ,phare in an anonymous paragraph in which was recognised1 rightly or wrongly1 the hand of the archivist of the department1 ,m4 ,mazure4 8,in twenty words10 said this paragraph1 8the architect of the diocese supplies us with several occasions for surprise4 ,the first is that any one should be able to shudder at the mere idea of the loss of an indifferently carved beam1 and one so much mutilated that the details are not recognisable2 the second is that this beam should stand to ,m4 ,quatrebarbe1 whose creed is well known1 as a relic of an age of faith1 since it dates from #aecj--that is to say1 from the year when the ,protestant ,diet of ,augsburg assembled2 the third is that ,m4 ,quatrebarbe should omit to say that the precious beam was torn down and sent to the timber-yard by his own father-in-law1 ,m4 ,nicolet1 the diocesan architect1 who1 in #ahfj1 transformed the ,paillot house in the way which one can now see2 the fourth is that ,m4 ,quatrebarbe ignores the fact that it was none other than ,m4 ,mazure1 the archivist1 who discovered the carved beam in ,clouzot's wood-yard1 where it had been rotting for ten years under ,m4 ,quatrebarbe's very nose1 and who pointed it out to ,m4 de ,terremondre1 president of the ,society of ,agriculture and ,archology1 who purchased it for the museum40 ,in its actual condition the house of ,m4 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 showed a uniform white frontage1 three storeys in height4 ,the shop1 ornamented with woodwork painted green1 bore1 in letters of gold1 the words1 8,paillot1 libraire40 ,the shop-window displayed terrestrial and celestial globes of different diameters1 boxes of mathematical instruments1 school books and little text-books for the officers of the garrison1 with a few novels and new memoirs3 these were what ,m4 ,paillot called works of literature4 ,a window1 narrower and not so deep1 that gave on the ,rue des ,tintelleries1 contained works on agriculture and law1 and thus completed the supply of instruments required by the intellectual life of the county town4 ,on a counter inside the shop were to be found works of literature1 novels1 essays1 and memoirs4 8,classics in sets0 were stacked in pigeon-holes1 and quite at the bottom1 by the side of the door which opened on the staircase1 some shelves were reserved for old books4 ,for ,m4 ,paillot combined in his shop the business of a new and second-hand bookseller4 ,this dark corner of the old books attracted the bibliophiles of the district1 who in days gone by had found treasure-trove there4 ,a certain copy of the first edition of the third book of ,pantagruel was recalled1 unearthed in excellent condition in #ahga by ,m4 de ,terremondre1 father of the present president of the ,agricultural ,society1 at ,paillot's1 in the old-book corner4 ,there was still more mysterious talk of a ,mellin de ,saint-,gelais1 containing on the back of the title-page some autograph verses by ,marie ,stuart1 that ,m4 ,dutilleul1 the notary1 had found1 about the same time1 and in the same place1 and for which he paid three francs4 ,but1 since then1 no one had announced any marvellous discovery4 ,the gloomy1 monotonous corner of the old books scarcely changed4 ,there was always to be seen there l',abrg de l',histoire des ,voyages1 in fifty-six volumes1 and the odd volumes of ,kehl's ,voltaire1 in large paper4 ,m4 ,dutilleul's discovery1 doubted by many1 was by some openly denied4 ,they based their opinion on the idea that the old notary was quite capable of having lied through vanity1 and on the fact that after ,m4 ,dutilleul's death no copy of the poems of ,mellin de ,saint-,gelais was found in his library4 ,yet the bibliophiles of the town1 who frequented ,paillot's shop1 never failed to explore the old-book corner1 at least once a month4 ,m4 de ,terremondre was one of the most assiduous visitors4 ,he was a large landed proprietor in the department1 well connected1 a breeder of cattle and a connoisseur in artistic matters4 ,he it was who designed the historic costumes for processions and who presided over the committee formed for the erection of a statue of ,jeanne d',arc on the ramparts4 ,he spent four months of the year in ,paris1 and had the reputation of being a man of gallantry4 ,at fifty he preserved a slim and elegant figure4 ,he was very popular with all three classes in the county town1 and they had several times offered him the position of deputy4 ,this he had refused1 declaring that his leisure1 as well as his independence1 was dear to him4 ,and people were curious about the reasons for his refusal4 ,m4 de ,terremondre had thought of buying ,queen ,marguerite's house in order to turn it into a museum of local archology and offer it to the town4 ,but ,madame ,houssieu1 the widowed owner of this house1 had not responded to the overtures which he had made to her4 ,now more than eighty years of age1 she lived in the old house1 alone1 save for a dozen cats4 ,she was supposed to be rich and miserly4 ,all that could be done was to wait for her death4 ,every time that he entered ,paillot's shop1 ,m4 de ,terremondre asked the bookseller3 8,is ,queen ,marguerite still in the land of the living80 ,and ,m4 ,paillot replied that assuredly one morning she would be found dead in her bed1 living shut up alone at her age4 ,meanwhile1 he dreaded her setting his house on fire4 ,this was her neighbour's constant fear4 ,he lived in terror lest the old lady should burn down her wooden house and his along with it4 ,madame ,houssieu interested ,m4 de ,terremondre greatly4 ,he was inquisitive about all that ,queen ,marguerite1 as he called her1 said and did4 ,at the last visit which he had paid to her1 she had shown him a bad ,restoration engraving representing the ,duchess of ,angoulme pressing to her heart the portraits of ,louis ,,xvi4 and ,marie ,antoinette enclosed in a medallion4 ,this engraving1 set in a black frame1 hung in the ground-floor sitting-room4 ,showing it to him1 ,madame ,houssieu said3 8,that's the portrait of ,queen ,marguerite1 who long ago lived in this house40 ,and ,m4 de ,terremondre asked himself how a portrait of ,marie-,thrse-,charlotte of ,france had1 even by the dullest of minds1 been taken for a portrait of ,margaret of ,scotland4 ,he meditated on it for a month4 ,then one day he exclaimed1 as he entered ,paillot's shop3 8,i've got it60 ,and he explained to his friend the bookseller the very plausible reasons for this extraordinary confusion4 8,listen to me1 ,paillot6 ,margaret of ,scotland1 mistaken for ,marguerite ,larrive1 is confused with ,marguerite of ,valois1 ,duchess of ,angoulme1 and this princess is1 in her turn1 confused with the ,duchess of ,angoulme1 daughter of ,louis ,,xvi4 and ,marie-,antoinette1 ,marguerite ,larrive--,margaret of ,scotland--,marguerite1 ,duchess of ,angoulme--the ,duchess of ,angoulme4 8,i am rather proud of having found that out1 ,paillot4 ,tradition should always be taken into account4 ,but when we own ,queen ,marguerite's house1 we will furbish up the memory of that good ,philippe ,tricouillard a little40 ,hard upon this declaration ,dr4 ,fornerol entered the shop with the wonted impetuosity of that indefatigable visitor of the sick1 who brought with him hope and comfort4 ,gustave ,fornerol was a fat1 moustachioed man4 ,possessed in his wife's right of a small country estate1 he affected the fashions of a country proprietor and paid his visits in a soft hat1 a hunting waistcoat and leather leggings4 ,although his practice was exclusively among the lower middle class and the rural population of the suburbs1 he was considered the most skilful practitioner in the town4 ,friendly with ,paillot1 as with all his fellow-townsmen1 he was not in the habit of paying useless visits to him1 nor of wasting his time gossiping in the shop4 ,this time1 however1 he sank down on one of the three rush-bottomed chairs which1 set in the old-book corner1 had gained for ,paillot's shop the reputation for a hospitality at once literary1 learned1 cultured1 and academic4 ,he puffed1 waved a good-day to ,paillot with his hand1 bowed with some deference to ,m4 de ,terremondre1 and said3 8,i am tired4 ''' ,well6 ,paillot1 were you pleased with the show yesterday8 ,what did ,madame ,paillot think of the play and the actors80 ,the bookseller did not commit himself4 ,he considered that it is wise for a tradesman to express no opinions in his shop4 ,besides1 he went to the theatre only en famille1 and that but seldom4 ,but ,dr4 ,fornerol1 whose position as medical officer to the theatre procured him free passes1 never missed a performance4 ,a travelling company had given la ,marchale the night before1 with ,pauline ,giry in the leading part4 8,she is always capital1 is ,pauline ,giry10 said the doctor4 8,that's the general opinion10 said the bookseller4 8,she isn't as young as she once was10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 who was turning over the leaves of volume xxxviii4 of l',histoire ,gnrale des ,voyages4 8,by ,jove1 no60 answered the doctor4 8,you know that ,giry isn't her real name80 8,her real name is ,girou10 answered ,m4 de ,terremondre authoritatively4 8,i knew her mother1 ,clmence ,girou4 ,fifteen years ago ,pauline ,giry was dark and very pretty40 ,and the three of them1 in the old-book corner1 set to work to reckon the actress's age4 ,but as they were calculating from doubtful or incorrect data1 they only reached contradictory1 or sometimes even absurd1 conclusions1 and with these they were by no means satisfied4 8,i am worn out10 said the doctor4 8,you all went to bed after the theatre4 ,but ,i was called up at midnight to go to an old farmer on ,duroc hill1 who was suffering from strangulated hernia4 ,says his man to me3 #8,he has brought up everything he can4 ,he harps on one note4 ,he is going to die4' ,i have the horse put in and ,i spin out to ,duroc hill1 over yonder1 right at the end of the ,faubourg de ,tramayes4 ,i find my man a-bed and howling4 ,corpse-like face1 stercoraceous vomiting4 ,very good6 ,his wife says to me3 #8,it's in his inside that it takes him4'0 8,she's forty-seven1 is ,pauline ,giry10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,it's quite possible10 said ,paillot4 8,at least forty-seven10 answered the doctor4 8,double hernia1 and dangerous it was4 ,very good6 ,i proceed to reduce it by hand-pressure4 ,although it is only necessary to exercise a very faint pressure with the hand1 after thirty minutes of this business1 one's arms and back are broken4 ,and it was only at the end of five hours1 at the tenth repetition1 that ,i was able to effect the reduction40 ,at this point in the narrative recounted by ,dr4 ,fornerol1 ,paillot the bookseller went to serve some ladies who asked for some interesting books to read in the country4 ,and the doctor1 addressing himself to ,m4 de ,terremondre alone1 continued3 8,i was one ache4 ,i say to my man3 #8,you must keep to your bed1 and1 if possible1 you must remain lying on your back1 until the truss-maker has made a truss for you according to my directions4 ,lie stretched out1 or look out for strangulation4 ,and you know whether that's nice6 ,without counting that one day or another it'll carry you off4 ,you understand8' 8#8,yes1 sir4' 8#8,very good4' 8,down ,i go to the yard to wash myself at the pump4 ,you may imagine that after this business ,i wanted a bit of a wash4 ,i strip myself to the waist1 and ,i rub myself with soft soap for1 maybe1 a quarter of an hour4 ,i dress myself again4 ,i drink a glass of white wine that they bring me in the yard4 ,i see the grey dawn break1 ,i hear the lark sing1 and ,i go back to the sick man's room4 ,there it was dark4 ,i shout in the direction of the bed3 #8,hey8 ,that's understood1 isn't it8 ,perfect stillness whilst waiting for the new truss4 ,the one you have is no good at all4 ,d'you hear8' ,no answer4 #8,are you asleep8' ,then ,i hear behind me the voice of the old nurse3 #8,doctor1 our man's no longer in the house1' she tells me4 #8,he was wearying to go out to his vines4'0 8,there ,i recognise my peasants10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 ,he lapsed into meditation and resumed3 8,doctor1 ,pauline ,giry is now forty-nine4 ,she made her dbut at the ,vaudeville in #ahgf2 she was then twenty-two4 ,i am sure of it40 8,in that case10 said the doctor1 8she would be in her forty-third year1 since we are now in #ahig40 8,it isn't possible10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8for she is at least six years older than ,rose ,max1 who has certainly passed her fortieth year40 8,rose ,max8 ,i don't say no1 but she is still a fine woman10 said the doctor4 ,he yawned1 stretched himself1 and said3 8,getting back from ,duroc hill1 at six o'clock in the morning1 ,i find two baker's men in my hall1 come to tell me that their mistress1 the baker's wife of the ,tintelleries1 has been brought to bed40 8,but10 asked ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8did it require two baker's men to tell you that80 8,they had sent them one after the other10 answered the doctor4 8,i ask if the characteristic symptoms have set in4 ,they give me no answer1 but a third baker's man turns up in his master's cart4 ,up ,i get and seat myself at his side4 ,we take half a turn1 and there ,i am rolling over the pavement of the ,tintelleries40 8,i have it60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,terremondre1 who was pursuing his own thoughts4 8,it was in '#fi that she came out at the ,vaudeville4 ,and it was in '#gf that my cousin ,courtrai knew her ''' and was intimate with her40 8,are you speaking of ,jacques de ,courtrai1 who was a captain of dragoons80 8,no1 ,i am speaking of ,agnor1 who died in ,brazil4 ''' ,she has a son who left ,saint-,cyr last year40 ,thus spoke ,m4 de ,terremondre1 just as ,m4 ,bergeret1 professor of literature at the ,university1 entered the shop4 ,m4 ,bergeret held one of the three academic chairs of the ,paillot establishment1 and was the most indefatigable talker of the old-book corner4 ,there1 with a friendly hand1 he used to turn over the leaves of books old and books new1 and although he never bought a single volume1 for fear of getting a wigging for it from his wife and three daughters1 he received the heartiest welcome from ,paillot1 who held him in high esteem as a reservoir1 an alembic1 of that science and those belles-lettres on which booksellers live and flourish4 ,the old-book corner was the only place in the town where ,m4 ,bergeret could sit in utter contentment1 for at home ,madame ,bergeret chased him from room to room for different reasons of domestic administration2 at the ,university1 the ,dean1 in his hatred1 forced him to give his lectures in a dark1 unhealthy cellar1 into which but few pupils descended1 and all three classes in the town cast black looks at him for having called ,jeanne d',arc a military mascotte4 ,now ,m4 ,bergeret slipped into the old-book corner4 8,good-day1 gentlemen6 ,anything new80 8,a baby to the baker's wife in the ,tintelleries10 said the doctor4 8,i brought it into the world just twenty minutes ago4 ,i was going to tell ,m4 de ,terremondre about it4 ,and ,i may add that it wasn't without difficulty40 8,this child10 replied the professor1 8hesitated to be born4 ,he would never have consented to it if1 being gifted with understanding and foresight1 he had known the destiny of man on the earth1 and more especially in our town40 8,it is a pretty little girl10 said the doctor1 8a pretty little girl with a raspberry mark under the left breast40 ,the conversation continued between the doctor and ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,a pretty little girl1 with a raspberry mark under the left breast1 doctor8 ,it would seem that the bakeress had a longing for raspberries when she took off her corsets4 ,the mere desire of a mother does not suffice to stamp the picture of it on the offspring she bears4 ,it is also necessary that the longing woman should touch one particular part of her body4 ,and the picture will be stamped on the child in the corresponding spot4 ,isn't that the common belief1 doctor80 8,that is what old women believe10 replied ,dr4 ,fornerol4 8,and ,i have known men1 and even doctors1 who were women in this respect1 and who shared in the credulity of the nurses4 ,for my part1 the experience of an already long practice1 my knowledge of observations made by scientists1 and especially a general view of embryology1 prevent my sharing in this popular belief40 8,then1 according to your opinion1 doctor1 wishing-marks are just spots like others1 that form on the skin without known cause40 8,stop a bit6 #8,wishing-marks' present a particular characteristic4 ,they contain no blood-vessels and are not erectile1 like the tumours with which you might perhaps be tempted to confuse them40 8,you declare1 doctor1 that they are a peculiar species4 ,do you make no inference from that as to their origin80 8,absolutely none40 8,but if these spots are not really #8wishing-marks1' if you refuse them a ''' how shall ,i put it8 ''' a psychic origin1 ,i am unable to account for the accident of a belief which is found in the ,bible1 and which is still shared by such a great number of people4 ,my aunt ,pastr was a very intelligent and by no means superstitious woman4 ,she died last spring1 aged seventy-seven1 in the full belief that the three white currants visible on the shoulder of her daughter ,bertha had an illustrious origin and came from the ,parc de ,neuilly1 where1 in the autumn of #ahcd1 during her pregnancy1 she was presented to ,queen ,marie-,amlie1 who took her to walk along a path bordered by currant-bushes40 ,to this ,dr4 ,fornerol made no reply4 ,he was not remarkably given to contradicting the opinions of rich patients4 ,but ,m4 ,bergeret1 professor of literature at the ,university1 bent his head towards his left shoulder and gave a far-away look1 as he always did whenever he was going to speak4 ,then he said3 8,gentlemen1 it is a fact that these marks1 called #8wishing-spots1' reduce themselves to a small number of types1 which may be classified1 according to their colour and form1 into strawberries1 currants1 and raspberries1 or wine and coffee spots4 ,it would1 perhaps1 be convenient to add to these types that of those diffused yellow spots in which folks endeavour to recognise portions of tart or mince-pie4 ,now1 who can possibly believe that pregnant women desire nothing save to drink wine or caf au lait1 or to eat red fruits1 and1 possibly1 forcemeat-pie8 ,such an idea runs counter to natural philosophy4 ,that desire which1 according to certain philosophers1 has alone created the world and alone preserves it1 works in them as in all living beings1 only with more range and diversity4 ,it gives them secret fevers1 hidden passions1 and strange frenzies4 ,without going into the question of the effect of their particular condition on the appetites common to all that lives1 and even to plants1 we recognise that this condition does not produce indifference1 but that it rather perverts and inflames the deeper instincts4 ,if the new-born child ought really to carry the visible signs of its mother's desires1 believe me1 we should more frequently see imprinted on its body other symbols than these innocent strawberries and drops of coffee with which the folly of old wives diverts itself40 8,i see what you mean10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,women loving jewels1 many children would be born with sapphires1 rubies1 and emeralds on their fingers1 and with gold bracelets on their wrists2 necklaces of pearls1 rivires of diamonds would cover their neck and breast4 ,still1 one ought to be able to point to such children as these40 8,just so10 replied ,m4 ,bergeret4 ,and1 taking up from the table1 where ,m4 de ,terremondre had left it1 the thirty-eighth volume of l',histoire ,gnrale des ,voyages1 the professor buried his nose in the book1 between pages #bab and #bac1 a spot which1 every time that he had opened the inevitable old book during the last six years1 had confronted him like a fate1 to the exclusion of every other page1 as an instance of the monotony with which life glides by1 a symbol of the uniformity of those tasks and those days in a provincial university which precede the day of death and the travail of the body in the tomb4 ,and this time1 as he had already done so many times before1 ,m4 ,bergeret read in volume xxxviii4 of l',histoire ,gnrale des ,voyages the first lines of page #bab3 8a passage to the ,north4 #8,it is to this check1' said he1 #8that we owe the opportunity of being able to visit the ,sandwich ,isles again1 and to enrich our voyage with a discovery which1 although the last1 seems in many respects to be the most important that ,europeans have yet made in the whole expanse of the ,pacific ,ocean4' ,the happy prophecy which these words seemed to denote has1 unfortunately1 never been fulfilled40 ,and this time1 as always1 the reading of these lines plunged ,m4 ,bergeret into melancholy4 ,whilst he was immersed in it1 the bookseller1 ,m4 ,paillot1 confronted a little soldier1 who had come in to buy a sou's worth of letter-paper1 with disdain and hauteur4 8,i don't keep letter-paper10 declared ,m4 ,paillot1 turning his back on the little soldier4 ,then he complained of his assistant1 ,lon1 who was always on errands1 and who1 once gone out1 never came back4 ,consequently he1 ,paillot1 was constantly being pestered by intruders4 ,they actually asked him for letter-paper6 8,i remember10 said ,dr4 ,fornerol to him1 8that one market-day a good country-woman came in and asked you for a plaster1 and that you had the greatest difficulty in preventing her from tucking up her petticoats and showing you the painful spot where the paper was to be applied40 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 replied to this anecdotic sally by a silence which expressed offended dignity4 8,heavens60 exclaimed ,m4 de ,terremondre1 the book-lover1 8this learned storehouse of our ,frben1 our ,elzevir1 our ,debure1 confused with the chemist's shop of ,thomas ,diafoirus6 ,what an outrage60 8,indeed10 replied ,dr4 ,fornerol1 8the good soul meant no harm in showing ,paillot the seat of her trouble4 ,but it won't do to judge the peasants by her4 ,in general1 they show extreme repugnance to letting themselves be seen by the doctor4 ,my country colleagues have often remarked this to me4 ,country-women1 attacked by serious diseases1 resist examination with an energy and obstinacy which townswomen1 and particularly women of the world1 do not show in the same circumstances4 ,i saw a farmer's wife at ,lucigny die of an internal tumour1 which she had never allowed to be suspected40 ,m4 de ,terremondre1 who1 as president of several local academies1 had literary prejudices1 took these remarks as a pretext for accusing ,zola of having shamefully maligned the peasants in ,la ,terre4 ,at this accusation1 ,m4 ,bergeret emerged from his pensive sadness and said3 8,yet the peasants are drunkards and parricides1 and voluntarily incestuous1 as ,zola has depicted them4 ,their repugnance to lend themselves to clinical inspection by no means proves their chastity4 ,it only shows the power of prejudice in minds of limited intelligence4 ,the simpler a prejudice is1 the stronger is its power4 ,the prejudice that it is wrong to be seen naked remains powerful with them4 ,it has been weakened amongst artists and people of intelligence by the custom of baths1 douches1 and massage2 it has been still further weakened by sthetic feeling and by the taste for voluptuous sensations1 and it easily yields to considerations of health and hygiene4 ,this is all that can be deduced from the doctor's observations40 8,i have noticed10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8that well-made women '''0 8,there are hardly any10 said the doctor4 8,doctor1 you remind me of my chiropodist10 replied ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,he said to me one day3 #8,if you were a chiropodist1 sir1 you would take no stock in women4'0 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 who for some moments had been glued to the wall listening intently1 said3 8,i don't know what is going on in ,queen ,marguerite's house2 ,i hear cries and the noise of furniture being overturned40 ,and he was again seized with his customary misgiving4 8,that old lady will set fire to her house1 and the whole block of buildings will be burnt3 it's all wood40 ,nobody heeded these words1 nobody attempted to soothe his ridiculous apprehensions4 ,dr4 ,fornerol rose painfully to his feet1 stretched the wearied muscles of his arms with an effort1 and went off on his round of visits through the town4 ,m4 de ,terremondre put on his gloves and took a step towards the door4 ,then1 perceiving a tall withered figure which was crossing the square in stiff1 abrupt strides3 8,here10 said he1 8is ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot4 ,i hope the prfet won't meet him40 8,and why not80 demanded ,m4 ,bergeret4 8,because these meetings are by no means pleasant for ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin4 ,last ,sunday our prfet1 while driving by in a victoria1 caught sight of ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot1 who was walking with his wife and daughters4 ,lolling back in his carriage1 with his hat on his head1 he saluted the gallant veteran with a little wave of his hand and a #8,good-day1 good-day1 general6' ,the general reddened with anger4 ,for the unassuming are always violent in their anger4 ,general ,chalmot was beside himself4 ,he was terrible4 ,before all the promenaders he imitated ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin's familiar salute and shouted at him in a voice of thunder3 #8,good-day1 good-day1 prfet6'0 8,there is perfect silence now in ,queen ,marguerite's house10 said ,m4 ,paillot4 ,,xiii ,the midday sun darted its clear white rays4 ,not a cloud in the sky1 not a breath in the air4 ,the solitary orb swung across the vast repose in which everything was wrapped and urged its blazing course towards the horizon4 ,on the deserted ,mall the shadows lay still and heavy at the foot of the elms4 ,a road-mender slept in the bottom of the ditch that bounds the ramparts4 ,the birds were silent4 ,seated at the shady end of a bench three parts steeped in sunlight1 ,m4 ,bergeret forgot1 under these classic trees1 in the friendly solitude1 his wife and his three daughters1 his cramped life and his cramped home2 like sop he revelled in the freedom of his mind1 and his analytical imagination roved irresponsibly among the living and the dead4 ,however ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary1 was passing1 with his breviary in his hand1 down the broad walk of the ,mall4 ,m4 ,bergeret rose to offer his shady place on the bench to the priest4 ,m4 ,lantaigne came up and sank into it composedly1 with that priestly dignity which never left him and which in him was just simplicity4 ,m4 ,bergeret sat near him1 at the spot where the shadow fell mingled with light from the feathery end of the branches1 so that his black clothing was covered with golden discs1 and over his dazzled eyes his eyelids began to blink4 ,he congratulated ,abb ,lantaigne in these words3 8,it is said everywhere1 monsieur l'abb1 that you will be called to the bishopric of ,tourcoing4 8,the sign ,i hail1 and from it dare to hope4,j ,but this choice is too good a one not to make one doubtful4 ,you are believed to be a royalist1 and that counts against you4 ,are you not a republican like the ,pope80 ,j 8,j'en accepte l'augure et j'ose l'esprer40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,i am a republican like the ,pope4 ,that is to say1 ,i am at peace and not at war with the government of the ,republic4 ,but peace is not love4 ,and ,i do not love the ,republic40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,i guess your reasons4 ,you condemn it for being freethinking and hostile to the clergy40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,assuredly ,i condemn it as irreligious and inimical to the priests4 ,but this irreligion1 these hostilities1 are not inherent in it4 ,they are the attributes of republicans1 not of the ,republic4 ,they diminish or increase at every change of ministers4 ,they are less to-day than they were yesterday4 ,possibly they will increase to-morrow4 ,perhaps a time will come when they will be non-existent1 as they were non-existent under the rule of ,marshal ,mac,mahon1 or at least during the delusive beginnings of that rule and under the deceptive ministry of ,may #afth4 ,they are accidental1 not essential4 ,but even if it were respectful towards religion and its ministers1 ,i should still hate the ,republic40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,why80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,because it is diversity4 ,in that it is essentially bad40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,i don't quite understand you1 monsieur l'abb40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,that comes from your not having the theological mind4 ,at one time even laymen received some impress of it4 ,their college note-books1 which they preserved1 supplied them with the elements of philosophy4 ,that is especially true of the men of the seventeenth century4 ,at that time all those who were educated knew how to reason1 even the poets4 ,it is the teaching of ,port-,royal that underlies the ,phdre of ,racine4 ,but to-day when theology has been relegated to the seminaries1 no one knows how to reason1 and men of the world are almost as foolish as poets and savants4 ,did not ,m4 de ,terremondre1 believing that he was speaking to the point1 tell me yesterday1 on the ,mall1 that ,church and ,state ought to make mutual concessions8 ,people no longer know1 they no longer think4 ,empty words pass and repass in the air4 ,we are in ,babel4 ,you1 ,monsieur ,bergeret1 are much better read in ,voltaire than in ,saint ,thomas40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,it is true4 ,but did you not say1 monsieur l'abb1 that the ,republic is diversity1 and that in that respect it is essentially bad8 ,that is what ,i beg you to explain to me4 ,perhaps ,i might succeed in understanding you4 ,i know more theology than you credit me with4 ,note-book in hand1 ,i have read ,baronius40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,baronius is only an annalist1 although the greatest of all2 and ,i am quite sure that from him you have only been able to carry away some historic odds and ends4 ,if you were in the slightest degree a theologian1 you would be neither surprised nor disconcerted at what ,i have just said4 8,diversity is hateful4 ,it is the characteristic of evil to be diverse4 ,this characteristic manifests itself in the government of the ,republic1 which is more alienated than any other from unity4 ,with its want of unity it fails in independence1 permanence1 and power4 ,it fails in knowledge1 and one may say of it that it knows not what it does4 ,although for our chastisement it continues1 yet it has no continuity4 ,for the idea of continuity implies that of identity1 and the ,republic of one day is never the same as that of the day before4 ,even its ugliness and its vices do not belong to it4 ,and you have yourself remarked that by them it has never been discredited4 ,reproaches and scandals that would have ruined the mightiest empire have poured over it harmlessly4 ,it is indestructible1 for it is destruction4 ,it is dispersion1 it is discontinuity1 it is diversity1 it is evil40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,are you speaking of ,republics in general1 or only of our own80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,obviously ,i am considering neither the ,roman ,republic1 nor the ,dutch1 nor the ,swiss1 but only the ,french4 ,for these governments have nothing in common save the name1 and you will not charge me with judging them by the name by which they call themselves1 nor by those points in which they seem1 one and all1 opposed to monarchy--an opposition which is not in itself necessarily to be condemned2 but the ,republic in ,france means nothing more than the lack of a prince and the want of a governing power4 ,and this nation was too old at the time of the amputation for one not to fear that it would die of it40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,yet ,france has already survived the ,empire by twenty-seven years1 the bourgeois-king by forty-eight years1 and the legitimate sovereign by sixty-six years40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,say rather that for a century ,france1 wounded to death1 has been dragging out a miserable remnant of life in alternate fits of fever and prostration4 ,and do not imagine that ,i flatter the past or base my regrets on lying pictures of an age of gold which never existed4 ,the conditions of national life are quite familiar to me4 ,its hours are marked by perils1 its days by disasters4 ,and it is just and necessary that it should be so4 ,its life1 like that of individual men1 if it were exempt from trials1 would have no meaning4 ,the early history of ,france is full of crimes and expiations4 ,god ceaselessly chastened this nation with the zeal of an untiring love1 and in the time of the kings ,his mercy spared her no suffering4 ,but1 being then ,christian1 her woes were useful and precious to her4 ,in them she recognised the ennobling power of chastisement4 ,from them she derived her lessons1 her merits1 her salvation1 her power1 and her renown4 ,now her sufferings have no longer any meaning for her2 she neither understands them nor acquiesces in them4 ,whilst undergoing the test she rebels against it4 ,and the demented state expects good fortune6 ,it is in losing faith in ,god that one loses1 along with the idea of the absolute1 the knowledge of the relative and even the historic sense4 ,god alone informs the logical sequence of human events which1 without ,him1 would no longer follow one another in a rational and conceivable manner4 ,and for the last hundred years the history of ,france has been an enigma for the ,french4 ,yet even in our days there was one solemn hour of hope and expectation4 8,the horseman who rides forth at the hour appointed by ,god1 and who is called now ,shalmanezar1 now ,nebuchadnezzar1 then ,cyrus1 ,cambyses1 ,memmius1 ,titus1 ,alaric1 ,attila1 ,mahomet ,,ii41 or ,william1 had ridden with fiery trail across ,france4 ,humiliated1 bleeding1 and mutilated1 she raised her eyes to ,heaven4 ,may that moment be counted to her for righteousness6 ,she seemed to understand1 and along with her faith to recover her intelligence1 to recognise the value and the use of her vast and providential woes4 ,she aroused her just men1 her ,christians1 to form a sovereign assembly4 ,then appeared the spectacle of that assembly1 renewing a solemn custom and consecrating ,france to the heart of ,jesus4 ,we saw1 as in the times of ,saint ,louis1 churches rising on the mountains1 before the gaze of penitent cities2 we saw the foremost citizens preparing for the restoration of the monarchy40 ,m4 ,,bergeret 7sotto voce73 8#a4 ,the ,assembly of ,bordeaux4 #b4 ,the ,sacr-,cur of ,montmartre and the ,church of ,fourvires at ,lyons4 #c4 ,the ,commission of the ,nine and the mission of ,m4 ,chesnelong40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,what do you say80 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,nothing4 ,i am filling in the headings in the ,discours sur l',histoire universelle40 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,do not jest and do not deny4 ,coming along the roads sounded the white horses that were bringing the king to his own again4 ,henri ,dieudonn was coming to re-establish the principle of authority from which spring the two social forces3 command and obedience2 he was coming to restore human order along with divine order1 political wisdom along with the religious spirit1 the hierarchy1 law1 discipline1 true liberty and unity4 ,the nation1 linking up its traditions once more1 was recovering1 along with the sense of its mission1 the secret of its power and the pledge of victory4 ''' ,god willed it not4 ,these great designs1 thwarted by the enemy who still hated us after having satisfied his hatred1 opposed by a great number of the ,french1 miserably supported even by those who had formed them1 were brought to naught in one day4 ,the frontier of our country was barricaded against ,henri ,dieudonn1 and the people subsided into a ,republic2 that is to say1 they repudiated their birthright1 they renounced their rights and their duties1 in order to govern themselves according to their own inclinations and to live at their ease in that liberty which ,god curbs and which overturns both law and order1 the temporal images of ,himself4 ,henceforth evil was king and proclaimed its edicts4 ,the ,church1 exposed to incessant vexations1 was perfidiously tempted on the one side to an impossible renunciation and on the other to revolt involving punishment40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,you doubtless reckon among the vexatious measures the expulsion of the fraternities80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,it is clear that the expulsion of the fraternities was prompted by evil intentions1 and was the result of malicious calculation4 ,it is also certain that the religious who were expelled did not deserve such treatment4 ,in striking them it was believed that the ,church was being struck4 ,but the blow1 badly aimed1 strengthened the body that they wished to shake1 and restored to the parishes the authority and the resources which had been diverted from them4 ,our enemies did not know the ,church1 and their chief minister of that time1 less ignorant than they1 but more desirous of satisfying them than of destroying us1 made a war on us that was merely mimic and for purposes of show4 ,for ,i do not regard the expulsion of the non-licensed orders as an effective attack4 ,of course1 ,i honour the victims of this clumsy persecution2 but ,i consider that the ,church of ,france has in the secular clergy a sufficient staff to govern and minister to souls without the help of the regulars4 ,alas6 the ,republic has inflicted deeper and more secret wounds on the ,church4 ,you know too much about educational questions1 ,monsieur ,bergeret1 not to have discovered several of these plague-spots2 but the most poisonous one was induced by the introduction into the episcopate of priests feeble in mind or in character4 ''' ,i have said enough about that4 ,the ,christian at least consoles and reassures himself1 knowing that the ,church will not perish4 ,but what will be the patriot's consolation8 ,he discovers that all the members of the ,state are gangrened and rotten4 ,in twenty years what progress in corruption6 ,a chief of the ,state whose sole virtue is his powerlessness1 and who is denounced as criminal if it should get wind that he ventures to act1 or even merely to think2 ministers subject to a foolish ,parliament1 which is believed to be corrupt1 and whose members1 more ignorant every day1 were chosen1 moulded1 nominated in the godless clubs of the freemasons to carry out an evil policy of which they are yet incapable1 and which is surpassed by the evils brought about through their turbulent inaction2 an incessantly increasing bureaucracy1 vast1 greedy1 and mischievous1 in which the ,republic believes she is securing for herself a band of supporters1 but which she is nourishing to her own ruin2 a magistracy recruited without law or equity1 and too often canvassed by the government not to be suspected of obsequiousness2 an army1 nay1 a whole nation1 unceasingly pervaded by the fatal spirit of independence and equality1 is poured back straightway into town and country1 a whole community1 depraved by barrack life1 unfitted for arts and trades1 and disliking all labour2 an educational body which has a mission to teach atheism and immorality2 a diplomatic corps which fails in readiness and authority1 and which leaves the care of our foreign policy and the conclusion of our alliances to innkeepers1 shopkeepers and journalists2 in a word1 all the powers1 the legislative and the executive1 the judicial1 the military1 and the civil1 intermingled1 confused1 destroyed one by the other2 a farcical rule which1 in its destructive weakness1 has given to society the two most powerful instruments of death that wickedness ever devised3 divorce and malthusianism4 ,and all the evils of which ,i have made a rapid summary belong to the ,republic and spring naturally from her3 the ,republic is essentially unrighteous4 ,she is unrighteous in willing a liberty which ,god has not willed1 since ,he is the master1 and since ,he has delegated to priests and kings a part of his authority2 she is unrighteous in willing an equality which ,god has not willed1 since ,he has established the hierarchy of dignities in ,heaven and on earth2 she is unrighteous in instituting that tolerance which cannot be the will of ,god1 since evil is intolerable2 she is unrighteous in consulting the will of the people1 as if the multitude of ignorant ought to prevail against the small company of those who bow themselves before the will of ,god1 which overshadows the government and even the details of administration1 as a principle whose consequences are never-ending2 in a word1 she is unrighteous in proclaiming her indifference to religion--that is to say1 her impiety1 her unbelief1 her blasphemies 7of which the very smallest is mortal sin71 and her adhesion to diversity1 which is evil and death40 ,m4 ,,bergeret3 8,did you not say just now1 monsieur l'abb1 that being as republican as the ,pope1 you were resolved to live at peace with the ,republic80 ,m4 ,,lantaigne3 8,certainly1 ,i will live with her in submission and obedience4 ,in rebelling against her1 ,i should act according to her principles1 and contrary to my own4 ,by being seditious ,i should resemble her1 and ,i should no longer resemble myself4 8,it is unlawful to return evil for evil4 ,sovereignty is hers4 ,whether she decrees ill or does not decree1 hers is the guilt4 ,let it rest with her6 ,my duty is to obey4 ,i shall do it4 ,i shall obey4 ,as a priest and1 if it please ,god1 as a bishop1 ,i shall refuse nothing to the ,republic of what ,i owe her4 ,i call to mind that ,saint ,augustine1 in ,hippo1 then besieged by the ,vandals1 died a bishop and a ,roman citizen4 ,for myself1 the lowest member of this illustrious ,church of the ,gauls1 after the example of the greatest of the doctors1 ,i will die in ,france1 a priest and a ,french citizen1 praying ,god to scatter the ,vandals40 ,the elm-trees on the ,mall began to incline their shadow towards the east4 ,a fresh breeze coming from a region of distant storm stirred among the leaves4 ,whilst a ladybird travelled over the sleeve of his coat1 ,m4 ,bergeret replied to ,abb ,lantaigne in a tone of the greatest affability4 8,monsieur l'abb1 you have just traced1 with an eloquence only to be found on your lips1 the characteristics of democratic rule4 ,this government is very much as you describe it4 ,and yet it is the one ,i prefer4 ,in it all bonds are loosened1 which weakens the ,state1 but relieves individuals and ensures a certain ease of life and a liberty which unfortunately local tyrannies counteract4 ,it is true that corruption appears to be greater in it than in monarchies4 ,that springs from the number and diversity of the people who are raised to power4 ,but this corruption would be less visible if the secret of it were better kept4 ,the lack of secrecy and the want of continuity render all enterprise impossible in a democratic ,republic4 ,but1 since the enterprises of monarchies have most often ruined the nations1 ,i am not very sorry to live under a government incapable of great designs4 ,what rejoices me especially in our ,republic is the sincere desire which she shows not to provoke war in ,europe4 ,she rejoices in militarism1 but is not at all bellicose4 ,in considering the chances of a war1 other governments have nothing to fear save defeat4 ,ours fears equally--and justly so--both victory and defeat4 ,this salutary fear secures us peace1 which is the greatest of blessings4 8,the worst fault of the present rgime is that it costs very dear4 ,it makes no outward show3 it is not ostentatious4 ,it is gorgeous neither in its women nor its horses4 ,but1 with its humble appearance and neglected exterior1 it is expensive4 ,it has too many poor relations1 too many friends to provide for4 ,it is a spendthrift4 ,the most grievous point is that it lives on an exhausted country1 whose powers are waning and which no longer thrives4 ,and the administration has great need of money4 ,it is aware that it is in difficulties4 ,and its difficulties are greater than it fancies4 ,they will increase still more4 ,the evil is not new4 ,it is the one which killed the old rgime4 ,i am going1 monsieur l'abb1 to tell you a great truth3 as long as the ,state contents itself with the revenues supplied by the poor1 as long as it has enough from the subsidies which are assured to it with mechanical regularity by those who work with their hands1 it lives happy1 peaceful1 and honoured4 ,economists and financiers are pleased to acknowledge its honesty4 ,but as soon as this unhappy ,state1 driven by need1 makes a show of asking for money from those who have it1 and of levying some slight toll on the rich1 it is made to feel that it is committing a horrible outrage1 is violating all rights1 is wanting in respect to a sacred thing1 is destroying commerce and industry1 and crushing the poor by touching the rich4 ,no one hides his conviction that discredit is at hand4 ,and it sinks beneath the genuine contempt of the good citizen4 ,yet ruin comes slowly and surely4 ,the ,state touches capital3 it is lost4 8,our ministers are jesting at us when they speak of the clerical or the socialist peril4 ,there is but one peril1 the financial peril4 ,the ,republic is beginning to recognise this4 ,i pity her1 ,i shall regret her4 ,i was reared under the ,empire1 in love for the ,republic4 #8,she is justice1' my father1 professor of rhetoric at the college of ,saint-,omer1 used to say to me4 ,he did not know her4 ,she is not justice1 but she is ease4 ,monsieur l'abb1 if you had a soul less exalted1 less serious1 and more given to jesting thoughts1 ,i should confide to you that the present ,republic1 the ,republic of #ahif1 delights me and touches me by its modesty4 ,she acquiesces in not being admired4 ,she exacts but a trifling respect1 and even renounces esteem4 ,it is enough for her to live4 ,that is her sole desire2 it is a lawful one4 ,the humblest beings cling to life4 ,like the woodcutter of the fabulist1 like the apothecary of ,mantua1 who so greatly astonished that young fool of a ,romeo1 she fears death1 and it is her only fear4 ,she mistrusts princes and soldiers4 ,in danger of death1 she would be very ill to handle4 ,fear would make her abandon her own nature and would render her ferocious4 ,that would be a pity4 ,but as long as they make no attempt on her life1 and as long as they only attack her honour1 she is good-natured4 ,a government of this kind suits me and gives me confidence4 ,so many others were merciless through self-esteem6 ,so many others made sure of their rights1 their grandeur1 and their prosperity by cruelties6 ,so many others have poured out blood for their prerogative and their majesty6 ,she has no self-esteem2 she has no majesty4 ,a fortunate lack which keeps her innocuous to us6 ,provided that she lives1 she is content4 ,she rules laxly1 and ,i should be tempted to praise her for that more than for all the rest4 ,and since she governs laxly1 ,i forgive her for governing badly4 ,i suspect men at all times of having much exaggerated the necessity of government and the benefits of a strong administration4 ,certainly strong administrations make nations great and prosperous4 ,but the nations have suffered so much all through the centuries for their grandeur and prosperity1 that ,i fancy they would renounce it4 ,glory has cost them too dear for them to resent the fact that our present rulers have only procured for us the colonial variety of it4 ,if the uselessness of all government should at last be discovered1 the ,republic of ,m4 ,carnot would have paved the way for this priceless discovery4 ,and one ought to feel some gratitude towards it for that4 ,taking everything into consideration1 ,i feel much attached to our institutions40 ,thus spoke ,m4 ,bergeret1 professor of literature at the ,university4 ,abb ,lantaigne rose1 drew out from his pocket his blue-checkered handkerchief1 passed it over his lips1 returned it to his pocket1 smiled1 contrary to his custom1 secured his breviary under his arm1 and said3 8,you express yourself pleasantly1 ,monsieur ,bergeret4 ,just so did the rhetors talk in ,rome when ,alaric entered it with his ,visigoths4 ,yet under the terebinth trees of the ,esquiline the rhetors of the fifth century let fall thoughts of less vanity4 ,for then ,rome was ,christian4 ,you are that no longer40 8,monsieur l'abb10 replied the professor1 8be a bishop and not the head of the ,university40 8,it is true1 ,monsieur ,bergeret10 said the priest with a loud laugh1 8that if ,i were head of the ,university ,i should forbid you to be a teacher of youth40 8,and you would do me a great service4 ,for then ,i should write in the papers1 like ,m4 ,jules ,lematre1 and who knows whether1 like him '''0 8,well6 well6 you would not be out of place among the wits4 ,and the ,french ,academy has a partiality for freethinkers40 ,he spoke and walked away with a firm1 straight1 heavy tread4 ,m4 ,bergeret remained alone in the middle of the bench1 which was now three-parts covered by shade4 ,the ladybird which had been fluttering its wing-cases on his shoulder for a moment flew away4 ,he began to dream4 ,he was not happy1 for he had an acute mind whose points were not always turned outwards1 and very often he pricked himself with the needle-points of his own criticism4 ,anmic and bilious1 he had a very weak digestion and enfeebled senses1 which brought him more disgust and suffering than pleasure and happiness4 ,he was reckless in speech1 and in unerringness and precision his tactlessness attained the same results as the most practised skill4 ,with cunning art he seized every opportunity of injuring himself4 ,he inspired the majority of people with a natural aversion1 and being sociable and inclined to fraternise with his fellows1 he suffered from that fact4 ,he had never succeeded in moulding his pupils1 and he delivered his lectures on ,latin literature in a gloomy1 damp1 deserted cellar1 in which he was buried through the ,dean's burning hatred of him4 ,the ,university buildings were1 however1 spacious4 ,built in #ahid1 8these new premises10 according to the words of ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin at the opening1 8testified to the zeal of the government of the ,republic for the diffusion of learning40 ,they boasted an amphitheatre1 decorated by ,m4 ,lon ,glaize with allegorical paintings representing ,science and ,literature1 where ,m4 ,compagnon gave his much-belauded lectures on mathematics4 ,the other gownsmen in their red or yellow taught different subjects in handsome1 well-lighted rooms4 ,m4 ,bergeret alone1 under the bedel's ironic glance1 had to descend1 followed by three students1 into a dusky1 subterranean hole4 ,there1 in the heavy1 noisome air1 he expounded the neid with ,german scholarship and ,french subtlety2 there1 by his literary and moral pessimism1 he afflicted ,m4 ,roux1 of ,bordeaux1 his best pupil2 there1 he opened up new vistas1 whose aspect was terrifying2 there1 one evening he pronounced those words now become famous1 but which ought rather to have perished1 stifled in the shadow of the vault3 8,fragments of differing origins1 soldered clumsily on to each other1 made up the ,iliad and the ,odyssey4 ,such are the models of composition that have been imitated by ,virgil1 by ,fnelon1 and in general1 in classic literatures1 by writers of narratives in verse or in prose40 ,m4 ,bergeret was not happy4 ,he had received no honorary distinction4 ,it is true that he despised honours4 ,but he felt that it would have been much finer to despise them while accepting them4 ,he was obscure and less well known in the town for works of talent than ,m4 de ,terremondre1 author of a ,tourist ,guide2 than ,general ,milher1 a distinguished miscellaneous writer of the department2 less even than his pupil1 ,m4 ,albert ,roux1 of ,bordeaux1 author of ,nire1 a poem in vers libres4 ,certainly he despised literary fame1 knowing that that of ,virgil in ,europe rested on a double misconception1 one absurd and the other fabulous4 ,but he suffered at having no intercourse with writers who1 like ,,mm4 ,faguet1 ,doumic1 or ,pellissier1 seemed akin to him in mind4 ,he would have liked to know them1 to live with them in ,paris1 like them to write in reviews1 to contradict1 to rival1 perhaps to outstrip them4 ,he recognised in himself a certain subtlety of intellect1 and he had written pages which he knew to be pleasing4 ,he was not happy4 ,he was poor1 shut up with his wife and his three daughters in a little dwelling1 where he tasted to the full the inconveniences of domestic life2 and it harassed him to find hair-curlers on his writing-table1 and to see the margins of his manuscripts singed by curling-tongs4 ,the only secure and pleasant place of retreat that he had in the world was that bench on the ,mall shaded by an ancient elm1 and the old-book corner in ,paillot's shop4 ,he meditated for a moment on his sad condition2 then he rose from his bench and took the road which leads to the bookseller's4 ,,xiv ,when ,m4 ,bergeret entered the shop1 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 with a pencil thrust behind his ear1 was collecting his 8returns40 ,he was stacking up the volumes whose yellow covers1 after long exposure to the sunlight1 had turned brown and become covered with fly-marks4 ,these were the unsaleable copies1 which he was sending back to the publishers4 ,m4 ,bergeret recognised among the 8returns0 several works that he liked4 ,he felt no chagrin at this1 having too much taste to hope to see his favourite authors winning the votes of the crowd4 ,he sank down1 as he was accustomed to do1 in the old-book corner1 and through mere habit took up the thirty-eighth volume of l',histoire ,gnrale des ,voyages4 ,the book1 bound in green leather1 opened of its own accord at p4 #bab1 and ,m4 ,bergeret once more read these fatal lines3 8a passage to the ,north4 #8,it is to this check1' said he1 #8that we owe the opportunity of being able to visit the ,sandwich ,isles again ''''0 ,and ,m4 ,bergeret sank into melancholy4 ,m4 ,mazure1 the archivist of the department1 and ,m4 de ,terremondre1 president of the ,society of ,agriculture and ,archology1 who both had their rush-bottomed chairs in the old-book corner1 came in opportunely to join the professor4 ,m4 ,mazure was a paleographer of great merit4 ,but his manners were not elegant4 ,he had married the servant of the archivist1 his predecessor1 and appeared in the town in a straw hat with battered crown4 ,he was a radical1 and published documents concerning the history of the county town during the ,revolution4 ,he enjoyed inveighing against the royalists of the department2 but having applied for academic honours without having received them1 he began invectives against his political friends1 and particularly against ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 the prfet4 ,being insulting by nature1 his professional practice of discovering secrets disposed him to slander and calumny4 ,nevertheless he was good company1 especially at table1 where he used to sing drinking songs4 8,you know10 said he to ,m4 de ,terremondre and ,m4 ,bergeret1 8that the prfet uses the house of ,rondonneau junior for assignations with women4 ,he has been caught there4 ,abb ,guitrel also haunts the place4 ,and1 appropriately enough1 the house is called1 in a land-survey of #aghc1 the ,house of the ,two ,satyrs40 8,but10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8there are no women of loose life in the house of ,rondonneau junior40 8,they are taken there10 answered ,mazure1 the archivist4 8,talking of that10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8,i have heard1 my dear ,monsieur ,bergeret1 that you have been shocking my old friend ,lantaigne1 on the ,mall1 by a cynical confession of your political and social immorality4 ,they say that you know neither law nor curb '''0 8,they are mistaken10 replied ,m4 ,bergeret4 8444 that you are indifferent in the matter of government40 8,not at all6 ,but1 to tell the truth1 ,i do not attach any special importance to the form of the ,state4 ,changes of government make little change in the condition of individuals4 ,we do not depend on constitutions or on charters1 but on instincts and morals4 ,it serves no purpose at all to change the name of public necessities4 ,and it is only the crazy and the ambitious who make revolutions40 8,it is not above ten years ago10 replied ,m4 ,mazure1 8that ,i would have risked a broken head for the ,republic4 ,to-day ,i could see her turn a somersault1 and only laugh and cross my arms4 ,the old republicans are despised4 ,favour is only granted to the turncoats4 ,i am not referring to you1 ,monsieur de ,terremondre4 ,but ,i am disgusted4 ,i have come to think with ,m4 ,bergeret4 ,all governments are ungrateful40 8,they are all powerless10 said ,m4 ,bergeret2 8and ,i have here in my pocket a little tale which ,i should very much like to read to you4 ,i have founded it on an anecdote which my father often related to me4 ,it proves that absolute power is powerlessness itself4 ,i should like to have your opinion on this trifle4 ,if you do not disapprove of it1 ,i shall send it to the ,revue de ,paris40 ,m4 de ,terremondre and ,m4 ,mazure drew their chairs up to that of ,m4 ,bergeret1 who pulled a note-book from his pocket and began to read in a weak1 but clear voice3 ,a ,,deputy ,,magistrate ,in a salon of the ,tuileries the ministers had assembled ''' 8,allow me to listen10 said ,m4 ,paillot1 the bookseller4 8,i am waiting for ,lon1 who is not back yet4 ,when he is out1 he never comes back4 ,i am obliged to tend the shop and serve the customers4 ,but ,i shall hear at least a part of the reading4 ,i like to improve my mind40 8,very well1 ,paillot10 said ,m4 ,bergeret1 and he resumed3 ,a ,,deputy ,,magistrate ,in a salon of the ,tuileries the ministers had assembled in council1 under the presidency of the ,emperor4 ,napoleon ,,iii4 was silently making marks with a pencil on a plan of an industrial town4 ,his long1 sallow face1 with its melancholy sweetness1 had a strange appearance amid the square heads of the men of affairs and the bronzed faces of the men of toil4 ,he half raised his eyelids1 glanced with his gentle1 vague look round the oval table1 and asked3 8,gentlemen1 is there any other matter to be discussed80 ,his voice issued from his thick moustaches a little muffled and hollow1 and seemed to come from very far off4 ,at this moment the ,keeper of the ,seals made a sign to his colleague of the ,home ,department which the latter did not seem to notice4--,at that time the ,keeper of the ,seals was ,m4 ,delarbre1 a magistrate in virtue of his birth1 who had displayed in his high judicial functions a becoming pliability1 abruptly laid aside now and then for the rigidity of a professional dignity that nothing could bend4 ,it was said that1 after having become an ultramontane and a member of the ,empress's party1 the jansenism of those great lawyers1 his ancestors1 sometimes bubbled up in his nature4 ,but those who had access to him considered him to be merely punctilious1 a trifle fanciful1 indifferent to the great questions which his mind did not grasp1 and obstinate about the trifles which suited the pettiness of his intriguing character4 ,the ,emperor was preparing to rise1 with his two hands on the gilt arms of his chair4 ,delarbre1 seeing that the ,home ,secretary1 his nose in his papers1 was avoiding his look1 took it upon himself to challenge him4 8,pardon me1 my dear colleague1 for raising a question which1 although it started in your department1 none the less concerns mine4 ,but you have yourself declared to me your intention of apprising the ,council of the extremely delicate situation in which a magistrate has been placed by the prfet of a department in the ,west40 ,the ,home ,secretary shrugged his broad shoulders slightly and looked at ,delarbre with some impatience4 ,he had the air1 at once jovial and choleric1 which belongs to great demagogues4 8,oh10 said he1 8that was gossip1 ridiculous tittle-tattle1 a rumour which ,i should be ashamed to bring to the notice of the ,emperor1 were it not that my colleague1 the ,minister of ,justice1 seems to attach an importance to it which1 for my part1 ,i have not succeeded in discovering40 ,napoleon began sketching once more4 8,it has to do with the prfet of ,loire-,infrieure10 continued the minister4 8,this official is reputed1 in his department1 to be a gallant squire of dames1 and the reputation for gallantry which has become attached to his name1 combined with his well-known courtesy and his devotion to the government1 has contributed not a little to the popularity which he enjoys in the country4 ,his attentions to ,madame ,mreau1 the wife of the procureur-gnral1 have been noticed and commented on4 ,i grant that ,m4 ,plisson1 the prfet1 has given occasion for scandalous gossip in ,nantes1 and that severe charges have been laid to his account in the bourgeois circles of the county town1 especially in the drawing-rooms frequented by the magistracy4 ,assuredly ,m4 ,plisson's attitude towards ,madame ,mreau1 whose position ought to have protected her from any such equivocal attentions1 would be regrettable1 if it were continued4 ,but the information ,i have received enables me to state that ,madame ,mreau has not been actually compromised and that no scandal is to be anticipated4 ,a little prudence and circumspection will suffice to prevent this affair having any annoying consequences40 ,having spoken in these terms1 the ,home ,secretary closed his portfolio and leant back in his chair4 ,the ,emperor said nothing4 8,excuse me1 my dear colleague60 said the ,keeper of the ,seals drily1 8the wife of the procureur-gnral of the court of ,nantes is the mistress of the prfet of ,loire-,infrieure2 this connection1 known throughout the whole district1 is calculated to injure the prestige of the magistracy4 ,it is important to call the attention of ,his ,majesty to this state of things40 8,doubtless10 replied the ,home ,secretary1 his gaze turned towards the allegories on the ceiling1 8doubtless1 such facts are to be regretted2 yet one must in no way exaggerate2 it is possible that the prfet of ,loire-,infrieure may have been a little imprudent and ,madame ,mreau a little giddy1 but '''0 ,the minister wafted the rest of his ideas towards the mythological figures which floated across the painted sky4 ,there was a moment's silence1 during which one could hear the impudent chirping of the sparrows perched on the trees in the garden and on the eaves of the chteau4 ,m4 ,delarbre bit his thin lips and pulled his austere but coquettish moustaches4 ,he replied3 8,excuse my persistence2 the secret reports which ,i have received leave no doubt as to the nature of the relationship between ,m4 ,plisson and ,madame ,mreau4 ,these relations were already established two years ago4 ,in fact1 in the month of ,september #ah-- the prfet of ,loire-,infrieure got the procureur-gnral an invitation to hunt with the ,comte de ,morainville1 deputy for the third division in the department1 and during the magistrate's absence he entered ,madame ,mreau's room4 ,he got in by way of the kitchen-garden4 ,the next day the gardener saw traces that the wall had been scaled and informed the police4 ,inquiry was made2 they even arrested a tramp1 who1 not being able to prove his innocence1 endured several months of precautionary imprisonment4 ,he had1 it is true1 a very bad record and no special points of interest about him4 ,still to this day the procureur-gnral persists1 supported by a very small proportion of the public1 in believing him to be guilty of house-breaking4 ,the position1 ,i repeat1 is rendered by this fact no less annoying and prejudicial to the prestige of the magistracy40 ,the ,home ,secretary poured over the discussion1 according to his wont1 certain massive phrases calculated to close and suppress it by their weight4 ,he held1 said he1 his prfets in the palm of his hand2 he would be able to lead ,m4 ,plisson easily to a just appreciation of things1 without taking any drastic measure against an intelligent and zealous official1 who had succeeded in his department1 and who was valuable 8from the point of view of the electoral position40 ,no one could say that he was more interested than the ,home ,secretary in maintaining a good understanding between the officials of the departments and the judicial authority4 ,still the ,emperor kept that dreamy look in which he was usually wrapped when silent4 ,he was evidently thinking of past events1 for he suddenly said3 8,poor ,m4 ,plisson6 ,i knew his father4 ,he was called ,anacharsis ,plisson4 ,he was the son of a republican of #agib2 himself a republican1 he used to write in the opposition papers during the ,july administration4 ,at the time of my captivity in the fortress of ,ham1 he addressed a friendly letter to me4 ,you cannot imagine the joy which the slightest token of sympathy gives a prisoner4 ,after that we went on our separate paths4 ,we never saw one another again4 ,he is dead40 ,the ,emperor lit a cigarette and remained wrapped in his dream for a moment4 ,then rising3 8,gentlemen1 ,i will not detain you40 ,with the awkward gait of a great winged bird when it walks1 he returned to his private apartments2 and the ministers went out1 one after the other1 through the long suite of rooms1 beneath the solemn gaze of the ushers4 ,the marshal who was the ,minister of ,war held out his cigar-case to the ,keeper of the ,seals4 8,monsieur ,delarbre1 shall we take a little walk outside8 ,i want to stretch my legs40 ,whilst they were both walking down the ,rue de ,rivoli1 by the railing that borders the ,terrasse des ,feuillants3 8,speaking of cigars10 said the marshal1 8,i only like very dry one-sou cigars4 ,the others seem like sweetmeats to me4 ,don't you know '''0 ,he cut short his thought1 then3 8,this ,plisson that you were talking about just now in the ,council1 isn't he a little dried up1 swarthy man1 who was sous-prfet at ,saint-,di five years ago80 ,delarbre replied that ,plisson had indeed been sous-prfet in the ,vosges4 8,so ,i said to myself3 ,i knew ,plisson4 ,and ,i remember ,madame ,plisson very well4 ,i sat next to her at dinner at ,saint-,di1 when ,i went there for the unveiling of a monument4 ,don't you know '''0 8,what kind of woman is she80 asked ,delarbre4 8,tiny1 swarthy1 thin4 ,a deceptive thinness4 ,in the morning1 in a high-necked dress1 she looked a mere wisp4 ,at table in the evening1 in a low-necked dress with flowers in her bosom1 very charming40 8,but morally1 marshal80 8,morally4 ''' ,i am not an imbecile1 am ,i1 now8 ,well6 ,i have never understood anything about a woman's morals4 ,all that ,i can tell you is that ,madame ,plisson passed for a sentimentalist4 ,they said she had a warm heart for handsome men40 8,she gave you a hint to that effect1 my dear marshal80 8,not the least in the world4 ,she said to me at dessert1 #8,i dote on eloquence4 ,a noble speech carries me away4' ,i could not apply that remark to myself4 ,it is true that ,i had that morning delivered an address4 ,but ,i had got my aide-de-camp1 a short-sighted artillery officer1 to write it out for me4 ,he had written so small that ,i could not read it4 ''' ,don't you know8 '''0 ,they had reached the ,place ,vendme4 ,delarbre held out his little withered hand to the marshal1 and stole under the archway of the ,ministry4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following week1 at the breaking up of the ,council1 when the ministers were already withdrawing1 the ,emperor laid his hand on the shoulder of the ,keeper of the ,seals4 8,my dear ,monsieur ,delarbre10 said he to him1 8,i have heard by chance--in my position1 one never learns anything save by chance--that there is a deputy magistrate's post vacant at the ,nantes bar4 ,i beg that you will consider for that post a very deserving young doctor of law1 who has written a remarkable treatise on ,trade ,unions4 ,his name is ,chanot1 and he is the nephew of ,madame ,ramel4 ,he is to beg an audience of you this very day4 ,should you propose him to me for it1 ,i shall sign his nomination with pleasure40 ,the ,emperor had pronounced the name of his foster-sister tenderly1 for he had never lost his affection for her1 although1 a republican of republicans1 she repelled his advances1 refused1 poor widow as she was1 the master's offers1 and raged openly in her garret against the coup d'tat4 ,but yielding at last1 after fifteen years1 to the persistent kindness of ,napoleon ,,iii41 she had come to beg1 as earnest of reconciliation1 a favour from the prince--not for herself1 but for her nephew young ,chanot1 a doctor of law1 and1 according to his professors1 an honour to the ,schools4 ,even now it was an austere favour that ,madame ,ramel demanded of her foster-brother2 admission to the open court for young ,chanot could scarcely be considered an act of partiality4 ,but ,madame ,ramel was keenly anxious that her nephew should be sent to ,loire-,infrieure1 where his relatives lived4 ,this fact recurred to ,napoleon's mind1 and he impressed it on the ,minister of ,justice4 8,it is very important10 said he1 8that my candidate should be nominated at ,nantes1 for that is his native place and where his parents live4 ,that is an important consideration for a young man whose means are small and who likes family life40 8,chanot ''' hard-working1 meritorious1 and with small means '''0 answered the minister4 ,he added that he would use his best endeavours to act in accordance with the desire expressed by ,his ,majesty4 ,his only fear was lest the procureur-gnral should have already submitted to him a list of proposed nominees1 among whom1 naturally1 the name ,chanot would not occur4 ,this procureur-gnral was1 indeed1 ,m4 ,mreau1 concerning whom there had been a discussion in the preceding ,council4 ,the ,keeper of the ,seals was particularly anxious to act very handsomely towards him4 ,but he would strain every nerve to bring this affair to an issue that conformed with the intentions expressed by ,his ,majesty4 ,he bowed and took his leave4 ,it was his reception day4 ,as soon as he had entered his study1 he asked his secretary1 ,labarthe1 whether there were many people in the ante-room4 ,there were two presidents of courts1 a councillor of the ,appeal ,court1 the ,cardinal-,archbishop of ,nicomedia1 a crowd of judges1 barristers1 and priests4 ,the minister asked if there was any one there called ,chanot4 ,labarthe searched in the silver salver1 and discovered1 among the pile of cards1 that of ,chanot1 doctor of law1 prizeman of the ,faculty of ,law1 ,paris4 ,the minister ordered him to be called first1 merely requesting that he should be conducted by the back passages1 in order not to offend the magistrates and clergy4 ,the minister seated himself at his table and murmured quite to himself3 8#8,a sentimentalist1' said the marshal1 #8with a warm heart for handsome men who speak well4' '''0 ,the usher introduced into the study a huge1 tall young man1 stooping1 spectacled1 and with a pointed skull4 ,every part of his uncouth frame expressed at once the timidity of the recluse and the boldness of the thinker4 ,the ,keeper of the ,seals examined him from head to foot and saw that he had the cheeks of a child and no shoulders4 ,he signed to him to sit down4 ,the suitor1 having perched himself at the edge of the chair1 shut his eyes and began to pour forth a flood of words4 8,monsieur le ,ministre1 ,i come to beg from your noble patronage the privilege of admission to the magistracy4 ,possibly ,your ,excellence may consider that the reports ,i have gained in the various examinations which ,i have undergone1 and a prize which has been awarded to me for a work on ,trade ,unions1 are sufficient qualifications1 and that the nephew of ,madame ,ramel1 foster-sister of the ,emperor1 is not altogether unworthy '''0 ,the ,keeper of the ,seals stopped him with a wave of his little yellow hand4 8,doubtless1 ,monsieur ,chanot1 doubtless an august patronage1 which would never have been mistakenly bestowed on an unworthy recipient1 has been secured for you4 ,i know it1 the ,emperor takes much interest in you4 ,you desire a chair as judge-advocate1 ,monsieur ,chanot80 8,your ,excellence10 replied ,chanot1 8would put the finishing touch to my wishes by nominating me deputy magistrate at ,nantes1 where my family live40 ,delarbre fixed his leaden eyes on ,chanot and said drily3 8,there is no vacancy at the bar of ,nantes40 8,excuse me1 ,your ,excellency1 ,i thought '''0 ,the minister rose4 8,there is none there40 ,and whilst ,chanot was making clumsily for the door and looking for an exit in the white panels as he made his bow1 the ,keeper of the ,seals said to him1 with a persuasive air and almost in a confidential tone3 8,trust me1 ,monsieur ,chanot1 and dissuade your aunt from making any new solicitations which1 far from being of any profit to you1 will only do you harm4 ,rest assured that the ,emperor takes an interest in you1 and rely on me40 ,as soon as the door was shut the minister called his secretary4 8,labarthe1 bring me your candidate40 99 99 99 99 99 ,at eight o'clock in the evening ,labarthe entered a house in the ,rue ,jacob1 mounted the staircase as far as the attics1 and called from the landing3 8,are you ready1 ,lespardat80 ,the door of a little garret opened4 ,inside on a shelf there were several law-books and tattered novels2 on the bed a black velvet mask with a fall of lace1 a bunch of withered violets1 and some fencing foils4 ,on the wall a bad portrait of ,mirabeau1 a copper-plate engraving4 ,in the middle of the room a big bronzed fellow was brandishing dumb-bells4 ,he had frizzled hair1 a low forehead1 hazel eyes full of laughter and sweetness1 a nose that quivered like the nostrils of a horse1 and in his pleasantly gaping mouth strong white teeth4 8,i was waiting for you10 said he4 ,labarthe begged him to dress himself4 ,he was hungry4 ,what time would they get their dinner8 ,lespardat1 having laid his dumb-bells on the floor1 pulled off his jersey1 and showed the herculean nape that carried his round head on his broad shoulders4 8,he looks at least twenty-six10 thought ,labarthe4 ,as soon as ,lespardat had put on his coat1 the thin cloth of which allowed one to follow the powerful1 easy play of the muscles1 ,labarthe pushed him outside4 8,we shall be at ,magny's in three minutes4 ,i have the minister's brougham40 ,as they had matters to discuss1 they asked for a private room at the restaurant4 ,after the sole and the pr-sal1 ,labarthe attacked his subject bluntly3 8,listen to me carefully1 ,lespardat4 ,you will see my chief to-morrow1 your nomination will be proposed by the procureur-gnral of ,nantes on ,thursday1 and on ,monday submitted for the signature of the ,emperor4 ,it is arranged that it shall be given to him unexpectedly1 at the moment when he will be busy with ,alfred ,maury in fixing the site of ,alesia4 ,when he is studying the topography of the ,gauls in the time of ,csar1 the ,emperor signs everything they want him to4 ,but understand clearly what is expected from you4 ,you must win the favour of ,madame la prfte4 ,you must win from her the ultimate favour4 ,it is only by this consummation that the magistracy will be avenged40 ,lespardat swallowed and listened1 pleased and smiling in his ingenuous self-conceit4 8,but10 said he1 8what notion has budded in ,delarbre's head8 ,i thought he was a puritan40 ,labarthe1 raising his knife1 stopped him4 8,first of all1 my friend1 ,i beg that you will not compromise my chief1 who must remain ignorant of all that's going on here4 ,but since you have brought in ,delarbre's name1 ,i will tell you that his puritanism is a jansenist puritanism4 ,he is a great-nephew of ,deacon ,pris4 ,his maternal great-uncle was that ,m4 ,carr de ,montgeron who defended the fanatics of ,saint-,mdard's ,cloister,k before the ,parliament4 ,now the jansenists love to practise their austerities in nooks and crannies2 they have a taste for diplomatic and canonical blackguardism4 ,it is the effect of their perfect purity4 ,and then they read the ,bible4 ,the ,old ,testament is full of stories of the same kind as yours1 my dear ,lespardat40 ,k ,in #agcj miracles were claimed by the jansenists to have been worked in the cemetery of ,st4 ,mdard1 ,paris1 at the grave of ,franois de ,pris1 a young jansenist deacon4 ,the spot became a place of pilgrimage1 and was visited by thousands of jansenist fanatics4 ,lespardat was not listening4 ,he was floating in a sea of nave delight4 ,he was asking himself3 8,what will father say8 ,what will mother say80 thinking of his parents1 grocers of large ambitions and little wealth at ,agen4 ,and he vaguely associated his budding fortune with the glory of ,mirabeau1 his favourite hero4 ,since his college days he had dreamt of a destiny rich with women and feats of oratory4 ,labarthe recalled his young friend's attention to himself4 8,you know1 monsieur le substitut1 you are not irremovable4 ,if after a reasonable interval you have not made yourself very agreeable to ,madame ,plisson--,i mean completely agreeable--you fall into disgrace40 8,but10 asked ,lespardat frankly1 8how much time do you give me to make myself excessively pleasing to ,madame ,plisson80 8,until the vacation10 answered the minister's secretary gravely4 8,we give you1 in addition1 all sorts of facilities1 secret missions1 furloughs1 c4 ,everything except money4 ,above all1 we are an honest administration4 ,people don't believe it4 ,but later on they will find that we were no jobbers4 ,take ,delarbre3 he has clean hands4 ,besides1 the ,home ,office1 which is on the husband's side1 controls the ,secret ,service ,money4 ,do not count on anything save your two thousand four hundred francs of salary and your handsome face to captivate ,madame ,plisson40 8,is she pretty1 this prfte of mine80 demanded ,lespardat4 ,he asked this question carelessly1 without exaggerating the importance of it1 placidly1 as behoves a very young man who finds all women beautiful4 ,by way of reply1 ,labarthe threw on the table the photograph of a thin lady in a round hat1 with a double bandeau falling on her brown neck4 8,here10 said he1 8is the portrait of ,madame ,plisson4 ,it was ordered by the ,cabinet from the ,prefecture of ,police1 and they sent it on after they had stamped it with a warranty stamp1 as you see40 ,lespardat seized it eagerly with his square fingers4 8,she is handsome10 said he4 8,have you a plan80 asked ,labarthe4 8,a methodical scheme of operations40 8,no10 answered ,lespardat simply4 ,labarthe1 who was keen-witted1 protested that it was1 however1 necessary to foresee1 to arrange1 not to allow oneself to be taken unawares by any contingencies4 8,you are certain10 added he1 8to be invited to the balls at the prefecture1 and you will1 of course1 dance with ,madame ,plisson4 ,do you know how to dance8 ,show me how you dance40 ,lespardat rose1 and1 clasping his chair in his arms1 took one turn of a waltz with the deportment of a graceful bear4 ,labarthe watched him very gravely through his eyeglass4 8,you are heavy1 awkward1 without that irresistible suppleness which '''0 8,mirabeau danced badly10 said ,lespardat4 8,after all10 said ,labarthe1 8perhaps it is only that the chair does not inspire you40 ,when they were both once more on the damp pavement of the narrow ,rue ,contrescarpe1 they met several girls who were coming and going between the ,carrefour ,buci and the wine-shops of the ,rue ,dauphine4 ,as one of these1 a thick-set1 heavy girl1 in a dingy black dress1 was passing sadly by under a street lamp with slack gait1 ,lespardat seized her roughly by the waist1 lifted her1 and made her take with him two turns of a waltz across the greasy pavement and into the gutter1 before she had any idea what was happening4 ,recovering from her astonishment1 she shrieked the foulest insults at her cavalier1 who carried her away with irresistible verve4 ,he himself supplied the orchestra1 in a baritone voice1 as warm and seductive as military music1 and whirled so madly with the girl that1 all bespattered with mud and water from the street1 they collided with the shafts of prowling cabs and felt on their neck the breath of the horses4 ,after a few turns1 she murmured in the young man's ear1 her head sunk on his breast and all her anger gone3 8,after all1 you are a pretty fellow1 you are4 ,you ought to make them happy1 didn't you8--those girls at ,bullier's40 8,that's enough1 my friend10 cried ,labarthe4 8,don't go and get run in4 ,my word1 you will avenge the magistracy60 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the golden light of a ,september day four months later1 the ,minister of ,justice and ,religion1 passing with his secretary under the arcades of the ,rue de ,rivoli1 recognised ,m4 ,lespardat1 the deputy magistrate of ,nantes1 at the very moment when the young man was hurrying into the ,htel du ,louvre4 8,labarthe10 asked the minister1 8did you know that your protg was in ,paris8 ,has he then nothing to keep him in ,nantes8 ,it seems to me that it is now some time since you have given me any confidential information about him4 ,his start interested me1 but ,i don't know yet whether he has quite lived up to the high opinion you formed of him40 ,labarthe took up the cudgels for the substitut2 he reminded the minister that ,lespardat was on regular leave2 that at ,nantes he had immediately gained the confidence of his chiefs at the bar1 and that he had at the same time won the good graces of the prfet4 8,m4 ,plisson10 added he1 8cannot get on without him4 ,it is ,lespardat who organises the concerts at the prefecture40 ,then the minister and his secretary continued their walk towards the ,rue de la ,paix1 along the arcades1 stopping here and there before the windows of the photograph shops4 8,there are too many nude figures exposed in these shop-fronts10 said the minister4 8,it would be better to take away their license from these shops4 ,strangers judge us by appearances1 and such spectacles as these are calculated to injure the good name of the country and the government40 ,suddenly1 at the corner of the ,rue de l'chelle1 ,labarthe told his chief to look at a veiled woman who was coming towards them with a rapid step4 ,but ,delarbre1 glancing at her for a moment1 considered her very ordinary1 far too slender1 and not at all elegant4 8,she is clumsily shod10 said he2 8she is from the provinces40 ,when she had passed them3 8,your ,excellency is quite right10 said ,labarthe4 8,that is ,madame ,plisson40 ,at this name the minister1 much interested1 turned round eagerly4 ,with a vague feeling of his own dignity1 he dared not follow her4 ,but he showed his curiosity in his look4 ,lebarthe spurred it on4 8,i'll wager1 monsieur le ministre1 that she won't go very far40 ,they both hastened their steps1 and saw ,madame ,plisson follow the arcades1 skirt the ,place du ,palais-,royal1 and then1 throwing uneasy glances to left and right1 disappear into the ,htel du ,louvre4 ,at that the minister began to laugh from the depths of his throat4 ,his little leaden eyes lighted up4 ,and he muttered between his teeth the words which his secretary guessed rather than heard3 8,the magistracy is avenged40 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the same day the ,emperor1 then in residence at ,fontainebleau1 was smoking cigarettes in the library of the palace4 ,he was leaning motionless1 with the air of a melancholy sea-bird1 against the case in which is kept the ,monaldeschi coat of mail4 ,viollet-le-,duc and ,mrime1 both his intimate friends1 stood by his side4 ,he asked3 8,why1 ,monsieur ,mrime1 do you like the works of ,brantme80 8,sire10 replied ,mrime1 8in them ,i recognise the ,french nation1 with her good and bad qualities4 ,she is never worse than when she is without a leader to show her a noble aim40 8,really10 said the ,emperor1 8does one find that in ,brantme80 8,one also finds in him10 answered ,mrime1 8the influence of women in the affairs of state40 ,at that moment ,madame ,ramel entered the gallery4 ,napoleon had given orders that she should be allowed to come to him whenever she presented herself4 ,at the sight of his foster-sister he showed as much delight as his expressionless1 sorrowful face was capable of displaying4 8,my dear ,madame ,ramel10 asked he1 8how is your nephew getting on at ,nantes8 ,is he satisfied80 8,but1 sire10 said ,madame ,ramel1 8he was not sent there4 ,another was nominated in his place40 8,that's strange10 murmured ,his ,majesty thoughtfully4 ,then1 placing his hand on the academician's shoulder3 8,my dear ,monsieur ,mrime1 ,i am supposed to rule the fate of ,france1 of ,europe1 and of the world4 ,and ,i cannot get a nomination for a substitut of the sixth class1 at a salary of two thousand four hundred francs40 ,,xv ,having finished his reading1 ,m4 ,bergeret folded up his manuscript and put it in his pocket4 ,m4 ,mazure1 ,m4 ,paillot1 and ,m4 de ,terremondre nodded three times in silence4 ,then the last-named placed a hand on ,bergeret's shoulder3 8,what you have just read to us1 my dear sir10 said he1 8is truly '''0 ,at this moment ,lon flung himself into the shop and exclaimed with a mixture of excitement and importance3 8,madame ,houssieu has just been found strangled in her bed40 8,how extraordinary60 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,from the state of the body10 added ,lon1 8it is believed that death took place three days ago40 8,then10 remarked ,m4 ,mazure1 the archivist1 8that would make it ,saturday that the crime was committed40 ,paillot1 the bookseller1 who had remained silent up till now1 with his mouth wide open out of deference to death1 now began to collect his thoughts4 8,on ,saturday1 about five o'clock in the afternoon1 ,i plainly heard stifled cries and the heavy thud produced by the fall of a body4 ,i even said to these gentlemen0 7he turned towards ,m4 de ,terremondre and ,m4 ,bergeret7 8that something extraordinary was going on in ,queen ,marguerite's house40 ,no one supported the claim that the bookseller was making that he alone1 by the keenness of his senses and the penetration of his mind1 had suspected the deed at the moment when it was taking place4 ,after a respectful silence1 ,paillot began again3 8,during the night between ,saturday and ,sunday ,i said to ,madame ,paillot3 #8,there isn't a sound from ,queen ,marguerite's house4'0 ,m4 ,mazure asked the age of the victim4 ,paillot replied that ,madame ,houssieu was between seventy-nine and eighty years of age1 that she had been a widow fifty years1 that she owned landed property1 stocks and shares1 and a large sum of money1 but that1 being miserly and eccentric1 she kept no servant1 and cooked her victuals herself over the fireplace in her room1 living alone amidst a wreckage of furniture and crockery1 covered with the dust of a quarter of a century4 ,it was actually more than twenty-five years since any one had wielded a broom in ,queen ,marguerite's house4 ,madame ,houssieu went out but seldom1 bought a whole week's supply of provisions for herself1 and never let any one into the house save the butcher-boy and two or three urchins who ran errands for her4 8,and the crime is supposed to have been committed on ,saturday afternoon80 asked ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,so it is believed1 from the state of the body10 replied ,lon4 8,it appears that it is a ghastly sight40 8,on ,saturday1 in the afternoon10 replied ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8we were here1 merely separated by a wall from the horrible scene1 and we were chatting about passing trifles40 ,there was again a long silence4 ,then some one asked if the assassin had been arrested1 or if they even knew who it was4 ,but1 in spite of his zeal1 ,lon could not answer these questions4 ,a shadow1 which grew ever deeper and deeper and seemed funereal1 began to fall across the bookseller's shop4 ,it was caused by the dark crowd of sightseers swarming in the square in front of the house of crime4 8,doubtless they are waiting for the inspector of police and the public prosecutor10 said ,mazure1 the archivist4 ,paillot1 who was gifted with an exquisite caution1 fearing lest the eager people would break the window-panes1 ordered ,lon to close the shutters4 8,don't leave anything open10 said he1 8save the window which looks on the ,rue des ,tintelleries40 ,this precautionary measure seemed to bear the stamp of a certain moral delicacy4 ,the gentlemen of the old-book corner approved of it4 ,but since the ,rue des ,tintelleries was narrow1 and since on that side the panes were covered with notices and drawing-copies1 the shop became plunged in darkness4 ,the murmur of the crowd1 till then unnoticed1 spread with the shadow and became continuous1 hollow1 solemn1 almost terrible1 evidencing the unanimity of the moral condemnation4 ,much moved1 ,m4 de ,terremondre gave fresh expression to the thought which had struck him3 8,it is strange10 said he1 8that while the crime was being committed so near us1 we were talking quietly of unimportant affairs40 ,at this ,m4 ,bergeret bent his head towards his left shoulder1 gave a far-away glance1 and spoke thus3 8,my dear sir1 allow me to tell you that there is nothing strange in that4 ,it is not customary1 when a criminal action is going on1 that conversations should stop of their own accord around the victim1 either within a radius of so many leagues or even of so many feet4 ,a commotion inspired by the most villainous thought only produces natural effects40 ,m4 de ,terremondre made no reply to this speech1 and the rest of his hearers turned away from ,m4 ,bergeret with a vague sense of disquietude and disapproval4 ,still the professor of literature persisted3 8,and why should an act so natural and so common as murder produce strange and uncommon results8 ,to kill is common to animals1 and especially to man4 ,murder was for long ages regarded in human civilisation as a courageous action1 and there still remain in our morals and institutions certain traces of this ancient point of view40 8,what traces80 demanded ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,they are to be found in the honours10 replied ,m4 ,bergeret1 8which are paid to soldiers40 8,that is not the same thing10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,certainly it is10 said ,m4 ,bergeret4 8,for the motive force of all human actions is hunger or love4 ,hunger taught savages murder1 impelled them to wars1 to invasions4 ,civilised nations are like hunting-dogs4 ,a perverted instinct drives them to destroy without profit or reason4 ,the unreasonableness of modern wars disguises itself under dynastic interest1 nationality1 balance of power1 honour4 ,this last pretext is perhaps the most extravagant of all1 for there is not a nation in the world that is not sullied with every crime and loaded with every shame4 ,there is not one of them which has not endured all the humiliations that fortune could inflict on a miserable band of men4 ,if there yet remains any honour among the nations1 it is a strange means of upholding it to make war--that is to say1 to commit all the crimes by which an individual dishonours himself3 arson1 robbery1 rape1 murder4 ,and as for the actions whose motive power is love1 they are for the most part as violent1 as frenzied1 as cruel as the actions inspired by hunger2 so much so that one must come to the conclusion that man is a mischievous beast4 ,but it still remains to inquire why ,i know this1 and whence it comes that the fact arouses grief and indignation in me4 ,if nothing but evil existed1 it would not be visible1 as the night would have no name if the sun never rose40 ,m4 de ,terremondre1 however1 had extended enough deference to the religion of tenderness and human dignity by reproaching himself with having conversed in a gay and careless fashion at the moment of the crime and so near the victim4 ,he began to regard the tragic end of ,madame ,houssieu as a familiar incident which one might look at straightforwardly and of which one might deduce the consequences4 ,he reflected that now there was nothing to prevent his buying ,queen ,marguerite's house as a storehouse for his collections of furniture1 china1 and tapestry1 and thus starting a sort of municipal museum4 ,as a reward for his zeal and munificence1 he counted on receiving1 along with the applause of his fellow-countrymen1 the ,cross of the ,legion of ,honour1 and perhaps the title of correspondent of the ,institute4 ,he had in the ,academy of ,inscriptions two or three comrades1 old bachelors like himself1 with whom he sometimes lunched in ,paris in some wine-shop1 and to whom he recounted many anecdotes about women4 ,and there was no correspondent for the district4 ,hence he had already reached the point of depreciating the coveted house4 8,it won't stand upright much longer10 said he1 8that house of ,queen ,marguerite4 ,the beams of the floors used to fall in flakes of touchwood on the poor old octogenarian4 ,it will be necessary to spend an immense sum in putting it in repair40 8,the best thing10 said ,mazure1 the archivist1 8would be to pull it down and remove the frontage to the courtyard of the museum4 ,it would really be a pity to abandon ,philippe ,tricouillard's shield to the wreckers40 ,they heard a great commotion among the crowd in the square4 ,it was the noise of the people whom the police were driving back to clear a passage for the magistrates into the house of crime4 ,paillot pushed his nose out of the half-open door4 8,here10 said he1 8comes the examining judge1 ,m4 ,roquincourt1 with ,m4 ,surcouf1 his clerk4 ,they have gone into the house40 ,one after the other the academicians of the old-book corner had slipped out behind the bookseller on to the pavement of the ,rue des ,tintelleries1 from which they watched the surging movements of the people who crowded the ,place ,saint-,exupre4 ,among the mob ,paillot recognised ,m4 ,cassignol1 the president in chief4 ,the old man was taking his daily constitutional4 ,the excited crowd1 in which he had got entangled during his walk1 impeded his short steps and feeble sight4 ,he went on1 still upright and sturdy1 carrying his withered1 white head erect4 ,when ,paillot saw him1 he ran up to him1 doffed his velvet cap1 and1 offering him his arm1 invited him to come and sit down in the shop4 8,how imprudent of you1 ,monsieur ,cassignol1 to venture into such a crowd6 ,it's almost like a riot40 ,at the word riot1 the old man had a vision1 as it were1 of the century of revolution1 three parts of which he had seen4 ,he was now in his eighty-seventh year1 and had already been on the retired list for twenty-five years4 ,leaning on the bookseller1 ,paillot1 he crossed the doorstep of the shop and sat down on a rush-bottomed chair1 in the midst of the respectful academicians4 ,his malacca cane1 with its silver top1 trembled under his hand between his hollow thighs4 ,his spine was stiffer than the back of his chair4 ,he drew off his tortoiseshell spectacles to wipe them1 and it took him a long time to put them on again4 ,he had lost his memory for faces1 and although he was hard of hearing1 it was by the voice that he recognised people4 ,he asked concisely for the cause of the crowds which had gathered in the square1 but he hardly listened to the answer given him by ,m4 de ,terremondre4 ,his brain1 sound but ossified1 steeped as it were in myrrh1 received no new impressions1 although old ideas and passions remained deeply embedded in it4 ,,mm4 de ,terremondre1 ,mazure1 and ,bergeret stood up in a circle round him4 ,they were ignorant of his story1 lost now in the immemorial past4 ,they only knew that he had been the disciple1 the friend1 and the companion of ,lacordaire and ,montalembert1 that he had opposed1 as far as the precise limits of his rights and his office permitted1 the establishment of the ,empire1 that in former days he had been subjected to the insults of ,louis ,veuillot1,l and that he went every ,sunday to mass1 with a great book under his arm4 ,like all the town1 they recognised that he retained his old-world honesty and the glory of having maintained the cause of liberty throughout his whole life4 ,but not one of them could have told of what type was his liberalism1 for none of them had read this sentence in a pamphlet1 published by ,m4 ,cassignol in #aheb1 on the affairs of ,rome3 8,there is no liberty save that of the man who believes in ,jesus ,christ1 and in the moral dignity of man40 ,it was said that1 still remaining active in mind at his age1 he was classifying his correspondence and working at a book on the relations between ,church and ,state4 ,he still spoke fluently and brightly4 ,l ,louis ,veuillot1 author and journalist1 born #ahac1 and much given to duels1 both with words and swords4 ,during the conversation which he followed with difficulty1 on hearing a mention of the name of ,m4 ,garrand1 the public prosecutor of the ,republic1 he remarked1 looking down at the knob of his stick as though it were the solitary witness of those bygone days that still survived3 8,in #ahch ,i knew at ,lyons a public prosecutor for the ,crown who had a high idea of his duties4 ,he used to maintain that one of the attributes of public administration was infallibility1 and that the king's prosecutor could no more be in the wrong than the king himself4 ,his name was ,m4 de ,clavel1 and he left some valuable works on criminal cross-examination40 ,then the old man was silent1 alone with his memories in the midst of men4 ,paillot1 on the doorstep1 was watching what was going on outside4 8,here is ,m4 ,roquincourt coming out of the house40 ,m4 ,cassignol1 thinking only of past events1 said3 8,i started at the bar4 ,i was under the orders of ,m4 de ,clavel1 who used again and again to repeat to me3 #8,grasp this maxim thoroughly3 ,the interests of the prisoner are sacred1 the interests of society are doubly sacred1 the interests of justice are thrice sacred4' ,metaphysical principles had in those days more influence on men's minds than they have nowadays40 8,that's very true10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,they are carrying away a bedside-table1 some linen1 and a little truck10 said ,paillot4 8,these are doubtless articles to be used in evidence40 ,m4 de ,terremondre1 no longer able to restrain himself1 went forward to watch the loading of the truck4 ,suddenly1 knitting his brows1 he exclaimed3 8,sacrebleu60 ,then1 seeing ,paillot's inquiring look1 he added3 8,it's nothing6 nothing60 ,cunning collector that he was1 he had just caught sight of a water-jug in porcelaine la ,reine among the articles attached1 and he was making up his mind to inquire about it after the trial from ,surcouf1 the registrar1 who was an obliging man4 ,in getting together his collections he used artifice4 8,one must rise to the occasion10 he used to say to himself4 8,times are bad40 8,i was nominated deputy at twenty-two years of age10 resumed ,m4 ,cassignol4 8,at that time my long1 curly hair1 my beardless1 ruddy cheeks1 gave me a look of youth that rendered me desperate4 ,in order to inspire respect ,i had to affect an air of solemnity and to wear an aspect of severity4 ,i carried out my duties with a diligence that brought its reward4 ,at thirty-three years of age ,i became attorney-general at ,puy40 8,it is a picturesque town10 said ,m4 ,mazure4 8,in the performance of my new duties ,i had to inquire into an affair of little interest1 if one only took account of the nature of the crime and the character of the accused1 but which had indeed its own importance1 since it was a matter that involved the death sentence4 ,a fairly prosperous farmer had been found murdered in his bed4 ,i pass over the circumstances of the crime1 which yet remain fixed in my memory1 although they were as commonplace as possible4 ,i need only say that1 from the opening of the inquiry1 suspicions fell on a ploughman1 a servant of the victim4 ,this was a man of thirty4 ,his name was ,poudrailles1 ,hyacinthe ,poudrailles4 ,on the day following the crime he had suddenly disappeared1 and was found in a wine-shop1 where he was spending pretty freely4 ,strong circumstantial evidence pointed to him as the author of this murder4 ,a sum of sixty francs was found on him1 for the possession of which he could not account2 his clothes bore traces of blood4 ,two witnesses had seen him prowling round the farm on the night of the crime4 ,it is true that another witness swore to an alibi1 but that witness was a well-known bad character4 8,the examination had been very well managed by a judge of consummate ability4 ,the case for the prosecution was drawn up with much skill4 ,but ,poudrailles had made no confession4 ,and in court1 during the whole course of the cross-examination1 he fenced himself about with a series of denials from which nothing could dislodge him4 ,i had prepared my address as public prosecutor with all the care of which ,i was capable and with all the conscientiousness of a young man who does not wish to appear unfitted for his high duties4 ,i brought to the delivery of it all the ardour of my youth4 ,the alibi furnished by the woman ,cortot1 who pretended that she had kept ,poudrailles in her house at ,puy during the night of the crime1 was a great obstacle to me4 ,i set myself to break it down4 ,i threatened the woman ,cortot with the penalties attaching to perjury4 ,one of my arguments made a special impression on the mind of the jury4 ,i reminded them that1 according to the report of the neighbours1 the watch-dogs had not barked at the murderer4 ,that was because they knew him4 ,it was1 then1 no stranger4 ,it was the ploughman2 it was ,poudrailles4 ,finally ,i called for the death penalty1 and ,i got it4 ,poudrailles was condemned to death by a majority of votes4 ,after the reading of the sentence1 he exclaimed in a loud voice3 #8,i am innocent6' ,at this a terrible doubt seized me4 ,i felt that1 after all1 he might be speaking the truth1 and that ,i did not myself possess that certainty with which ,i had inspired the minds of the jury4 ,my colleagues1 my chiefs1 my seniors1 and even the counsel for the defence came to congratulate me on this brilliant success1 to applaud my youthful and formidable eloquence4 ,these praises were sweet to me4 ,you know1 gentlemen1 ,vauvenargues' dainty fancy about the first rays of glory4 ,yet the voice of ,poudrailles saying1 #8,i am innocent' thundered in my ears4 8,my doubts still remained with me1 and ,i was forced again and again to go over my speech for the prosecution in my mind4 8,poudrailles' appeal was dismissed1 and my uncertainty increased4 ,at that time it was comparatively seldom that reprieves arrested the carrying out of the death sentence4 ,poudrailles petitioned in vain for a commutation of the sentence4 ,on the morning of the day fixed for the execution1 when the scaffold had already been erected at ,martouret1 ,i went to the prison1 got them to open the condemned cell to me1 and alone1 face to face with the prisoner1 said to him3 #8,nothing can alter your fate4 ,if there remains in you one good feeling1 in the interests of your own soul and to set my mind at rest1 ,poudrailles1 tell me whether you are guilty of the crime for which you are condemned4' ,he looked at me for some moments without replying4 ,i still see his dull face and wide1 dumb mouth4 ,i had a moment of terrible anguish4 ,at last he bent his head right down and murmured in a feeble but distinct voice3 #8,now that ,i have no hope left1 ,i may as well tell you that ,i did it4 ,and ,i had more trouble than you would believe1 because the old man was strong4 ,all the same1 he was a bad lot4' ,when ,i heard this final confession ,i heaved a deep sigh of relief40 ,m4 ,cassignol stopped1 gazed fixedly for a long time at the knob of his stick with his faded1 washed-out eyes1 and then uttered these words3 8,during my long career as a magistrate ,i have never known of a single judicial error40 8,that's a reassuring statement10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre4 8,it makes my blood run cold with horror10 murmured ,m4 ,bergeret4 ,,xvi ,that year1 as usual1 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 the prfet1 went shooting at ,valcombe1 at the house of ,m4 ,delion1 an iron-master and a member of the ,general ,council1 who had the finest shooting in the district4 ,the prfet enjoyed himself very much at ,valcombe2 he was flattered at meeting there many people of good family1 especially the ,gromances and the ,terremondres1 and he took a deep joy in winging pheasants4 ,here he was to be seen pacing the woodland paths in exuberant spirits4 ,he shot with twisted body1 with raised shoulders and bent head1 with one eye closed and brows knitted1 in the style of the inhabitants of ,bois-,colombes1 the bookmakers and restaurant-keepers1 his original shooting companions4 ,he proclaimed noisily1 with tactless delight1 the birds that he had brought down2 and by now and then attributing to himself those that had fallen to his neighbours' guns1 he aroused an indignation which he immediately allayed by the placidity of his temper and by entire ignorance of the fact that any one could possibly be vexed with him4 ,in all his behaviour he united pleasantly enough the importance of an official with the familiarity of a cheerful guest4 ,he flung their titles at men as though they were nicknames1 and because1 like all the department1 he knew that ,m4 de ,gromance was an oft-betrayed husband1 at every meeting he would give this man of ceremony several affectionate little taps without any apparent reason4 ,among the company at ,valcombe he imagined himself to be popular1 and he was not entirely wrong4 ,when1 despite his underbred manners and toadying air1 his companions had got off scot-free of both shot and impertinences1 he was considered dexterous1 and they said that1 at bottom1 he had tact4 ,this year he had succeeded better than ever in the capitalist circle4 ,it was known that he was opposed to the income tax1 which in private conversation he had felicitously described as inquisitorial4 ,at ,valcombe1 therefore1 he was the recipient of the congratulations of a grateful society1 and ,madame ,delion smiled on him1 softening for him her steel-blue eyes and her majestic forehead crowned with bandeaux of iron-grey4 ,on leaving his room1 where he had been dressing for dinner1 he saw the lissom figure of ,madame de ,gromance gliding along the dark corridor1 with a rustle of clothes and jewels4 ,in the dusk her bare shoulders seemed barer than ever4 ,he frisked forward to overtake her1 seized her by the waist and kissed her on the neck4 ,when she freed herself hurriedly1 he said to her in reproachful accents3 8,why so cruel to me1 ,countess80 ,then she gave him a box on the ears which surprised him greatly4 ,on the ground-floor landing he came upon ,nomi1 who1 very seemly in her dress of black satin covered with black tulle1 was slowly drawing her long gloves over her arms4 ,he made a friendly little sign to her with his eye4 ,he was a good husband1 and regarded his wife with a good deal of esteem and some admiration4 ,she deserved it1 for she had need of rare tact not to ruffle the anti-,jewish society of ,valcombe4 ,and she was not unpopular there4 ,she had even won their sympathy4 ,and what was most astonishing1 she did not seem an outsider4 ,in that great cold provincial salon she assumed an awe-stricken face and a placid demeanour which produced a doubt of her intelligence1 but proclaimed her honest1 sweet1 and good4 ,with ,madame ,delion and the other women1 she admired1 approved1 and held her tongue4 ,and if a man of some intelligence and experience entered into a tte--tte with her1 she made herself still more demure1 modest1 and timid1 with downcast eyes2 then suddenly she hurled some broad jest at him1 which tickled him by its unexpectedness1 and which he regarded as a special favour1 coming from so prim a mouth and so reserved a mind4 ,she captivated the hearts of the old sparks4 ,without a gesture1 without a movement1 without the flutter of a fan1 with an imperceptible quiver of her eyelashes and a swift pursing of the lips1 she insinuated ideas that flattered them4 ,she made a conquest of ,m4 ,mauricet himself1 who1 great connoisseur as he was1 said of her3 8,she has always been plain1 she is no longer even attractive1 but she is a woman40 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin was placed at table between ,madame ,delion and ,madame ,laprat-,teulet1 wife of the senator of ''' ,madame ,laprat-,teulet was a sallow little woman1 whom one always seemed to be looking at through gauze1 so soft were her features4 ,as a young girl1 she had been steeped in religion as if it had been oil4 ,now1 the wife of a clever man who had married her for her fortune1 she wallowed in unctuous piety1 while her husband devoted his energies to the anti-clerical and secular parties4 ,she gave herself up to endless petty tasks4 ,and deeply attached as she was to her wedded condition1 when a demand was lodged before the ,senate for the authorisation of judicial proceedings against ,laprat-,teulet and several other senators1 she offered two candles in the ,church of ,saint-,exupre1 before the painted statue of ,saint ,anthony1 in order that by his good offices her husband's opponents might be non-suited4 ,and it was in that way that the affair ended4 ,a pupil of ,gambetta1 ,m4 ,laprat-,teulet had in his possession certain small documents1 a photographic reproduction of which he had sent at a timely moment to the ,keeper of the ,seals4 ,madame ,laprat-,teulet1 in the zeal of her gratitude1 had a marble slab put up1 as a votive-offering1 on the wall of the chapel1 with this inscription drawn up by the venerable ,m4 ,laprune himself3 ,to ,saint ,anthony from a ,christian wife1 in gratitude for an unexpected blessing4 ,since then ,m4 ,laprat-,teulet had retrieved his position4 ,he had given serious pledges to the ,conservatives1 who hoped to utilise his great financial talents in the struggle against socialism4 ,his political position had become satisfactory again1 provided he affronted no one and did not seize the reins of power for himself4 ,and with her waxen fingers ,madame ,laprat-,teulet embroidered altar-frontals4 8,well1 madame10 said the prfet to her1 after the soup1 8are your good works prospering8 ,do you know that1 after ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot1 you are the lady in the department who presides over the largest number of charities80 ,she made no answer4 ,he recollected that she was deaf1 and1 turning towards ,madame ,delion3 8,tell me1 ,i beg you1 madame1 about ,saint ,anthony's charity4 ,it was this poor ,madame ,laprat-,teulet who made me think of it4 ,my wife tells me it is a new cult that is becoming the rage in the department40 8,madame ,worms-,clavelin is right1 my dear sir4 ,we are all devoted to ,saint ,anthony40 ,then they heard ,m4 ,mauricet1 in reply to a sentence lost in the noise1 say to ,m4 ,delion3 8,you flatter me1 my dear sir4 ,the ,puits-du-,roi1 very much neglected since ,louis ,,xiv4's time1 is not to be compared with ,valcombe for its sport4 ,there is very little game there4 ,still1 a poacher of rare skill1 named ,rivoire1 who honours the ,puits-du-,roi with his nocturnal visits1 kills plenty of pheasants there4 ,and you've no idea what an extraordinary old blunderbuss he shoots them with4 ,it's a specimen for a museum6 ,i owe him thanks for having one day allowed me to examine it at leisure4 ,imagine a '''0 8,i am told1 madame10 said the prfet1 8that the worshippers address their requests to ,saint ,anthony in a sealed paper1 and that they make no payment until after the blessing demanded has been received40 8,don't jest10 replied ,madame ,delion2 8,saint ,anthony grants many favours40 8,it is10 continued ,m4 ,mauricet1 8the barrel of an old musket which has been cut through and mounted on a kind of hinge1 so that it rocks up and down1 and '''0 8,i thought10 replied the prfet1 8that ,saint ,anthony's speciality was finding lost articles40 8,that is why10 answered ,madame ,delion1 8so many requests are made to him40 ,and she added1 with a sigh3 8,who1 in this world1 has not lost a precious possession8 ,peace of heart1 a conscience at rest1 a friendship formed in childhood or ''' a husband's love8 ,it is then that one prays to ,saint ,anthony40 8,or to his comrade10 added the prfet1 whom the ironmaster's wines had elated1 and who in his innocence was confusing ,saint ,anthony of ,padua with ,saint ,anthony the hermit4 8,but10 asked ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8this ,rivoire is known as the poacher to the prefecture1 is he not80 8,you are mistaken1 ,monsieur de ,terremondre10 replied the prfet4 8,he has a still more honourable appointment as poacher to the ,archbishopric4 ,he supplies ,monseigneur's table40 8,he also consents to put his skill at the service of the court10 said ,president ,peloux4 ,m4 ,delion and ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot were conversing together in low tones3 8,my son ,gustave1 dear lady1 is going to serve his military term this year4 ,i should so much like him to be placed under ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot40 8,do not set your heart on that1 monsieur4 ,my husband hates favouritism1 and he is chary of granting leave2 he expects lads of good family to show an example of work4 ,and he has imbued all his colonels with his principles40 8444 ,and the barrel of this musket10 continued ,m4 ,mauricet1 8corresponds with no recognised bore1 so that ,rivoire can only make use of undersized cartridges4 ,you can easily imagine '''0 ,the prfet was unfolding certain arguments calculated to bring ,madame ,delion completely over to the government1 and he concluded with this noble thought3 8,at the moment when the ,czar is coming on a visit to ,france1 it is necessary that the ,republic should identify itself with the upper classes of the nation in order to put them in touch with our great ally1 ,russia40 ,meanwhile1 with the calm of a ,madonna1 ,nomi was kissing feet with ,m4 le prsident ,peloux1 who had been feeling about for hers under the table4 ,young ,gustave ,delion was saying in a low voice to ,madame de ,gromance3 8,i hope that this time you will not keep me hanging about as you did on the day when you were playing the fool with that dotard of a ,mauricet1 whilst ,i had no other amusement in your yellow drawing-room than to potter with the works of the clock40 8,what an excellent woman ,madame ,laprat-,teulet is60 exclaimed ,madame ,delion in a sudden outburst of affection4 8,excellent10 said the prfet1 swallowing a quarter of a pear4 8,it is a pity that she is as deaf as a post4 ,her husband also is an excellent man1 and very intelligent4 ,i am glad to see that people are beginning to readjust their views of him4 ,he has gone through a difficult time4 ,the enemies of the ,republic wanted to compromise him in order to discredit the government4 ,he has been the victim of schemes that aimed at excluding from ,parliament the leading men belonging to the business world4 ,such an exclusion would lower the level of national representation and would be in all respects deplorable40 ,for a moment he remained thoughtful2 then he said sadly3 8,besides1 no further scandals can be hatched2 no more charges are being trumped up4 ,and there we have one of the most grievous results of this campaign of calumny1 carried on with unheard-of audacity40 8,perhaps it is as well60 sighed ,madame ,delion1 thoughtfully and meaningly4 ,then suddenly1 with a burst of fervour3 8,monsieur le prfet1 give us back our dear religious orders1 let our ,sisters of ,charity return to the hospitals and our ,god to the schools whence you have expelled ,him4 ,no longer prevent our rearing our sons as ,christians and ''' we shall be very near to a mutual understanding40 ,hearing these words1 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin flung up his hands1 as well as his knife1 on which was a morsel of cheese1 and exclaimed with heartfelt sincerity3 8,good ,god6 madame1 don't you see that the streets of the county town are black with curs1 and that there are monks behind all the gratings8 ,and as for your young ,gustave1 damn it6 it isn't ,i who prevent him from going to mass all day instead of running after the girls60 ,m4 ,mauricet was finishing his description of the marvellous blunderbuss1 amid the clatter of voices1 the echo of laughter1 and the little tinkling taps of silver upon china4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 who was in a hurry to smoke1 passed out first into the billiard-room4 ,he was soon joined there by ,president ,peloux1 to whom he held out a cigar3 8,have one1 do6 ,they are capital40 ,and in reply to ,m4 ,peloux's thanks1 showing the box of regalias1 he answered3 8,don't thank me2 it is one of our host's cigars40 ,this joke was one of his stock ones4 ,at last ,m4 ,delion appeared1 leading the bulk of the guests1 who with greater gallantry had been chatting for a few minutes with the ladies4 ,he was listening approvingly to ,m4 de ,gromance1 who was explaining to him how necessary it was in shooting to calculate distances accurately4 8,for instance10 he said1 8on uneven ground a hare seems relatively distant1 whilst1 on level ground1 it seems nearer by more than fifty metres4 ,it is on this account that '''0 8,come10 said ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 taking down a cue from the rack1 8come1 ,peloux1 shall we play a game80 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was a pretty fair stroke at billiards2 but ,m4 le prsident ,peloux gave him points4 ,a little ,norman attorney who1 at the close of a disastrous estate case1 had been forced to sell his practice1 he had been appointed a judge at the time when the ,republic was purging the magistracy4 ,sent from one end of ,france to the other1 in courts where the knowledge of the law had almost disappeared1 his skill in sharp practice made him useful1 and his ministerial relations secured him advancement4 ,yet everywhere a vague rumour of his past pursued him1 and people refused to treat him with respect4 ,but luckily he was wise enough to know how to endure persistent rebuffs4 ,he bore affronts placidly4 ,m4 ,lerond1 deputy attorney-general1 now a barrister at the bar at '''1 said of him in the ,salle des ,pas-,perdus3 8,he is a man of intelligence who knows the distance between his seat and the prisoner's dock40 ,yet that public approval which he had not sought1 and which evaded him1 had at length1 by a sudden recoil1 come of its own accord4 ,for the last two years the whole society of the district had looked upon ,president ,peloux as an upright magistrate4 ,they admired his courage when1 smiling placidly between his two pale assessors1 he had condemned to five years' imprisonment three confederate anarchists1 guilty of having distributed in the barracks bills exhorting the nations to fraternise4 8,twelve--four10 announced ,m4 le prsident ,peloux4 ,having practised for a long time in the sleepy restaurant of a county town in a rural canton1 he had learnt a close professional game4 ,he raked his balls into a little corner of the billiard-table and brought off a series of cannons4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin played in the broad1 splendid1 reckless style of the artist-cafs of ,montmartre and ,clichy4 ,and laying the failure of his rash strokes to the charge of the table1 he complained of the hardness of the cushions4 8,at la ,tuilire10 said ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8in my cousin ,jacques' house1 there is a billiard-table with pockets1 which dates from ,louis ,,xv4's time1 in a very low vaulted hall1 of soft1 whitewashed stone1 where this inscription is still to be read3 #8,gentlemen are requested not to rub their cues on the walls4' ,it is a request to which no one has paid any attention1 for the vaulting is pitted with a number of little round holes1 whose origin is accurately explained by this inscription40 ,m4 le prsident ,peloux was asked in several directions at once for details as to the affair in ,queen ,marguerite's house4 ,the murder of ,madame ,houssieu1 which had excited all the district1 was still arousing interest4 ,every one knew that a crushing weight of evidence hung over a butcher's boy of nineteen1 named ,lecur1 whom folks used to see twice a week entering the old lady's house with his basket on his head4 ,it was also known that the prosecution was detaining two upholsterers' apprentices of fourteen and sixteen years of age as accomplices1 and it was said that the crime had been committed in circumstances which made the story of it a particularly delicate one4 ,being questioned on this point1 ,m4 le prsident ,peloux lifted his round1 ruddy head from the billiard-table and winked4 8,the case is being tried in camera4 ,the scene of the murder has been reconstructed in its entirety4 ,i don't believe that there is a doubt left as to the acts of debauchery which preceded the crime and facilitated the perpetration of it40 ,he took up his liqueur glass1 swallowed a mouthful of armagnac1 smacked his lips1 and said3 8,heavens6 what velvet60 ,and1 when a circle of inquirers crowded round him asking for details1 the magistrate1 in a low voice1 disclosed certain circumstances which provoked murmurs of surprise and grunts of disgust4 8,is it possible80 was the comment4 8,a woman of eighty60 8,the case10 answered ,m4 le prsident ,peloux1 8is not unique4 ,you may take my word for it after my experience as a magistrate4 ,and the young scamps of the faubourgs know much more on this subject than we do4 ,the crime in ,queen ,marguerite's house is of a well-known1 classified sort2 ,i might call it a classic type4 ,i immediately scented it out as senile debauchery1 and ,i saw quite clearly that ,roquincourt1 the prosecuting counsel1 was following a wrong track4 ,he had naturally ordered the arrest of all the vagabonds and tramps found wandering within a wide circumference4 ,every one of them aroused suspicions2 and what put the crowning touch to his mistake was that one of them1 ,sieurin1 nicknamed ,pied-d',alouette1 a regular old gaol-bird1 made a confession40 8,how was that80 8,he was bored with solitary confinement4 ,he had been promised a pipe of canteen tobacco if he confessed4 ,he did confess4 ,he told them all they wanted4 ,this ,sieurin1 who has been sentenced thirty-seven times for vagabondage1 is incapable of killing a fly4 ,he has never committed robbery4 ,he is a simpleton1 an inoffensive creature4 ,at the time of the crime1 the gendarmes saw him on ,duroc hill making straw fountains and cork boats for the school children40 ,m4 le prsident resumed his game4 8,ninety--forty4 ''' ,during this time1 ,lecur was telling all the girls in the ,quartier des ,carreaux that he had done the deed1 and the keepers of disorderly houses were bringing to the police-inspector ,madame ,houssieu's earrings1 chain1 and rings that the butcher-boy had distributed among their inmates4 ,this ,lecur1 like so many other murderers1 gave himself up4 ,but ,roquincourt1 in a rage1 left ,sieurin1 or ,pied-d',alouette1 in solitary confinement4 ,he is still there4 ,ninety-nine ''' and one hundred40 8,splendid60 said ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin4 8,so10 murmured ,m4 ,delion1 8this woman of eighty-three had still ''' ,it is incredible60 ,but ,dr4 ,fornerol1 agreeing with ,president ,peloux's opinion1 declared that the case was not as unusual as they fancied1 and he supplied the physiological explanation1 which was listened to with interest4 ,then he went on to quote different cases of sexual aberrations and wound up in these words3 8,if the devil on two sticks1 lifting us up in the air1 were to raise the roofs of the town before our eyes1 we should see appalling sights1 and we should be staggered at the discovery among our fellow-citizens of so many maniacs1 degenerates1 mad men and mad women40 8,bah60 said ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 the prfet1 8one must not look too closely into that4 ,all these people1 taken one by one1 are perhaps what you say2 but together they form a superb mass of constituents and a splendid county-town population for the department40 ,now1 on the raised divan which overlooked the billiard-table1 ,senator ,laprat-,teulet sat caressing his long white beard4 ,he had the majesty of a river4 8,for my part10 said he1 8,i can only believe in goodness4 ,wherever ,i cast my eyes1 ,i see virtue and honesty4 ,i have been able to prove by numerous instances that the morals of the ,french women since the ,revolution leave nothing to be desired1 especially in the middle classes40 8,i am not so optimistic10 replied ,m4 de ,terremondre1 8but ,i certainly did not suspect that ,queen ,marguerite's house hid such shameful mysteries behind its walls of crumbling woodwork and beneath the cobweb-curtains of its mullioned windows4 ,i went to see ,madame ,houssieu several times2 she seemed to me a miserly and mistrustful old woman1 a little mad1 yet like so many others4 ,but1 as they used to say in the time of ,queen ,marguerite3 8,she is under the sod4 ,her soul be with ,god6,m ,she will no longer1 by her lewdness1 blot the scutcheon of good ,philippe ,tricouillard40 ,m 8,elle est sous lame4 ,dieu ait son me60 ,at that name a shout of merry laughter burst from their knowing faces4 ,it was the secret joy and inward pride of the town1 that emblematic shield1 with its witness to the triple virtue and power that put this bourgeois ancestor of theirs on a level with the great condottiere of ,bergamo4 ,the people of 444 loved him1 their lusty forebear1 the contemporary of the king in the ,cent ,nouvelles nouvelles1 their ancient alderman ,philippe ,tricouillard1 about whom1 to tell the truth1 they knew nothing save the gift of nature to which he owed his illustrious surname4 ,the turn taken by the conversation led ,dr4 ,fornerol to say that several instances had been cited of a similar anomaly1 and that certain writers declare that at times this honourable monstrosity is transmitted hereditarily and becomes persistent in a family4 ,unluckily the line of the worthy ,philippe had been extinct for more than two hundred years4 ,after this remark1 ,m4 de ,terremondre1 who was president of the ,archological ,society1 related a true anecdote4 8,our departmental archivist10 said he1 8the learned ,m4 ,mazure1 has recently discovered in the garrets of the prefecture some documents relating to a charge of adultery1 brought1 at the very period when ,philippe ,tricouillard was flourishing1 towards the end of the fifteenth century1 by ,jehan ,tabouret against ,sidoine ,cloche1 his wife1 for the reason that the aforesaid ,sidoine1 having had three children at a birth1 ,sieur ,jehan ,tabouret only acknowledged two of them as his1 and maintained that the third was by another man1 for he averred that he was constitutionally incapable of begetting more than two at a time4 ,and he gave a reason for this1 founded on an error then common among matrons1 barber-surgeons1 and apothecaries1 who each as eagerly as the others professed to believe that the normal frame of a man was physiologically incapable of begetting more than twins1 and that all over the number of pledges which the father can produce should be disowned4 ,for this reason1 poor ,sidoine was convicted by the judge of having played the harlot1 and for this put naked on an ass1 with her head towards the tail1 and thus led through the town to the pond at ,les ,evs1 where she was ducked three times4 ,she would scarcely have suffered thus if her wicked husband had been as generously gifted by ,dame ,nature as good ,philippe ,tricouillard40 ,,xvii ,in front of ,rondonneau's house-door1 the prfet glanced to right and left to see that he was not being spied upon4 ,he had heard that it was said in the town that he went to the jeweller's house for assignations and that ,madame ,lacarelle had been seen following him into this house1 called the ,house of the ,two ,satyrs4 ,he felt very bad-tempered over this4 ,he had another cause of annoyance4 ,le ,libral1 which had treated him respectfully for a long time1 had attacked him vigorously over the departmental budget4 ,he was censured by the ,conservative organ for having made a transfer to conceal the expenses of the electoral propaganda4 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin was perfectly honest4 ,money inspired him with respect as well as love4 ,he felt before 8,property0 that feeling of religious terror that the moon inspires in dogs4 ,with him wealth had become a cult4 ,his budget was very honestly put together4 ,and1 apart from the irregularities that had now become regular as the result of a faulty administration common to the whole ,republic1 nothing worthy of blame could be discovered in it4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin knew this4 ,he felt himself strong in his integrity4 ,but the polemics of the press put him out of patience4 ,his heart was saddened by the animosity of his opponents and the rancour of the parties that he believed he had disarmed4 ,after so many sacrifices he was pained at not having won the esteem of the ,conservatives1 which he secretly valued far more highly than the friendship of the ,republicans4 ,he would have to inspire le ,phare with pointed and forceful replies1 to conduct a lively1 and1 perhaps protracted war4 ,this thought was harassing to the deep slothfulness of his mind and alarming to his prudence1 which feared every action as a source of peril4 ,thus he was in a very bad temper4 ,and it was in a sharp voice that1 throwing himself into the old leather arm-chair1 he inquired of ,rondonneau junior whether ,m4 ,guitrel had arrived4 ,m4 ,guitrel had not yet come4 ,so ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 roughly snatching a paper from the jeweller's desk1 tried to read while smoking his cigar4 ,but neither political ideas nor tobacco-smoke served to dispel the gloomy pictures that crowded into his mind4 ,he read with his eyes1 but thought of the attacks of le ,libral3 8,transfer6 ,there are not fifty people in the county town who know what a transfer is4 ,and here ,i can see all the idiots in the department shaking their heads and solemnly repeating the phrase in their newspaper3 #8,we regret to see that ,m4 le prfet has not abandoned the detestable and exploded practice of making transfers4'0 ,he fell into thought4 ,the ash from his cigar lavishly bestrewed his waistcoat4 ,he went on thinking3 8,why does le ,libral attack me8 ,i got its candidate returned4 ,my department shows the greatest number of new adherents at election-times40 ,he turned over the page of the paper4 ,he thought on again3 8,i have not covered up a deficit4 ,the sums voted on the presentation of the estimates have not been spent in a different way from what was proposed4 ,these people don't know how to read a budget4 ,and they are disingenuous40 ,he shrugged his shoulders2 and gloomy1 indifferent to the cigar ash which covered his chest and thighs1 he plunged into the reading of his paper4 ,his eyes fell on these lines3 8,we learn that a fire having broken out in a faubourg of ,tobolsk1 sixty wooden houses have fallen a prey to the flames4 ,in consequence of the disaster more than a hundred families are homeless and starving40 ,as he read this1 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin emitted a deep shout1 something like a triumphal growl1 and1 aiming a kick at the jeweller's desk3 8,i say1 ,rondonneau1 ,tobolsk is a ,russian town1 isn't it80 ,rondonneau1 raising his innocent1 bald head towards the prfet1 replied that ,tobolsk was1 indeed1 a town in ,asiatic ,russia4 8,well10 cried ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin1 8we are going to give an entertainment for the benefit of the sufferers by the fire at ,tobolsk40 ,and he added between his teeth3 8,i'll make ''' a ,russian entertainment for 'em4 ,i shall have six weeks' peace1 and they won't talk any more about transfers40 ,at that moment ,abb ,guitrel1 with anxious eyes1 his hat under his arm1 entered the jeweller's shop4 8,do you know1 monsieur l'abb10 said the prfet to him1 8that1 by general request1 ,i am authorising entertainments for the benefit of the sufferers from the fire at ,tobolsk--concerts1 special performances1 bazaars1 c48 ,i hope that the ,church will join in these benevolent entertainments40 8,the ,church1 monsieur le prfet10 replied ,abb ,guitrel1 8has her hands full of comfort for the afflicted who come to her4 ,and doubtless her prayers '''0 8 propos1 my dear abb1 your affairs are not getting on at all4 ,i come from ,paris4 ,i saw the friends whom ,i have at the ,department of ,religion4 ,and ,i bring back bad news4 ,to start with1 there are eighteen of you40 8,eighteen80 8,eighteen candidates for the bishopric of ,tourcoing4 ,in the first rank is ,abb ,olivet1 cur of one of the richest parishes in ,paris1 and the president's candidate4 ,next there is ,abb ,lavardin1 vicar-general at ,grenoble4 ,ostensibly1 he is supported by the nuncio40 8,i have not the honour of knowing ,m4 ,lavardin1 but ,i do not think he can be the candidate of the nunciature4 ,it is possible that the nuncio has his favourite4 ,but assuredly that favourite remains unknown4 ,the nunciature does not solicit on behalf of its protgs4 ,it insists on their appointment40 8,ah6 ah6 monsieur l'abb1 they are cute at the nunciature40 8,monsieur le prfet1 the members of it are not all eminent in themselves2 but they have on their side unbroken tradition1 and their action is guided by secular rules4 ,it is a force1 monsieur le prfet1 a great force40 8,by ,jove1 yes6 ,but we were saying that there is the president's candidate and the nuncio's candidate4 ,there is also your own ,archbishop's candidate4 ,when they first mentioned him1 ,i thought to myself that it was you4 ''' ,we were wrong1 my poor friend4 ,monseigneur ,charlot's protg--,i'll wager you won't guess who it is40 8,don't make a wager1 monsieur le prfet1 don't make a wager4 ,i would bet that the candidate of ,monseigneur the ,cardinal-,archbishop is his vicar-general1 ,m4 de ,goulet40 8,how do you know that8 ,i did not know it myself40 8,monsieur le prfet1 you are not unaware that ,monseigneur ,charlot dreads that he may find himself saddled with a coadjutor1 and that his old age1 otherwise so august and serene1 is darkened by this fear4 ,he is afraid lest ,m4 de ,goulet should1 so to say1 attract this nomination to himself1 as much by his personal merits as by the knowledge that he has acquired of the affairs of the diocese4 ,and ,his ,eminence is still more desirous1 and even impatient1 to separate himself from his vicar-general1 since ,m4 de ,goulet belongs by birth to the nobility of the district1 and through that fact shines with a brilliancy which is far too dazzling for ,monseigneur ,charlot4 ,since1 on the contrary1 ,monseigneur does not rejoice in being the son of an honest artisan who1 like ,saint ,paul1 worked at the trade of weaver60 8,you know1 ,monsieur ,guitrel1 that they also talk of ,m4 ,lantaigne4 ,he is the protg of ,madame ,cartier de ,chalmot4 ,and ,general ,cartier de ,chalmot1 although clerical and reactionary1 is much respected in ,paris4 ,he is recognised as one of the ablest and most intelligent of our generals4 ,even his opinions1 at this moment1 are advantageous rather than harmful to him4 ,with a ministry disposed to reunion1 reactionaries get all that they want4 ,they are needed2 they give the turn to the scale4 ,and then the ,russian alliance and the ,czar's friendship have contributed to restore to the aristocracy and the army of our nation a part of their ancient prestige4 ,we are shunting the ,republic on to a certain distinction of mind and manners4 ,moreover1 a general tendency towards authority and stability is declaring itself4 ,i do not1 however1 believe that ,m4 ,lantaigne has great chances4 ,in the first place1 ,i have reported most unfavourably with regard to him4 ,i have represented him in high places as a militant monarchist4 ,i have described his uncompromising ways1 his cross-grained temperament4 ,and ,i have painted a sympathetic portrait of you1 my dear ,guitrel4 ,i have shown off your moderation1 your pliancy1 your politic mind1 your respect for republican institutions40 8,i am very grateful to you for your kindness1 monsieur le prfet4 ,and what did they reply80 8,you want to know that4 ,well6 they replied3 #8,we know such candidates as your ,m4 ,guitrel4 ,once nominated1 they are worse than the others4 ,they show more zeal against us4 ,that is easily accounted for4 ,they have more to beg pardon for of their own party4'0 8,is it possible1 monsieur le prfet1 that they talked like this in high places80 8,ha6 yes4 ,and my interlocutor added this3 #8,i do not like candidates for the episcopacy who show too much zeal for our institutions4 ,if ,i could get a hearing1 the choice would be made from among the others4 ,in the civil and political ranks they prefer officials who are most devoted1 most attached to the government4 ,nothing can be better4 ,but there are no priests devoted to the ,republic4 ,in this case1 the wise thing is always to take the most honest men4'0 ,and the prfet1 throwing the chewed end of his cigar into the middle of the floor1 finished with these words3 8,you see1 my poor ,guitrel1 that your affairs are not making headway40 ,m4 ,guitrel stammered3 8,i do not see1 ,monsieur le prfet1 ,i do not perceive anything1 in such speeches1 that is calculated to produce in you this impression of ''' discouragement4 ,on the contrary1 ,i should rather derive from it a sentiment of ''' confidence4 '''0 ,m4 le prfet ,worms-,clavelin lit a cigar and said with a laugh3 8,who knows whether they are not right1 at the bureaux8 ''' ,but reassure yourself1 my dear abb1 ,i do not abandon you4 ,let's see1 whom have we on our side80 ,he opened his left hand1 in order to count on his fingers4 ,they both considered4 ,they found a senator of the department who was beginning to emerge from the difficulties into which the recent scandals had plunged him1 a retired general1 politician1 publicist and financier1 the bishop of ,ecbatana1 well known in the artistic world1 and ,thophile ,mayer1 the friend of the ministers4 8,but1 my dear ,guitrel10 cried the prfet1 8you have only the rag-tag and bobtail on your side40 ,abb ,guitrel endured these manners1 but he did not like them4 ,he looked at the prfet with a saddened air and pressed his sinuous lips together4 ,m4 ,worms-,clavelin1 who had no spite1 regretted the playfulness of his words and took pains to console the old man3 8,come6 come6 they are by no means the worst protectors4 ,besides1 my wife is for you4 ,and ,nomi by herself is well able to make a bishop40 ,illustration ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,anatole ,,france ,,in ,,an ,,english ,,translation ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,frederic ,,chapman1 ,j4 ,,lewis ,,may ,,and ,,bernard ,,miall ,uniform1 ,demy #hvo4 #g_/f net #b4ej net per volume4 ,,london3 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,john ,,lane ,,company4 ,,anatole ,,france 8,i do not believe that ,thorfin ,karlsefne was more astonished and delighted when he discovered ,america than ,i was when1 in my sixtieth year1 this great literary luminary sailed into my ken4 ''' ,i have three good reasons for writing about ,anatole ,france4 ,i want to help the ,british people to enjoy his work2 ,i want them to accord to the great ,frenchman the full justice which ,i feel he has not yet received in this country2 and ,i want to ease my soul by some expression of my own gratitude and admiration4 ''' ,of all the famous or popular men alive upon this planet ,anatole ,france is to me the greatest4 ,there is no writer to compare to him1 and he has few peers amongst the greatest geniuses of past ages and all climes4 ''' #8,penguin ,island' is a masterpiece and a classic4 ,it is1 in my opinion1 a greater work than #8,gargantua' or #8,don ,quixote' or #8,sartor ,resartus' or #8,tristram ,shandy4' ''' ,the laughing1 mocking1 learned and dissolute ,abb ,coignard is one of the greatest creations of human genius4 ,if it will not sound too audacious ,i will venture to claim that there is no character in ,rabelais1 ,cervantes1 ,dickens1 or ,sterne to equal the ,abb ,coignard1 and1 with the exception of the miraculous ,hamlet1 there is nothing greater in ,shakespeare4 ,these be #8brave words4' ,i am writing of one of the world's greatest artists and humorists3 of ,anatole ,france1 the ,master4 ''' ,then there is the great scene of the banquet in the house of ,monsieur de la ,geritande1 which ,i have read fifty times1 and hope to read a hundred times again4 ,the whole chapter is one of the most artistic1 humorous1 human1 and exhilarating achievements in literature4 ,it is alive2 it is real2 it goes like a song4 ,there is nothing finer or stronger in the best comedy work of ,shakespeare4 ''' ,anatole ,france is a great man1 and there is no living celebrity for whom ,i have so much reverence and regard40--,,robert ,,blatchford in the ,sunday ,chronicle4 ,n,,the ,,red ,,lily ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,winifred ,,stephens ,,mother ,,of ,,pearl ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,frederic ,,chapman ,,the ,,garden ,,of ,,epicurus ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,alfred ,,allinson ,n,,the ,,crime ,,of ,,sylvestre ,,bonnard ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,lafcadio ,,hearn ,,the ,,well ,,of ,,st4 ,,clare ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,alfred ,,allinson ,,balthasar ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,john ,,lamb ,n,,thais ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,robert ,,bruce ,,douglas ,,the ,,white ,,stone ,a ,,translation ,,by ,c4 ,e4 ,,roche ,n,,penguin ,,island ,a ,,translation ,,by ,a4 ,w4 ,,evans ,,the ,,merrie ,,tales ,,of ,,jacques ,,tournebroche4 ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,alfred ,,allinson ,,the ,,elm ,,tree ,,of ,,the ,,mall ,a ,,translation ,,by ,m4 ,p4 ,,willcocks ,,the ,,wicker-,,work ,,woman ,a ,,translation ,,by ,m4 ,p4 ,,willcocks ,,on ,,life ,,and ,,letters4 #b ,vols4 ,first and ,second ,series4 ,a ,,translation ,,by ,a4 ,w4 ,,evans ,,at ,,the ,,sign ,,of ,,the ,,reine ,,pedauque ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,mrs ,,wilfrid ,,jackson ,,the ,,aspirations ,,of ,,jean ,,servien ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,alfred ,,allinson ,,jocasta ,,and ,,the ,,famished ,,cat ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,farley ,,my ,,friend',s ,,book ,a ,,translation ,,by ,j4 ,,lewis ,,may ,,the ,,gods ,,are ,,athirst ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,alfred ,,allinson ,,the ,,opinions ,,of ,,jerome ,,coignard ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,wilfrid ,,jackson ,,the ,,revolt ,,of ,,the ,,angels ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,mrs ,,wilfrid ,,jackson ,,crainquebille ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,winifred ,,stephens ,,pierre ,,nozi,,re ,a ,,translation ,,by ,j4 ,,lewis ,,may ,,the ,,amethyst ,,ring ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,berengere ,,drillien ,,the ,,bride ,,of ,,corinth and other ,plays ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,emilie ,,and ,,wilfrid ,,jackson ,,the ,,seven ,,wives ,,of ,,bluebeard ,a ,,translation ,,by ,d4 ,b4 ,,stewart ,also uniform in size3 ,,joan ,,of ,,arc ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,winifred ,,stephens4 ,with eight illustrations ,two vols4 #bes4 net ,,in ,,preparation ,,little ,,pierre ,a ,,translation ,,by ,j4 ,,lewis ,,may ,m4 ,,bergeret ,,in ,,paris ,a ,,translation ,,by ,j4 ,,lewis ,,may ,,clio and ,,the ,,chateau ,,de ,,vaux ,,le ,,vicomte4 ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,winifred ,,stephens ,a ,,comic ,,story ,a ,,translation ,,by ,c4 ,e4 ,,roche ,,le ,g,,nie ,,latin ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,wilfrid ,,jackson ,,on ,,life ,,and ,,letters ,third ,series4 ,a ,,translation ,,by ,d4 ,b4 ,,stewart ,,on ,,life ,,and ,,letters ,fourth ,series4 ,a ,,translation ,,by ,,bernard ,,miall ,n ,also ,cheap ,edition1 with ,illustrated ,coloured ,wrapper1 #as4 net each4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head1 ,,vigo ,,st41 ,w4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,hyphenation1 spelling1 accents and punctuation have been retained as they appear in the original publication except as follows3 ,page #aj ,m ,lantaigne1 principal of the high changed to ,m4 ,lantaigne1 principal of the high ,page #bj ,abbe ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary changed to ,abb ,lantaigne1 head of the high seminary ,page #cg of the proper of the saint4 changed to of the proper of the saint40 ,page #ff at all1 our ,archbishop4 changed to at all1 our ,archbishop40 ,page #gi ,m le ,prfet ,worms-,clavelin changed to ,m4 le ,prfet ,worms-,clavelin ,page #aah should come in #ahi- changed to ,should come in #ahi- ,page #abe ,m ,paillot was the bookseller changed to ,m4 ,paillot was the bookseller ,page #abc he may make fun o changed to he may make fun of ,page #bai ,they are capital4' changed to ,they are capital40