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第35章

sons of the soil-第35章

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anti…religion jokes of the liberal sheet formed the public opinion of

the valley des Aigues。 Rigou; like the VENERABLE Abbe Gregoire; became

a hero。 For him; as for certain Parisian bankers; politics spread a

mantle of popularity over his shameful dishonesty。



At this particular time the perjured monk; like Francois Keller the

great orator; was looked upon as a defender of the rights of the

people;he who; not so very long before; dared not walk in the fields

after dark; lest he should stumble into pitfalls where he would seem

to have been killed by accident! Persecute a man politically and you

not only magnify him; but you redeem his past and make it innocent。

The liberal party was a great worker of miracles in this respect。 Its

dangerous journal; which had the wit to make itself as commonplace; as

calumniating; as credulous; and as sillily perfidious as every

audience made up the general masses; did in all probability as much

injury to private interests as it did to those of the Church。



Rigou flattered himself that he should find in a Bonapartist general

now laid on the shelf; in a son of the people raised from nothing by

the Revolution; a sound enemy to the Bourbons and the priests。 But the

general; bearing in mind his private ambitions; so arranged matters as

to evade the visit of Monsieur and Madame Rigou when he first came to

Les Aigues。



When you have become better acquainted with the terrible character of

Rigou; the lynx of the valley; you will understand the full extent of

the second capital blunder which the general's aristocratic ambitions

led him to commit; and which the countess made all the greater by an

offence which will be described in the further history of Rigou。



If Montcornet had courted the mayor's good…will; if he had sought his

friendship; perhaps the influence of the renegade might have

neutralized that of Gaubertin。 Far from that; three suits were now

pending in the courts of Ville…aux…Fayes between the general and the

ex…monk。 Until the present time the general had been so absorbed in

his personal interests and in his marriage that he had never

remembered Rigou; but when Sibilet advised him to get himself made

mayor in Rigou's place; he took post…horses and went to see the

prefect。



The prefect; Comte Martial de la Roche…Hugon; had been a friend of the

general since 1804; and it was a word from him said to Montcornet in a

conversation in Paris; which brought about the purchase of Les Aigues。

Comte Martial; a prefect under Napoleon; remained a prefect under the

Bourbons; and courted the bishop to retain his place。 Now it happened

that Monseigneur had several times requested him to get rid of Rigou。

Martial; to whom the condition of the district was perfectly well

known; was delighted with the general's request; so that in less than

a month the Comte de Montcornet was mayor of Blangy。



By one of those accidents which come about naturally; the general met;

while at the prefecture where his friend put him up; a non…

commissioned officer of the ex…Imperial guard; who had been cheated

out of his retiring pension。 The general had already; under other

circumstances; done a service to the brave cavalryman; whose name was

Groison; the man; remembering it; now told him his troubles; admitting

that he was penniless。 The general promised to get him his pension;

and proposed that he should take the place of field…keeper to the

district of Blangy; as a way of paying off his score of gratitude by

devotion to the new mayor's interests。 The appointments of master and

man were made simultaneously; and the general gave; as may be

supposed; very firm instructions to his subordinate。



Vaudoyer; the displaced keeper; a peasant on the Ronquerolles estate;

was only fit; like most field…keepers; to stalk about; and gossip; and

let himself be petted by the poor of the district; who asked nothing

better than to corrupt at subaltern authority;the advanced guard; as

it were; of the land…owners。 He knew Soudry; the brigadier at

Soulanges; for brigadiers of gendarmerie; performing functions that

are semi…judicial in drawing up criminal indictments; have much to do

with the rural keepers; who are; in fact; their natural spies。 Soudry;

being appealed to; sent Vaudoyer to Gaubertin; who received his old

acquaintance very cordially; and invited him to drink while listening

to the recital of his troubles。



〃My dear friend;〃 said the mayor of Ville…aux…Fayes; who could talk to

every man in his own language; 〃what has happened to you is likely to

happen to us all。 The nobles are back upon us。 The men to whom the

Emperor gave titles make common cause with the old nobility。 They all

want to crush the people; re…establish their former rights and take

our property from us。 But we are Burgundians; we must resist; and

drive those Arminacs back to Paris。 Return to Blangy; you shall be

agent for Monsieur Polissard; the wood…merchant; who is contractor for

the forest of Ronquerolles。 Don't be uneasy; my lad; I'll find you

enough to do for the whole of the coming year。 But remember one thing;

the wood is for ourselves! Not a single depredation; or the thing is

at an end。 Send all interlopers to Les Aigues。 If there's brush or

fagots to sell make people buy ours; don't let them buy of Les Aigues。

You'll get back to your place as field…keeper before long; this thing

can't last。 The general will get sick of living among thieves。 Did you

know that that Shopman called me a thief; me!son of the stanchest

and most incorruptible of republicans; me!the son in law of Mouchon;

that famous representative of the people; who died without leaving me

enough to bury him?〃



The general raised the salary of the new field…keeper to three hundred

francs; and built a town…hall; in which he gave him a residence。 Then

he married him to a daughter of one of his tenant…farmers; who had

lately died; leaving her an orphan with three acres of vineyard。

Groison attached himself to the general as a dog to his master。 This

legitimate fidelity was admitted by the whole community。 The keeper

was feared and respected; but like the captain of a vessel whose

ship's company hate him; the peasantry shunned him as they would a

leper。 Met either in silence or with sarcasms veiled under a show of

good…humor; the new keeper was a sentinel watched by other sentinels。

He could do nothing against such numbers。 The delinquents took delight

in plotting depredations which it was impossible for him to prove; and

the old soldier grew furious at his helplessness。 Groison found the

excitement of a war of factions in his duties; and all the pleasures

of the chase;a chase after petty delinquents。 Trained in real war to

a loyalty which consists in part of playing a fair game; this enemy of

traitors came at last to hate these people; so treacherous in their

conspiracies; and so clever in their thefts that they mortified his

self…esteem。 He soon observed that the depredations were committed

only at Les Aigues; all the other estates were respected。 At first he

despised a peasantry ungrateful enough to pillage a general of the

Empire; an essentially kind and generous man; presently; however; he

added hatred to contempt。 But multiply himself as he would; he could

not be everywhere; and the enemy pillaged everywhere that he was not。

Groison made the general understand that it was necessary to organize

the defence on a war footing; and proved to him the insufficiency of

his own devoted efforts and the evil disposition of the inhabitants of

the valley。



〃There is something behind it all; general;〃 he said; 〃these people

are so bold they fear nothing; they seem to rely on the favor of the

good God。〃



〃We shall see;〃 replied the count。



Fatal word! The verb 〃to see〃 has no future tense for politicians。



At the moment; Montcornet was considering another difficulty; which

seemed to him more pressing。 he needed an alter ego to do 

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