"Itseemstome,"repliedTheodose,"thatbarristersatthePalaisarelikeTurksatConstantinople,whereafriendofmineaffirmedyoucouldseeagoodmany。ItisYOUwhomitisrathersurprisingtoseehere。"
"Notatall,"saidThuillier,carelessly。"I’vecomeaboutthatcursedpamphlet。Isthereeveranyendtoyourlegalbothers?Iwassummonedherethismorning,butIdon’tregretit,asitgivesmethehappychanceofmeetingyou。"
"I,too,"saidlaPeyrade,tyinguphisbundle。"Iamverygladtoseeyou,butImustleaveyounow;Ihaveanappointment,andIsupposeyouwanttodoyourbusinessatonce。"
"Ihavedoneit,"saidThuillier。
"DidyouspeaktoOlivierVinet,thatmortalenemyofyours?hesitsinthatcourt,"askedlaPeyrade。
"No,"saidThuillier,naminganotherofficial。
"Well,that’squeer!"saidthebarrister;"thatfellowmusthavethegiftofubiquity;hehasbeenallthemorninginthefifthcourt—room,andhasjustthisminutegivenajudgmentonacaseIpleaded。"
Thuilliercolored,andgotoutofhishobbleasbesthecould。"Oh,hangit!"hesaid;"thosemeningownsareallalike,Idon’tknowonefromanother。"
LaPeyradeshruggedhisshouldersandsaidaloud,butasiftohimself:"Alwaysthesame;crafty,crooked,neverstraightforward。"
"Whomareyoutalkingabout?"askedThuillier,rathernonplussed。
"Why,ofyou,mydearfellow,whotakemeforanimbecile,asifIandthewholeworlddidn’tknowthatyourpamphletbusinesscametoanendtwoweeksago。Why,then,summonyoutocourt?"
"Well,Iwassentfor,"saidThuillier,withembarrassment;"somethingaboutregistryfees,——itisallGreektome,Ican’tcomprehendtheirscrawls。"
"Andtheychose,"saidlaPeyrade,"preciselytheverydaywhentheMoniteur,announcingthedissolutionoftheChamber,madeyouthinkaboutbeingacandidateforthe12tharrondissement。"
"Whynot?"askedThuillier,"whathasmycandidacytodowiththefeesIowetothecourt?"
"I’lltellyou,"saidlaPeyrade,dryly。"Thecourtisathingessentiallyamiableandcomplaisant。’Tiens!’itsaidtoitself,’here’sthisgoodMonsieurThuilliergoingtobeacandidatefortheChamber;howhamperedhe’llbebyhisattitudetohisex—friendMonsieurdelaPeyrade,withwhomhewishesnowhehadn’tquarrelled。
I’llsummonhimforfeeshedoesn’towe;thatwillbringhimtothePalaiswherelaPeyradecomesdaily;andinthatwayhecanmeethimbychance,andsoavoidtakingastepwhichwouldhurthisself—love。"
"Well,thereyouaremistaken!"criedThuillier,breakingtheice。"I
usedsolittlecraft,asyoucallit,thatI’vejustcomefromyourhouse,there!andyourportresstoldmewheretofindyou。"
"Welldone!"saidlaPeyrade,"Ilikethisfrankness;Icangetonwithmenwhoplayabove—board。Well,whatdoyouwantofme?Haveyoucometotalkaboutyourelection?Ihavealreadybeguntoworkforit。"
"No,really?"saidThuillier,"how?"
"Here,"repliedlaPeyrade,feelingunderhisgownforhispocketandbringingoutapaper,"here’swhatIscribbledjustnowinthecourt—
roomwhilethelawyerontheothersiderambledonlikeanexpert。"
"Whatisitabout?"askedThuillier。
"Readandyou’llsee。"
Thepaperreadasfollows:——
Estimateforanewspaper,smallsize,atthirtyfrancsayear。
Calculatingtheeditionsat5,000thecostsare:——
Paper,5reamsat12francs……1,860francs。
Composition……2,400"
Printing……450"
Oneadministrator……250"
Oneclerk……100"
Oneeditor(alsocashier)……200"
Onedespatcher……100"
Folders……120"
Oneofficeboy……80"
Officeexpenses……150"
Rent……100"
Licenseandpostage……7,500"
Reportingandstenographicnews……1,800"
—————————
Totalmonthly,15,110"
"yearly,181,320"
"Doyouwanttosetupapaper?"askedThuillier,indread。
"I?"askedlaPeyrade,"Iwantnothingatall;youaretheonetobeaskedifyouwanttobeadeputy。"
"UndoubtedlyIdo;because,whenyouurgedmetobecomeamunicipalcouncillor,youputtheideaintomyhead。Butreflect,mydearTheodose,onehundredandeightyonethousandthreehundredandtwentyfrancstoputout!HaveIafortunelargeenoughtomeetsuchademand?"
"Yes,"saidlaPeyrade,"youcouldverywellsupportthatexpense,forconsideringtheendyouwanttoobtainthereisnothingexorbitantinit。InEnglandtheymakemuchgreatersacrificestogetaseatinParliament;butinanycase,Ibegyoutoobservethatthecostsareveryhighonthatestimate,andsomecouldbecutoffaltogether。Forinstance,youwouldnotwantanadministrator。You,yourself,anoldaccountant,andI,anoldjournalist,canverywellmanagetheaffairbetweenus。Alsorent,weneedn’tcountthat;youhaveyouroldapartmentintherueSaint—Dominiquewhichisnotyetleased;thatwillmakeafinenewspaperoffice。"
"Allthatcostsofftwothousandfourhundredfrancsayear,"saidThuillier。
"Well,that’ssomething;butyourerrorconsistsincalculatingontheyearlycost。Whendotheelectionstakeplace?"
"Intwomonths,"saidThuillier。
"Verygood;twomonthswillcostyouthirtythousandfrancs,evensupposingthepaperhadnosubscribers。"
"True,"saidThuillier,"theexpenseiscertainlylessthanIthoughtatfirst。Butdoesanewspaperreallyseemtoyouessential?"
"Soessentialthatwithoutthatpowerinourhands,Iwon’thaveanythingtodowiththeelection。Youdon’tseemtosee,mypoorfellow,thatingoingtoliveintheotherquarteryouhavelost,electorallyspeaking,animmenseamountofground。Youarenolongerthemanoftheplace,andyourelectioncouldbebalkedbythecryofwhattheEnglishcall’absenteeism。’Thismakesyourgameveryhardtoplay。"
"Iadmitthat,"saidThuillier;"buttherearesomanythingswantedbesidesmoney,——anameforonething,amanager,editorialstaff,andsoforth。"
"Aname,wehaveonemadetohand;editors,theyareyouandIandafewyoungfellowswhogrowoneverybushinParis。Asforthemanager,Ihaveamaninview。"
"Whatnameisit?"askedThuillier。
"L’EchodelaBievre。"
"Butthereisalreadyapaperofthatname。"
"Precisely,andthat’swhyIgivemyapprovaltotheaffair。DoyouthinkIshouldbefoolenoughtoadviseyoutostartanentirelynewpaper?’EchodelaBievre!’thattitleisatreasuretoamanwhowantssupportforhiscandidacyinthe12tharrondissement。Saythewordonly,andIputthattreasureintoyourhands。"
"How?"askedThuillier,withcuriosity。
"Parbleu!bybuyingit;itcanbehadforasong。"
"Therenow,yousee,"saidThuillierinadiscouragedtone;"younevercountedinthecostofpurchase。"
"Howyoudwellonnothings!"saidlaPeyrade,hunchinghisshoulders;
"wehaveotherandmoreimportantdifficultiestosolve。"
"Otherdifficulties?"echoedThuillier。
"Parbleu!"exclaimedlaPeyrade;"doyousupposethatafterallthathastakenplacebetweenusIshouldboldlyharnessmyselftoyourelectionwithoutknowingexactlywhatbenefitIamtogetforit?"
"But,"saidThuillier,ratherastonished,"Ithoughtthatfriendshipwasagoodexchangeforsuchservices。"
"Yes;butwhentheexchangeconsistsinonesidegivingallandtheothersidenothing,friendshipgetstiredofthatsortofsharing,andasksforsomethingalittlebetterbalanced。"
"But,mydearTheodose,whathaveItoofferyouthatyouhavenotalreadyrejected?"
"Irejectedit,becauseitwasofferedwithoutheartiness,andseasonedwithMademoiselleBrigitte’svinegar;everyself—respectingmanwouldhaveactedasIdid。Giveandkeepdon’tpass,astheoldlegalsayingis;butthatispreciselywhatyoupersistindoing。"
"I!——Ithinkyoutookoffenceveryunreasonably;buttheengagementmightberenewed。"
"Sobeit,"repliedlaPeyrade;"butIwillnotputmyselfatthemercyofeitherthesuccessoftheelectionorMademoiselleCeleste’scaprices。Iclaimtherighttosomethingpositiveandcertain。Giveandtake;shortaccountsmakegoodfriends。"
"Iperfectlyagreewithyou,"saidThuillier,"andIhavealwaystreatedyouwithtoomuchgoodfaithtofearanyoftheseprecautionsyounowwanttotake。Butwhatguaranteesdoyouwant?"
"IwantthatthehusbandofCelesteshouldmanageyourelection,andnotTheodosedelaPeyrade。"
"Byhurryingthingsasmuchaspossible,soBrigittesaid,itwouldstilltakefifteendays;andjustthink,withtheelectionsonlyeightweeksoff,tolosetwoofthemdoingnothing!"
"Dayafterto—morrow,"repliedlaPeyrade,"thebannscanbepublishedforthefirsttimeatthemayor’soffice,intheintervalsofpublicationsomethingscouldbedone,forthoughthepublishingofthebannsisnotastepfromwhichthereisnoretreat,itisatleastapublicpledgeandalongsteptaken;afterthatwecangetyournotarytodrawthecontractatonce。Moreover,ifyoudecideonbuyingthisnewspaper,Ishouldn’tbeafraidthatyouwouldgobackonme,foryoudon’twantauselesshorseinyourstable,andwithoutmeIamcertainyoucan’tmanagehim。"
"But,mydearfellow,"saidThuillier,goingbacktohisobjections,"supposethataffairprovestooonerous?"
"There’snoneedtosaythatyouarethesolejudgeoftheconditionsofthepurchase。Idon’twishanymorethanyoudotobuyapiginapoke。Ifto—morrowyouauthorizeme,Iwon’tsaytobuy,buttoletthesepeopleknowthatyoumaypossiblymakethepurchase,I’llconferwithoneofthemonyourbehalf,andyoumaybecertainthatI’llstandupforyourinterestsasiftheyweremyown。"
"Verygood,mydearfellow,"saidThuillier,"goahead!"
"Andassoonasthepaperispurchasedwearetofixthedayforsigningthecontract?"
"Yes,"repliedThuillier;"butwillyoubindyourselftouseyourutmostinfluenceontheelection?"
"Asifitweremyown,"repliedlaPeyrade,"which,bythebye,isnotaltogetheranhypothesis。Ihavealreadyreceivedsuggestionsaboutmyowncandidacy,andifIwerevindictive——"
"Certainly,"saidThuillier,withhumility,"youwouldmakeabetterdeputythanI;"butyouarenotoftherequiredage,Ithink。"
"There’sabetterreasonthanthat,"saidlaPeyrade;"youaremyfriend;Ifindyouagainwhatyouoncewere,andIshallkeepthepledgesIhavegivenyou。Asfortheelection,Ipreferthatpeoplesayofme,’Hemakesdeputies,butwillbenonehimself。’NowImustleaveyouandkeepmyappointment。To—morrowinmyownrooms,comeandseeme;Ishallhavesomethingtoannounce。"
Whosohaseverbeenanewspapermanwilleverbeone;thathoroscopeisassureandcertainasthatofdrunkards。Whoeverhastastedthatfeverishlybusyandrelativelylazyandindependentlife;whoeverhasexercisedthatsovereigntywhichcriticisesintellect,art,talent,fame,virtue,absurdity,andeventruth;whoeverhasoccupiedthattribuneerectedbyhisownhands,fulfilledthefunctionsofthatmagistracytowhichheisself—appointed,——inshort,whosoeverhasbeen,forhoweverbriefaspan,thatproxyofpublicopinion,looksuponhimselfwhenremandedtoprivatelifeasanexile,andthemomentachanceisofferedtohimputsoutaneagerhandtosnatchbackhiscrown。
ForthisreasonwhenEtienneLousteauwenttolaPeyrade,aformerjournalist,withanofferoftheweaponentitledthe"EchodelaBievre,"allthelatter’sinstinctsasanewspapermanwerearoused,inspiteoftheveryinferiorqualityoftheblade。Thepaperhadfailed;laPeyradebelievedhecouldreviveit。Thesubscribers,onthevendor’sownshowing,werefewandfarbetween,buthewouldexerciseuponthema"compelleintrare"bothpowerfulandirresistible。Inthecircumstancesunderwhichtheaffairwaspresentedtohimitmightsurelybeconsideredprovincial。Threatenedwiththelossofhispositionatthebar,hewasthusacquiring,aswesaidbefore,anewpositionandthatofa"detachedfort";compelled,ashemightbe,todefendhimself,hecouldfromthatvantage—groundtaketheoffensiveandobligehisenemiestoreckonwithhim。
OntheThuillierside,thenewspaperwouldundoubtedlymakehimapersonageofconsiderableimportance;hewouldhavemorepowerontheelection;andbyinvolvingtheircapitalinanenterprisewhich,withouthim,theywouldfeelagulfandasnare,heboundthemtohimbyself—interestssofirmlythattherewasnothingtofearfromtheircapriceoringratitude。
Thishorizon,rapidlytakeninduringEtienneLousteau’svisit,hadfairlydazzledtheProvencal,andwehaveseentheperemptorymannerinwhichThuillierwasforcedintoacceptingwithsomeenthusiasmthediscoveryofthisphilosopher’s—stone。
Thecostofthepurchasewasridiculouslyinsignificant。Abank—noteforfivehundredfrancs,forwhichEtienneLousteauneverclearlyaccountedtotheshare—holders,putThuillierinpossessionofthename,property,furniture,andgood—willofthenewspaper,whichheandlaPeyradeatoncebusiedthemselvesinreorganizing。
CHAPTERX
INWHICHCERIZETPRACTISESTHEHEALINGARTAND
THEARTOFPOISONINGONTHESAMEDAY
Whilethisregenerationwasgoingon,CerizetwentonemorningtoseeduPortail,withwhomlaPeyradewasnowmorethaneverdeterminedtoholdnocommunication。
"Well,"saidthelittleoldmantothepoorman’sbanker,"whateffectdidthenewswegavetothepresidentofthebarproduceonourman?
DidtheaffairgetwindatthePalais?"
"Phew!"saidCerizet,whoseintercourse,nodoubtprettyfrequent,withduPortailhadputhimonafootingofsomefamiliaritywiththeoldman,"there’snoquestionofthatnow。Theeelhaswriggledoutofourhands;neithersoftnessnorviolencehasanyeffectuponthatdevilofaman。Hehasquarrelledwiththebar,andisinbetterodorthaneverwithThuillier。’Necessity,’saysFigaro,’obliteratesdistance。’ThuillierneedshimtopushhiscandidacyinthequartierSaint—Jacques,sotheykissedandmadeup。"
"Andnodoubt,"saidduPortail,withoutmuchappearanceoffeeling,"themarriageisfixedforanearlyday?"
"Yes,"repliedCerizet,"butthere’sanotherpieceofworkonhand。
ThatcrazyfellowhaspersuadedThuilliertobuyanewspaper,andhe’llmakehimsinkfortythousandfrancsinit。Thuillier,onceinvolved,willwanttogethismoneyback,andinmyopiniontheyareboundtogetherfortherestoftheirdays。"
"Whatpaperisit?"
"Oh,acabbage—leafthatcallsitselfthe’EchodelaBievre’!"repliedCerizetwithgreatscorn;"apaperwhichanoldhackofajournalistonhislastlegsmanagedtosetupintheMouffetardquarterbythehelpofalotoftanners——that,youknow,istheindustryofthequarter。Fromapoliticalandliterarypointofviewtheaffairisnothingatall,butThuillierhasbeenmadetothinkitamasterlystroke。"
"Well,forlocalservicetotheelectiontheinstrumentisn’tsobad,"
remarkedduPortail。"LaPeyradehastalent,activity,andmuchresourceofmind;hemaymakesomethingoutofthat’Echo。’UnderwhatpoliticalbannerwillThuillierpresenthimself?"
"Thuillier,"repliedthebeggars’banker,"isanoyster;hehasn’tanyopinions。Untilthepublicationofhispamphlethewas,likeallthosebourgeois,arabidconservative;butsincetheseizurehehasgoneovertotheOpposition。HisfirststagewillprobablybetheLeft—
centre;butiftheelectionwindshouldblowfromanotherquarter,he’llgostraightbeforeittotheextremeleft。Self—interest,forthosebourgeois,that’sthemeasureoftheirconvictions。"
"Dear,dear!"saidduPortail,"thisnewcombinationoflaPeyrade’smayassumetheimportanceofapoliticaldangerfromthepointofviewofmyopinions,whichareextremelyconservativeandgovernmental。"
Then,afteramoment’sreflection,headded,"Ithinkyoudidnewspaperworkonceuponatime;Iremember’thecourageousCerizet。’"
"Yes,"repliedtheusurer,"IevenmanagedonewithlaPeyrade,——aneveningpaper;andaprettypieceofworkwedid,forwhichwewerefinelyrecompensed。"
"Well,"saidduPortail,"whydon’tyoudoitagain,——journalism,I
mean,——withlaPeyrade。"
CerizetlookedatduPortailinamazement。
"Ahca!"hecried,"areyouthedevil,monsieur?Cannothingeverbehiddenfromyou?"
"Yes,"saidduPortail,"Iknowagoodmanythings。ButwhathasbeensettledbetweenyouandlaPeyrade?"
"Well,rememberingmyexperienceinthebusiness,andnotknowingwhomelsetoget,heofferedtomakememanagerofthepaper。"
"Ididnotknowthat,"saidduPortail,"butitwasquiteprobable。
Didyouaccept?"
"Conditionally;Iaskedtimeforreflection。Iwantedtoknowwhatyouthoughtoftheoffer。"
"Parbleu!Ithinkthatoutofanevilthatcan’tberemediedweshouldget,astheproverbsays,wingorfoot。Ihadratherseeyouinsidethanoutsideofthatenterprise。"
"Verygood;butinordertogetintoitthere’sadifficulty。LaPeyradeknowsIhavedebts,andhewon’thelpmewiththethirty—
three—thousandfrancs’securitywhichmustbepaiddowninmyname。I
haven’tgotthem,andifIhad,Iwouldn’tshowthemandexposemyselftotheinsultsofcreditors。"
"Youmusthaveagooddealleftofthattwenty—fivethousandfrancslaPeyradepaidyounotmorethantwomonthsago,"remarkedduPortail。
"Onlytwothousandtwohundredfrancsandfiftycentimes,"repliedCerizet。"Iwasaddingituplastnight;theresthasallgonetopayoffpressingdebts。"
"Butifyouhavepaidyourdebtsyouhaven’tanycreditors。"
"Yes,thoseI’vepaid,butthoseIhaven’tpaidIstillowe。"
"Doyoumeantotellmethatyourliabilitiesweremorethantwenty—
fivethousandfrancs?"saidduPortail,inatoneofincredulity。
"Doesamangointobankruptcyforless?"repliedCerizet,asthoughhewereenunciatingamaxim。
"Well,IseeIamexpectedtopaythatsummyself,"saidduPortail,crossly;"butthequestioniswhethertheutilityofyourpresenceinthisenterpriseisworthtometheinterestononehundredandthirty—
threethousand,threehundredandthirty—threefrancs,thirty—threecentimes。"
"Hangit!"saidCerizet,"ifIwereonceinstallednearThuillier,I
shouldn’tdespairofsoonputtinghimandlaPeyradeatloggerheads。
Inthemanagementofanewspapertherearelotsofinevitabledisagreements,andbyalwaystakingthesideofthefoolagainstthecleverman,Icanincreasetheconceitofoneandwoundtheconceitoftheotheruntillifetogetherbecomesimpossible。Besides,youspokejustnowofpoliticaldanger;nowthemanagerofanewspaper,asyououghttoknow,whenhehastheintellecttobesomethingbetterthanamanofstraw,canquietlygivehissheetapushinthedirectionwanted。
"There’sagooddealoftruthinthat,"saidduPortail,"butdefeattolaPeyrade,that’swhatIamthinkingabout。"
"Well,"saidCerizet,"IthinkIhaveanothernicelittleinsidiousmeansofdemolishinghimwithThuillier。"
"Saywhatitis,then!"exclaimedduPortail,impatiently;"yougoroundandroundthepotasifIwereamanitwoulddoyousomegoodtofinessewith。"
"Youremember,"saidCerizet,comingoutwithit,"thatsometimeagoDutocqandIweremuchpuzzledtoknowhowlaPeyradewas,allofasudden,abletomakethatpaymentoftwenty—fivethousandfrancs?"
"Ha!"saidtheoldmanquickly,"haveyoudiscoveredtheoriginofthatveryimprobablesuminourfriend’shands;andisthatoriginshady?"
"Youshalljudge,"saidCerizet。
AndherelatedinallitsdetailstheaffairofMadameLambert,——
adding,however,thatonquestioningthewomancloselyattheofficeofthejustice—of—peace,afterthemeetingwithlaPeyrade,hehadbeenunabletoextractfromheranyconfession,althoughbyherwholebearingshehadamplyconfirmedthesuspicionsofDutocqandhimself。
"MadameLambert,rueduVal—de—Grace,No。9;atthehouseofMonsieurPicot,professorofmathematics,"saidduPortail,ashemadeanoteoftheinformation。"Verygood,"headded;"comebackandseemeto—morrow,mydearMonsieurCerizet。"
"Butpleaseremark,"saidtheusurer,"thatImustgiveananswertolaPeyradeinthecourseofto—day。Heisinagreathurrytostartthebusiness。"
"Verywell;youmustaccept,askingadelayoftwenty—fourhourstoobtainyoursecurity。If,aftermakingcertaininquiriesIseeitismoretomyinterestsnottomeddleintheaffair,youcangetoutofitbymerelybreakingyourword;youcan’tbesenttothecourtofassizesforthat。"
IndependentlyofasortofinexplicablefascinationwhichduPortailexercisedoverhisagent,heneverlostanopportunitytoremindhimoftheveryquestionablepointofdepartureoftheirintercourse。
ThenextdayCerizetreturned。
"Youguessedright,"saidduPortail。"ThatwomanLambert,beingobligedtoconcealtheexistenceofherbooty,andwantingtodrawinterestonherstolenproperty,musthavetakenitintoherheadtoconsultlaPeyrade;hisdevoutexteriormayhaverecommendedhimtoher。Sheprobablygavehimthatmoneywithouttakingareceipt。InwhatkindofmoneywasDutocqpaid?"
"Innineteenthousand—francnotes,andtwelveoffive—hundredfrancs。"
"That’spreciselyit,"saidduPortail。"Therecan’tbetheslightestdoubtleft。Now,whatusedoyouexpecttomakeofthisinformationbearinguponThuillier。"
"IexpecttoputitintohisheadthatlaPeyrade,towhomheisgoingtogivehisgoddaughterandheiress,isoverheadandearsindebt;
thathemakesenormoussecretloans;andthatinordertogetoutofhisdifficultieshemeanstognawthenewspapertothebone;andI
shallinsinuatethatthepositionofamansomuchindebtmustbeknowntothepublicbeforelong,andbecomeafatalblowtothecandidatewhoserighthandheis。"
"That’snotbad,"saidduPortail;"butthere’sanotherandevenmoreconclusiveusetobemadeofthediscovery。"
"Tellme,master;I’mlistening,"saidCerizet。
"Thuillierhasnotyetbeenable,hashe,toexplaintohimselfthereasonoftheseizureofthepamphlet?"
"Yes,hehas,"repliedCerizet。"LaPeyradewastellingmeonlyyesterday,bywayofexplainingThuillier’sidioticsimplicity,thathehadbelievedamostridiculousbitofhumbug。The’honestbourgeois’ispersuadedthattheseizurewasinstigatedbyMonsieurOlivierVinet,substitutetotheprocureur—general。TheyoungmanaspiredforamomenttothehandofMademoiselleColleville,andtheworthyThuillierhasbeenmadetoimaginethattheseizureofhispamphletwasarevengefortherefusal。"
"Good!"saidduPortail;"to—morrow,asapreparationfortheotherversionofwhichyouaretobetheorgan,ThuilliershallreceivefromMonsieurVinetaverysharpanddecideddenialoftheabuseofpowerhefoolishlygaveearto。"
"Willhe?"saidCerizet,withcuriosity。
"Butanotherexplanationmusttakeitsplace,"continuedduPortail;
"youmustassureThuillierthatheisthevictimofpolicemachinations。Thatisallthepoliceisgoodfor,youknow,——
machinations。"