ministries; their accounts to be kept in future at the Treasury.
Saillard is rich and does not need a
pension.
"Do you want to hear about your son-in-law?" [Turns over the leaves.]
"Here he is" [reads]:--
"Baudoyer.--Utterly
incapable. To be thanked and dismissed. Rich; does
not need a
pension.
"And here's for Godard" [reads]:--
"Godard.--Should be dismissed;
pension one-third of his present
salary.
"In short, here we all are. Listen to what I am" [reads]: "An artist
who might be employed by the civil list, at the Opera, or the Menus-
Plaisirs, or the Museum. Great deal of
capacity, little self-respect,
no
application,--a
restless spirit. Ha! I'll give you a touch of the
artist, Monsieur Rabourdin!"
Saillard. "Suppress cashiers! Why, the man's a
monster?"
Bixiou. "Let us see what he says of our
mysterious Desroys." [Turns
over the pages; reads.]
"Desroys.--Dangerous; because he cannot be
shaken in principles that
are subversive of monarchial power. He is the son of the Conventionel,
and he admires the Convention. He may become a very mischievous
journalist."
Baudoyer. "The police are not worse spies!"
Godard. "I shall go the general-secretary and lay a
complaint in form;
we must all
resign in a body if such a man as that is put over us."
Dutocq. "Gentlemen, listen to me; let us be
prudent. If you rise at
once in a body, we may all be accused of rancor and
revenge. No, let
the thing work, let the rumor spread quietly. When the whole ministry
is aroused your remonstrances will meet with general approval."
Bixiou. "Dutocq believes in the principles of the grand air composed
by the
sublime Rossini for Basilio,--which goes to show, by the bye,
that the great
composer was also a great
politician. I shall leave my
card on Monsieur Rabourdin to-morrow morning, inscribed thus: 'Bixiou;
no self-respect, no
application,
restless mind.'"
Godard. "A good idea, gentlemen. Let us all leave our cards to-morrow
on Rabourdin inscribed in the same way."
Dutocq [leading Bixiou apart]. "Come, you'll agree to make that
caricature now, won't you?"
Bixiou. "I see
plainly, my dear fellow, that you knew all about this
affair ten days ago" [looks him in the eye]. "Am I to be under-head-
clerk?"
Dutocq. "On my word of honor, yes, and a thousand-franc fee beside,
just as I told you. You don't know what a service you'll be rendering
to powerful personages."
Bixiou. "You know them?"
Dutocq. "Yes."
Bixiou. "Well, then I want to speak with them."
Dutocq [dryly]. "You can make the caricature or not, and you can be
under-head-clerk or not,--as you please."
Bixiou. "At any rate, let me see that thousand francs."
Dutocq. "You shall have them when you bring the drawing."
Bixiou. "Forward, march! that lampoon shall go from end to end of the
bureaus to-morrow morning. Let us go and
torment the Rabourdins."
[Then
speaking to Saillard, Godard, and Baudoyer, who were talking
together in a low voice.] "We are going to stir up the neighbors."
[Goes with Dutocq into the Rabourdin
bureau. Fleury, Thuillier, and
Vimeux are there, talking excitedly.] "What's the matter, gentlemen?
All that I told you turns out to be true; you can go and see for
yourselves the work of this
infamous informer; for it is in the hands
of the
virtuous, honest, estimable,
upright, and pious Baudoyer, who
is indeed utterly
incapable of doing any such thing. Your chief has
got every one of you under the guillotine. Go and see; follow the
crowd; money returned if you are not satisfied;
execution GRATIS! The
appointments are postponed. All the
bureaus are in arms; Rabourdin has
been informed that the
minister will not work with him. Come, be off;
go and see for yourselves."
They all depart except Phellion and Poiret, who are left alone. The
former loved Rabourdin too well to look for proof that might
injure a
man he was determined not to judge; the other had only five days more
to remain in the office, and cared nothing either way. Just then
Sebastien came down to collect the papers for
signature. He was a good
deal surprised, though he did not show it, to find the office
deserted.
Phellion. "My young friend" [he rose, a rare thing], "do you know what
is going on? what scandals are rife about Monsieur Rabourdin whom you
love, and" [bending to
whisper in Sebastien's ear] "whom I love as
much as I respect him. They say he has committed the imprudence to
leave a paper containing comments on the officials lying about in the
office--" [Phellion stopped short, caught the young man in his strong
arms,
seeing that he turned pale and was near fainting, and placed him
on a chair.] "A key, Monsieur Poiret, to put down his back; have you a
key?"
Poiret. "I have the key of my domicile."
[Old Poiret
juniorpromptly inserted the said key between Sebastien's
shoulders, while Phellion gave him some water to drink. The poor lad
no sooner opened his eyes than he began to weep. He laid his head on
Phellion's desk, and all his limbs were limp as if struck by
lightning; while his sobs were so heartrending, so
genuine, that for
the first time in his life Poiret's feelings were stirred by the
sufferings of another.]
Phellion [
speaking firmly]. "Come, come, my young friend; courage! In
times of trial we must show courage. You are a man. What is the
matter? What has happened to
distress you so terribly?"
Sebastien [sobbing]. "It is I who have ruined Monsieur Rabourdin. I
left that paper lying about when I copied it. I have killed my
benefactor; I shall die myself. Such a noble man!--a man who ought to
be
minister!"
Poiret [blowing his nose]. "Then it is true he wrote the report."
Sebastien [still sobbing]. "But it was to--there, I was going to tell
his secrets! Ah! that
wretch of a Dutocq; it was he who stole the
paper."
His tears and sobs recommenced and made so much noise that Rabourdin
came up to see what was the matter. He found the young fellow almost
fainting in the arms of Poiret and Phellion.
Rabourdin. "What is the matter, gentlemen?"
Sebastien [struggling to his feet, and then falling on his knees
before Rabourdin]. "I have ruined you,
monsieur. That memorandum,--
Dutocq, the
monster, he must have taken it."
Rabourdin [calmly]. "I knew that already" [he lifts Sebastien]. "You
are a child, my young friend." [Speaks to Phellion.] "Where are the
other gentlemen?"
Phellion. "They have gone into Monsieur Baudoyer's office to see a
paper which it is said--"
Rabourdin [interrupting him]. "Enough." [Goes out,
taking Sebastien
with him. Poiret and Phellion look at each other in
amazement, and do
not know what to say.]
Poiret [to Phellion]. "Monsieur Rabourdin--"
Phellion [to Poiret]. "Monsieur Rabourdin--"
Poiret. "Well, I never! Monsieur Rabourdin!"
Phellion. "But did you notice how calm and
dignified he was?"
Poiret [with a sly look that was more like a grimace]. "I shouldn't be
surprised if there were something under it all."
Phellion. "A man of honor; pure and spotless."
Poiret. "Who is?"
Phellion. "Monsieur Poiret, you think as I think about Dutocq; surely
you understand me?"
Poiret [nodding his head three times and answering with a shrewd
look]. "Yes." [The other clerks return.]
Fleury. "A great shock; I still don't believe the thing. Monsieur
Rabourdin, a king among men! If such men are spies, it is enough to
disgust one with
virtue. I have always put Rabourdin among Plutarch's
heroes."
Vimeux. "It is all true."
Poiret [reflecting that he had only five days more to stay in the
office]. "But, gentlemen, what do you say about the man who stole that
paper, who spied upon Rabourdin?" [Dutocq left the room.]
Fleury. "I say he is a Judas Iscariot. Who is he?"
Phellion [significantly]. "He is not here at THIS MOMENT."
Vimeux [enlightened]. "It is Dutocq!"
Phellion. "I have no proof of it, gentlemen. While you were gone, that
young man, Monsieur de la Roche, nearly fainted here. See his tears on
my desk!"
Poiret. "We held him fainting in our arms.--My key, the key of my
domicile!--dear, dear! it is down his back." [Poiret goes hastily
out.]
Vimeux. "The
minister refused to
transact business with Rabourdin to-
day; and Monsieur Saillard, to whom the secretary said a few words,
came to tell Monsieur Baudoyer to apply for the cross of the Legion of
honor,--there is one to be granted, you know, on New-Year's day, to
all the heads of divisions. It is quite clear what it all means.
Monsieur Rabourdin is sacrificed by the very persons who employed him.
Bixiou says so. We were all to be turned out, except Sebastien and
Phellion."
Du Bruel [entering]. "Well, gentlemen, is it true?"
Thuillier. "To the last word."
Du Bruel [putting his hat on again]. "Good-bye." [Hurries out.]
Thuillier. "He may rush as much as he pleases to his Duc de Rhetore
and Duc de Maufrigneuse, but Colleville is to be our under-head-clerk,
that's certain."
Phellion. "Du Bruel always seemed to be attached to Monsieur
Rabourdin."
Poiret [returning]. "I have had a world of trouble to get back my key.
That boy is crying still, and Monsieur Rabourdin has disappeared."
[Dutocq and Bixiou enter.]
Bixiou. "Ha, gentlemen! strange things are going on in your
bureau. Du
Bruel! I want you." [Looks into the adjoining room.] "Gone?"
Thuillier. "Full speed."
Bixiou. "What about Rabourdin?"
Fleury. "Distilled, evaporated, melted! Such a man, the king of men,
that he--"
Poiret [to Dutocq]. "That little Sebastien, in his trouble, said that
you, Monsieur Dutocq, had taken the paper from him ten days ago."
Bixiou [looking at Dutocq]. "You must clear yourself of THAT, my good
friend." [All the clerks look fixedly at Dutocq.]
Dutocq. "Where's the little viper who copied it?"
Bixiou. "Copied it? How did you know he copied it? Ha! ha! it is only
the diamond that cuts the diamond." [Dutocq leaves the room.]
Poiret. "Would you listen to me, Monsieur Bixiou? I have only five
days and a half to stay in this office, and I do wish that once, only
once, I might have the pleasure of understanding what you mean. Do me
the honor to explain what diamonds have to do with these present
circumstances."
Bixiou. "I meant papa,--for I'm
willing for once to bring my intellect
down to the level of yours,--that just as the diamond alone can cut
the diamond, so it is only one
inquisitive man who can defeat another
inquisitive man."
Fleury. "'Inquisitive man' stands for 'spy.'"
Poiret. "I don't understand."
Bixiou. "Very well; try again some other time."
Monsieur Rabourdin, after
taking Sebastien to his room, had gone
straight to the
minister; but the
minister was at the Chamber of
Deputies. Rabourdin went at once to the Chamber, where he wrote a note
to his Excellency, who was at that moment in the
tribune engaged in a
hot
discussion. Rabourdin waited, not in the
conference hall, but in
the
courtyard, where, in spite of the cold, he
resolved to remain and
intercept his Excellency as he got into his
carriage. The usher of the
Chamber had told him that the
minister was in the thick of a
controversy raised by the nineteen members of the
extreme Left, and
that the
session was likely to be stormy. Rabourdin walked to and for
in the
courtyard of the palace for five
mortal hours, a prey to
feverish
agitation. At half-past six o'clock the
session broke up, and
the members filed out. The
minister's chasseur came up to find the