"Iknowthatverywell;I’vemadethataffirmationscoresoftimeswhenIwasworkingfortherepublicannewspapersand——"
"Whenyouwere’thecourageousCerizet,’"interruptedduPortail。
"Well,thepresentmachination,hereitis。ThegovernmentwasmuchdispleasedatseeingThuillierelectedwithoutitsinfluencetotheCouncil—generaloftheSeine;itwasangrywithanindependentandpatrioticcitizenwhoshowedbyhiscandidacythathecoulddowithoutit;anditlearned,moreover,thatthisexcellentcitizenwaspreparingapamphletonthesubject,alwaysadelicateone,ofthefinances,astowhichthisdangerousadversaryhadgreatexperience。
So,whatdidthisessentiallycorruptgovernmentdo?Itsubornedamaninwhom,asitlearned,Thuillierplacedconfidence,andforasumoftwenty—fivethousandfrancs(ameretrifletothepolice),thistreacherousfriendagreedtoinsertintothepamphletthreeorfourphraseswhichexposedittoseizureandcauseditsauthortobesummonedbeforethecourtofassizes。NowthewaytomaketheexplanationclinchthedoubtinThuillier’smindistolethimknowthatthenextdaylaPeyrade,who,asThuillierknew,hadn’tasou,paidDutocqpreciselythatverysumoftwenty—fivethousandfrancs。"
"Thedevil!"criedCerizet,"itisn’tabadtrick。FellowsoftheThuillierspecieswillbelieveanythingagainstthepolice。"
"Weshallsee,then,"continuedduPortail,"whetherThuillierwillwanttokeepsuchacollaboratorbesidehim,andaboveall,whetherhewillbesoeagertogivehimhisgoddaughter。"
"Youareastrongman,monsieur,"saidCerizet,againexpressinghisapprobation;"butImustownthatIfeelsomescruplesatthepartassignedme。LaPeyradecameandofferedmethemanagementofthepaper,and,yousee,Ishouldbeworkingtoevicthim。"
"Andthatleaseheknockedyououtofinspiteofhispromises,haveyouforgottenthat?"askedthelittleoldman。"Besides,arewenotaimingforhishappiness,thoughtheobstinatefellowpersistsinthwartingourbenevolentintentions?"
"Itistrue,"saidCerizet,"thattheresultwillabsolveme。Yes,I’llgoresolutelyalongtheingeniouspathyou’vetracedoutforme。
Butthere’sonethingmore:Ican’tflingmyrevelationatThuillier’sheadattheveryfirst;Imusthavetimetopreparethewayforit,butthatsecuritywillhavetobepaidinimmediately。"
"Listentome,MonsieurCerizet,"saidduPortail,inatoneofauthority;"ifthemarriageoflaPeyradetomywardtakesplaceitismyintentiontorewardyourservices,andthesumofthirtythousandfrancswillbeyourperquisite。Now,thirtythousandfromonesideandtwenty—fivethousandfromtheothermakespreciselyfifty—fivethousandfrancsthatthematrimonialvicissitudesofyourfriendlaPeyradewillhaveputintoyourpocket。But,ascountrypeopledoattheshowsofafair,IshallnotpaytillIcomeout。IfyoutakethatmoneyoutofyourownhoardIshallfeelnoanxiety;youwillknowhowtokeepitfromtheclutchesofyourcreditors。If,onthecontrary,mymoneyisatstake,youwillhaveneitherthesameeagernessnorthesameintelligenceinkeepingitoutofdanger。Thereforearrangeyouraffairssothatyoucanpaydownyourownthirty—threethousand;incaseofsuccess,thatsumwillbringyouinprettynearlyahundredpercent。That’smylastword,andIshallnotlistentoanyobjections。"
Cerizethadnotimetomakeany,foratthatmomentthedoorofduPortail’sstudyopenedabruptly,andafair,slenderwoman,whosefaceexpressedangelicsweetness,enteredtheroomeagerly。Onherarm,wrappedinhandsomelongclothes,laywhatseemedtobetheformofaninfant。
"There!"shesaid,"thatnaughtyKatteinsistedthatthedoctorwasnothere。IknewperfectlywellthatIhadseenhimenter。Well,doctor,"shecontinued,addressingCerizet,"Iamnotsatisfiedwiththeconditionofmylittleone,notsatisfiedatall;sheisverypallid,andhasgrownsothin。Ithinkshemustbeteething。"
DuPortailmadeCerizetasigntoaccepttherolesoabruptlythrustuponhim。
"Yes,evidently,"hesaid,"itistheteeth;childrenalwaysturnpaleatthatcrisis;butthere’snothinginthat,mydearlady,thatneedmakeyouanxious。"
"Doyoureallythinkso,doctor,"saidthepoorcrazedgirl,whomourreadershaverecognizedasduPortail’sward,LydiedelaPeyrade;
"butseeherdearlittlearms,howthintheyaregetting。"
Thentakingoutthepinsthatfastenedtheswathings,sheexhibitedtoCerizetabundleoflinenwhichtoherpoordistractedmindrepresentedababy。
"Why,no,no,"saidCerizet,"sheisatriflethin,itistrue,butthefleshisfirmandhercolorexcellent。"
"Poordarling!"saidLydie,kissingherdreamlovingly。"Idothinksheisbettersincemorning。WhathadIbettergiveher,doctor?Brothdisgustsher,andshewon’ttakesoup。"
"Well,"saidCerizet,"trypanada。Doesshelikesweetthings?"
"Oh,yes!"criedthepoorgirl,herfacebrightening,"sheadoresthem。Wouldchocolatebegoodforher?"
"Certainly,"repliedCerizet,"butwithoutvanilla;vanillaisveryheating。"
"ThenI’llgetwhattheycallhealth—chocolate,"saidLydie,withalltheintonationsofamother,listeningtothedoctorastoagodwhoreassuredher。"Uncle,"sheadded,"pleaseringforBruneau,andtellhimtogotoMarquisatonceandgetsomepoundsofthatchocolate。"
"Bruneauhasjustgoneout,"saidherguardian;"butthere’snohurry,heshallgointhecourseoftheday。"
"There,sheisgoingtosleep,"saidCerizet,anxioustoputanendtothescene,which,inspiteofhishardenednature,hefelttobepainful。
"True,"saidthegirl,replacingthebandagesandrising;"I’llputhertobed。Adieu,doctor;itisverykindofyoutocomesometimeswithoutbeingsentfor。Ifyouknewhowanxiouswepoormothersare,andhow,withawordortwo,youcandoussuchgood。Ah,theresheiscrying!"
"Sheissosleepy,"saidCerizet;"she’llbemuchbetterinhercradle。"
"Yes,andI’llplayherthatsonataofBeethoventhatdearpapawassofondof;itiswonderfulhowcalmingitis。Adieu,doctor,"shesaidagain,pausingonthethresholdofthedoor。"Adieu,kinddoctor!"Andshesenthimakiss。
Cerizetwasquiteovercome。
"Yousee,"saidduPortail,"thatsheisanangel,——nevertheleastill—humor,neverasharpword;sadsometimes,butalwayscausedbyafeelingofmotherlysolicitude。Thatiswhatfirstgavethedoctorstheideathatifrealitycouldtaketheplaceofherconstanthallucinationshemightrecoverherreason。Well,thisisthegirlthatfoolofaPeyraderefuses,withtheaccompanimentofamagnificent’dot。’Buthemustcometoit,orI’llforswearmyname。
Listen,"headdedasthesoundofapianocametothem;"hear!whattalent!Thousandsofsanewomencan’tcomparewithher;theyarenotasreasonableassheis,exceptonthesurface。"
WhenBeethoven’ssonata,playedfromthesoulwithaperfectionofshadesandtonesthatfilledherhardenedhearerwithadmiration,hadceasedtosound,Cerizetsaid:——
"Iagreewithyou,monsieur;laPeyraderefusesanangel,atreasure,apearl,andifIwereinhisplace——Butweshallbringhimroundtoyourpurpose。NowIshallserveyounotonlywithzeal,butwithenthusiasm,Imaysayfanaticism。"
AsCerizetwasconcludingthisoathoffidelityatthedoorofthestudy,heheardawoman’svoicewhichwasnotthatofLydie。
"Isheinhisstudy,thedearcommander?"saidthatvoice,withaslightlyforeignaccent。
"Yes,madame,butpleasecomeintothesalon。Monsieurisnotalone;I
willtellhimyouarehere。"
ThiswasthevoiceofKatte,theoldDutchmaid。
"Stop,gothisway,"saidduPortailquicklytoCerizet。
Andheopenedahiddendoorwhichledthroughadarkcorridordirectlytothestaircase,whenceCerizetbetookhimselftotheofficeofthe"EchodelaBievre,"whereaheateddiscussionwasgoingon。
Thearticlebywhichtheneweditorsofeverynewspaperlaybeforethepublictheir"professionoffaith,"asthetechnicalsayingis,alwaysproducesalaboriousanddifficultparturition。Inthisparticularcaseitwasnecessary,ifnotopenlytodeclareThuillier’scandidacy,toatleastmakeitfeltandforeseen。Thetermsofthemanifesto,afterlaPeyradehadmadearoughdraftofit,werediscussedatgreatlength。ThisdiscussiontookplaceinCerizet’spresence,who,actingonduPortail’sadvice,acceptedthemanagement,butpostponedthepaymentofthesecuritytillthenextday,throughthelatitudeallowedinalladministrationsfortheaccomplishmentofthatformality。
Cleverlyeggedonbythismaster—knave,who,fromthestart,madehimselfThuillier’sflatterer,thediscussionbecamestormy,andpresentlybitter;butas,bythedeedofpartnershipthedecidingwordwaslefttolaPeyradeinallmattersconcerningtheeditorship,hefinallycloseditbysendingthemanifesto,preciselyashehadwrittenit,totheprintingoffice。
Thuillierwasincensedatwhathecalledanabuseofpower,andfindinghimselfalonewithCerizetlaterintheday,hehastenedtopourhisgriefsandresentmentsintothebosomofhisfaithfulmanager,thusaffordingthelatteraready—madeandnaturalopportunitytoinsinuatethecalumniousrevelationagreeduponwithduPortail。Leavingtheknifeinthewound,Cerizetwentouttomakecertainarrangementstoobtainthemoneynecessaryforhisbond。
Torturedbytheterriblerevelation,Thuilliercouldnotkeepittohimself;hefelttheneedofconfidingit,andoftalkingoverthecoursehewouldbecompelledtotakebythisinfernaldiscovery。
Sendingforacarriagehedrovehome,andhalfanhourlaterhehadtoldthewholestorytohisEgeria。
BrigittehadfromthefirstveryvehementlydeclaredagainstallthedeterminationsmadebyThuillierduringthelastfewdays。Fornopurposewhatever,notevenforthesakeofherbrother’selection,wouldsheagreetoarenewaloftherelationtolaPeyrade。Inthefirstplace,shehadtreatedhimbadly,andthatwasastrongreasonfordislikinghim;then,incasethatadventurer,asshenowcalledhim,marriedCeleste,thefearofherauthoritybeinglessenedgaveheraspeciesofsecond—sight;shehadendedbyhavinganintuitivesenseofthedarkprofunditiesoftheman’snature,andnowdeclaredthatundernocircumstancesandfornopossiblepricewouldshemakeonehouseholdwithhim。
"Ruinyourselfifyouchoose,"shesaid,"youarethemasterofthat,andyoucandoasyoulike;afoolandhismoneyaresoonparted。"
When,therefore,shelistenedtoherbrother’sconfidencesitwasnotwithreproaches,but,onthecontrary,withacrowoftriumph,celebratingtheprobablereturnofherpower,thatshewelcomedthem。
"Somuchthebetter!"shecried;"itiswelltoknowatlastthatthemanisaspy。Ialwaysthoughtso,thecantingbigot!Turnhimoutofdoorswithoutanexplanation。WEdon’twanthimtoworkthatnewspaper。ThisMonsieurCerizetseems,fromwhatyoutellme,therightsortofman,andwecangetanothermanager。Besides,whenMadamedeGodollowentawayshepromisedtowritetome;andshecaneasilyputusinthewayoffindingsomeone。Poor,dearCeleste!whatafateweweregoingtogiveher!"
"Howyourunon!"saidThuillier。"LaPeyrade,mydear,issofaronlyaccused。Hemustbeheardinhisdefence。Andbesides,there’sadeedthatbindsus。"
"Ah,verygood!"saidBrigitte;"Iseehowitwillbe;you’llletthatmantwistyouroundhisfingeragain。Adeedwithaspy!Asiftherecouldbedeedswithsuchfellows。"
"Come,come,becalm,mygoodBrigitte,"returnedThuillier。"Wemustn’tdoanythinghastily。Certainly,iflaPeyradecannotfurnishajustification,clear,categorical,andconvincing,Ishalldecidetobreakwithhim,andI’llprovetoyouthatIamnomilksop。ButCerizethimselfisnotcertain;thesearemereinductions,andIonlycametoconsultyouastowhetherIought,oroughtnot,todemandanexplanationoutright。"
"Notadoubtaboutit,"repliedBrigitte。"Yououghttodemandanexplanationandgotothebottomofthisthing;ifyoudon’t,Icastyouoffasmybrother。"
"Thatsuffices,"saidThuillier,leavingtheroomwithsolemnity;"youshallseethatwewillcometoanunderstanding。"
CHAPTERXI
EXPLANATIONSANDWHATCAMEOFTHEM
OnhisreturntotheofficeafterhisconferencewithBrigitte,ThuillierfoundlaPeyradeathispostaseditor—in—chief,andinapositionofmuchembarrassment,causedbythehighhandhehadreservedforhimselfasthesoleselectorofarticlesandcontributors。Atthismoment,Phellion,instigatedbyhisfamily,anddeeplyconsciousofhispositiononthereading—committeeoftheOdeon,hadcometoofferhisservicesasdramaticcritic。
"Mydearmonsieur,"hesaid,continuinghisremarkstolaPeyrade,afterinquiringofThuillierabouthishealth,"Iwasagreatstudentofthetheatreinmyyouth;thestageanditssceniceffectscontinuetohaveformepeculiarattractions;andthewhitehairswhichcrownmybrowto—dayseemtomenoobstacletomyallowingyourinterestingpublicationtoprofitbythefruitofmystudiesandmyexperience。Asmemberofthereading—committeeoftheOdeontheatre,Iamconversantwiththemoderndrama,and——ifImaybequitesureofyourdiscretion——Iwillevenconfidetoyouthatamongmypapersitwouldnotbeimpossibleformetofindacertaintragedyentitled’Sapor,’whichinmyyoungdayswonmesomefamewhenreadinsalons。"
"Ah!"saidlaPeyrade,endeavoringtogildtherefusalheshouldbeforcedtogive,"whynottrytohaveitputuponthestage?Wemightbeabletohelpyouinthatdirection。"
"Certainly,"saidThuillier,"thedirectorofanytheatretowhomweshouldrecommend——"
"No,"repliedPhellion。"Inthefirstplace,asmemberofthereading—
committeeoftheOdeon,havingtositinjudgmentuponothers,itwouldnotbecomemetodescendintothearenamyself。Iamanoldathlete,whosebusinessitistojudgeofblowshecannolongergive。
Inthissense,criticismisaltogetherwithinmysphere,andallthemorebecauseIhavecertainviewsonthepropermethodofcomposingdramaticfeuilletonswhichIthinknovel。The’castigatridendomores’
oughttobe,accordingtomyhumblelights,thegreatlaw,Imaysaytheonlylawofthestage。Ishouldthereforeshowmyselfpitilessforthoseworks,bredofimagination,inwhichmoralityhasnopart,andtowhichmothersoffamilies——"
"Excuseme,"saidlaPeyrade,"forinterruptingyou;butbeforeallowingyoutotakethetroubletodevelopyourpoeticalideas,I
oughttotellyouthatwehavealreadymadearrangementsforourdramaticcriticism。"
"Ah!that’sanotherthing,"saidPhellion;"anhonestmanmustkeephisword。"
"Yes,"saidThuillier,"wehaveourdramaticcritic,littlethinkingthatyouwouldofferusyourvaluableassistance。"
"Well,"saidPhellion,suddenlybecomingcrafty,——forthereissomethinginthenewspaperatmosphere,impossibletosaywhat,whichfliestothehead,thebourgeoisheadespecially,——"sinceyouaregoodenoughtoconsidermypencapableofdoingyousomeservice,perhapsaseriesofdetachedthoughtsondifferentsubjects,towhichIshouldventuretogivethenameof’Diversities,’mightbeofanaturetointerestyourreaders。"
"Yes,"saidlaPeyrade,withamaliciousnessthatwasquitelostuponPhellion,"thoughts,especiallyinthestyleoflaRochefoucauldorlaBruyere,mightdo。Whatdoyouthinkyourself,Thuillier?"
Hereservedtohimselftherighttoleavetheresponsibilityofrefusals,asfarashecould,totheproprietorofthepaper。
"ButIimaginethatthoughts,especiallyifdetached,cannotbeveryconsecutive,"saidThuillier。
"Evidentlynot,"repliedPhellion;"detachedthoughtsimplytheideaofaverygreatnumberofsubjectsonwhichtheauthorletshispenstraywithoutthepretensionofpresentingawhole。"
"Youwillofcoursesignthem?"saidlaPeyrade。
"Oh,no!"repliedPhellion,alarmed。"Icouldnotputmyselfonexhibitioninthatway。"
"Yourmodesty,whichbythebyeIunderstandandapprove,settlesthematter,"saidlaPeyrade。"Thoughtsareasubjectaltogetherindividual,whichimperativelyrequiretobepersonifiedbyaname。
Youmustbeconsciousofthisyourself。’DiversThoughtsbyMonsieurThree—Stars’saysnothingtothepublic。"
SeeingthatPhellionwasabouttomakeobjections,Thuillier,whowasinahurrytobeginhisfightwithlaPeyrade,cutthemattershortrathersharply。
"MydearPhellion,"hesaid,"Ibegyourpardonfornotbeingabletoenjoythepleasureofyourconversationanylonger,butwehavetotalk,laPeyradeandI,overamatterofmuchimportance,andinnewspaperofficesthisdevilishtimerunsawaysofast。Ifyouarewilling,wewillpostponethequestiontoanotherday。MadamePhellioniswell,Itrust?"
"Perfectlywell,"saidthegreatcitizen,rising,andnotappearingtoresenthisdismissal。"Whendoesyourfirstnumberappear?"headded;
"itiseagerlyawaitedinthearrondissement。"
"To—morrowIthinkourconfessionoffaithwillmakeitsappearance,"
repliedThuillier,accompanyinghimtothedoor。"Youwillreceiveacopy,mydearfriend。Weshallmeetagainsoon,Ihope。Comeandseeus,andbringthatmanuscript;laPeyrade’spointofviewmaybealittlearbitrary。"
Withthisbalmsheduponhiswound,Phelliondeparted,andThuillierrangthebellfortheporter。
"Couldyourecognizethegentlemenwhohasjustgoneoutthenexttimeyouseehim?"askedThuillier。
"Oh,yes,m’sieu,hisroundballofaheadistoofunnytoforget;
besides,itisMonsieurPhellion;haven’tIopenedthedoortohimhundredsoftimes?"
"Well,wheneverhecomesagainneitherInorMonsieurdelaPeyradewillbehere。Rememberthat’sapositiverule。Nowleaveus。"
"Thedevil!"criedlaPeyrade,whenthetwopartnerswerealone,"howyoumanagebores。Buttakecare;amongthenumbertheremaybeelectors。YoudidrighttotellPhellionyouwouldsendhimacopyofthepaper;hehasacertainimportanceinthequarter。"
"Well,"saidThuillier,"wecan’tallowourtimetobetakenupbyallthedull—headswhocomeandoffertheirservices。ButnowyouandI
havetotalk,andtalkveryseriously。Beseatedandlisten。"
"Doyouknow,mydearfellow,"saidlaPeyrade,laughing,"thatjournalismismakingyouintosomethingverysolemn?’Beseated,Cinna,’——CaesarAugustuscouldn’thavesaiditotherwise。"
"Cinnas,unfortunately,aremoreplentifulthanpeoplethink,"repliedThuillier。
HewasstillunderthegoadofthepromisehehadmadetoBrigitte,andhemeanttofulfilitwithcuttingsarcasm。Thetopcontinuedthewhirlingmotionimpartedtoitbytheoldmaid’slash。
LaPeyradetookaseatattheroundtable。Ashewaspuzzledtoknowwhatwascoming,heendeavoredtoseemunconcerned,andpickingupthelargescissorsusedfortheloanswhichallpapersmakefromthecolumnsoftheirbrethrenofthepress,hebegantosnipupasheetofpaper,onwhich,inThuillier’shandwriting,wasanattemptataleadingarticle,nevercompleted。
ThoughlaPeyradewasseatedandexpectant,Thuillierdidnotbeginimmediately;heroseandwenttowardthedoorwhichstoodajar,withtheintentionofclosingit。Butsuddenlyitwasflungwideopen,andCoffinetappeared。
"Willmonsieur,"saidCoffinettolaPeyrade,"receivetwoladies?
Theyareverywell—dressed,andtheyoungoneain’ttobedespised。"
"ShallIletthemin?"saidlaPeyradetoThuillier。
"Yes,sincetheyarehere,"growledThuillier;"butgetridofthemassoonaspossible。"
Coffinet’sjudgmentonthetoiletofthetwovisitorsneedsrevision。
Awomaniswell—dressed,notwhenshewearsrichclothes,butwhenherclothespresentacertainharmonyofshapesandcolorswhichformanappropriateandgracefulenvelopetoherperson。Nowabonnetwithaflaringbrim,surmountedbynoddingplumes,animmenseFrenchcashmereshawl,wornwiththeawkwardinexperienceofayoungbride,aplaidsilkgownwithenormouschecksandatripletierofflounceswithfartoomanychainsandtrinkets(thoughtobejust,thebootsandgloveswereirreproachable),constitutedtheappareloftheyoungeroftheseladies。Asfortheother,whoseemedtobeinthetowofherdressycompanion,shewasshort,squat,andhigh—colored,andworeabonnet,shawl,andgownwhichapractisedeyewouldatoncehaverecognizedassecondhand。Mothersofactressesarealwaysclothedbythisveryeconomicalprocess。Theirgarments,condemnedtotheserviceoftwogenerations,reversetheorderofthings,andgofromdescendantstoancestors。
Advancingtwochairs,laPeyradeinquired,"TowhomhaveIthehonorofspeaking?"
"Monsieur,"saidtheyoungervisitor,"Iamadramaticartist,andasIamabouttomakemyfirstappearanceinthisquarter,Iallowmyselftohopethatajournalofthislocalitywillfavorme。"
"Atwhattheatre?"askedlaPeyrade。
"TheFolies,whereIamengagedfortheDejazets。"
"TheFolies?"echoedlaPeyrade,inatonethatdemandedanexplanation。
"Folies—Dramatiques,"interposedtheagreeableMadameCardinal,whomthereaderhasdoubtlessrecognized。
"Whendoyouappear?"askedlaPeyrade。
"Nextweek,monsieur,——afairypieceinwhichIplayfiveparts。"
"You’llencourageher,monsieur,won’tyou?"saidMadameCardinal,inacoaxingvoice;"she’ssoyoung,andIcancertifysheworksdayandnight。"
"Mother!"saidOlympe,withauthority,"thepublicwilljudgeme;allIwantisthatmonsieurwillkindlypromisetonoticemydebut。"
"Verygood,mademoiselle,"saidlaPeyradeinatoneofdismissal,beginningtoedgethepairtothedoor。
OlympeCardinalwentfirst,leavinghermothertohurryafterherasbestshecould。
"Athometonoone!"criedThuilliertotheoffice—boyasheclosedthedoorandslippedthebolt。"Now,"hesaid,addressinglaPeyrade,"wewilltalk。Mydearfellow,"hewenton,startingwithirony,forherememberedtohaveheardthatnothingwasmoreconfusingtoanadversary,"Ihaveheardsomethingthatwillgiveyoupleasure。IknownowwhyMYpamphletwasseized。"
Sosaying,helookedfixedlyatlaPeyrade。
"Parbleu!"saidthelatterinanaturaltoneofvoice,"itwasseizedbecausetheychosetoseizeit。Theywantedtofind,andtheyfound,becausetheyalwaysfindthethingstheywant,whattheking’sadherentscall’subversivedoctrine。’"
"No,youarewrong,"saidThuillier;"theseizurewasplanned,concocted,andagreeduponbeforepublication。"
"Betweenwhom?"askedlaPeyrade。
"Betweenthosewhowantedtokillthepamphlet,andthewretcheswhowerepaidtobetrayit。"
"Well,inanycase,thosewhopaid,"saidlaPeyrade,"gotmightylittlefortheirmoney;for,persecutedthoughitwas,Idon’tseethatyourpamphletmademuchofastir。"
"Thosewhosoldmayhavedonebetter?"saidThuillierwithredoubledirony。
"Thosewhosold,"returnedlaPeyrade,"weretheclevererofthetwo。"
"Ah,Iknow,"saidThuillier,"thatyouthinkagreatdealofcleverness;butallowmetotellyouthatthepolice,whosehandIseeinallthis,doesn’tusuallythrowitsmoneyaway。"
AndagainhelookedfixedlyatlaPeyrade。
"So,"saidthebarrister,withoutwinking,"youhavediscoveredthatthepolicehadplottedinadvancethesmotheringofyourpamphlet?"
"Yes,mydearfellow;andwhatismore,Iknowtheactualsumpaidtothepersonwhoagreedtocarryoutthishonorableplot。"
"Theperson,"saidlaPeyrade,thinkingamoment,——"perhapsIknowtheperson;butasforthemoney,Idon’tknowawordaboutthat。"
"Well,Icantellyoutheamount。Itwastwenty—five——thousand——
francs,"saidThuillier,dwellingoneachword;"thatwasthesumpaidtoJudas。"
"Oh!excuseme,mydearfellow,buttwenty—fivethousandfrancsisagooddealofmoney。Idon’tdenythatyouhavebecomeanimportantman;butyouarenotsuchabugbeartothegovernmentastoleadittomakesuchsacrifices。Twenty—fivethousandfrancsisasmuchaswouldeverbegivenforthesuppressionofoneofthoseannoyingpamphletsabouttheCivillist。Butourfinanciallucubrationsdidn’tannoyinthatway;andsuchasumborrowedfromthesecret—servicemoneyforthemerepleasureofplaguingyou,seemstomeratherfabulous。"