bureaucracy-第48章

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mad；　Dutocq？　do　you　want　a　ball　in　your　brains　to　give　them　weight？〃



Dutocq。　〃I　said　nothing　against　Monsieur　Rabourdin；　only　it　has　just

been　told　to　me　in　confidence　that　he　has　written　a　paper　denouncing

all　the　clerks　and　officials；　and　full　of　facts　about　their　lives；　in

short；　the　reason　why　his　friends　support　him　is　because　he　has

written　this　paper　against　the　administration；　in　which　we　are　all

exposed〃



Phellion　＇in　a　loud　voice＇。　〃Monsieur　Rabourdin　is　incapable　of〃



Bixiou。　〃Very　proper　in　you　to　say　so。　Tell　me；　Dutocq〃　＇they　whisper

together　and　then　go　into　the　corridor＇。



Bixiou。　〃What　has　happened？〃



Dutocq。　〃Do　you　remember　what　I　said　to　you　about　that　caricature？〃



Bixiou。　〃Yes；　what　then？〃



Dutocq。　〃Make　it；　and　you　shall　be　under…head…clerk　with　a　famous　fee。

The　fact　is；　my　dear　fellow；　there's　dissension　among　the　powers　that

be。　The　minister　is　pledged　to　Rabourdin；　but　if　he　doesn't　appoint

Baudoyer　he　offends　the　priests　and　their　party。　You　see；　the　King；

the　Dauphin　and　the　Dauphine；　the　clergy；　and　lastly　the　court；　all

want　Baudoyer；　the　minister　wants　Rabourdin。〃



Bixiou。　〃Good！〃



Dutocq。　〃To　ease　the　matter　off；　the　minister；　who　sees　he　must　give

way；　wants　to　strangle　the　difficulty。　We　must　find　some　good　reason

for　getting　rid　of　Rabourdin。　Now　somebody　has　lately　unearthed　a

paper　of　his；　exposing　the　present　system　of　administration　and

wanting　to　reform　it；　and　that　paper　is　going　the　rounds；at　least；

this　is　how　I　understand　the　matter。　Make　the　drawing　we　talked　of；　in

so　doing　you'll　play　the　game　of　all　the　big　people；　and　help　the

minister；　the　court；　the　clergy；in　short；　everybody；　and　you'll　get

your　appointment。　Now　do　you　understand　me？〃



Bixiou。　〃I　don't　understand　how　you　came　to　know　all　that；　perhaps　you

are　inventing　it。〃



Dutocq。　〃Do　you　want　me　to　let　you　see　what　Rabourdin　wrote　about

you？〃



Bixiou。　〃Yes。〃



Dutocq。　〃Then　come　home　with　me；　for　I　must　put　the　document　into　safe

keeping。〃



Bixiou。　〃You　go　first　alone。〃　＇Re…enters　the　bureau　Rabourdin。＇　〃What

Dutocq　told　you　is　really　all　true；　word　of　honor！　It　seems　that

Monsieur　Rabourdin　has　written　and　sent　in　very　unflattering

descriptions　of　the　clerks　whom　he　wants　to　'reform。'　That's　the　real

reason　why　his　secret　friends　wish　him　appointed。　Well；　well；　we　live

in　days　when　nothing　astonishes　me〃　＇flings　his　cloak　about　him　like

Talma；　and　declaims＇：



　　〃Thou　who　has　seen　the　fall　of　grand；　illustrious　heads；

　　Why　thus　amazed；　insensate　that　thou　art；



〃to　find　a　man　like　Rabourdin　employing　such　means？　Baudoyer　is　too

much　of　a　fool　to　know　how　to　use　them。　Accept　my　congratulations；

gentlemen；　either　way　you　are　under　a　most　illustrious　chief〃　＇goes

off＇。



Poiret。　〃I　shall　leave　this　ministry　without　ever　comprehending　a

single　word　that　gentleman　utters。　What　does　he　mean　with　his　'heads

that　fall'？〃



Fleury。　〃'Heads　that　fell？'　why；　think　of　the　four　sergeants　of

Rochelle；　Ney；　Berton；　Caron；　the　brothers　Faucher；　and　the

massacres。〃



Phellion。　〃He　asserts　very　flippantly　things　that　he　only　guesses　at。〃



Fleury。　〃Say　at　once　that　he　lies；　in　his　mouth　truth　itself　turns　to

corrosion。〃



Phellion。　〃Your　language　is　unparliamentary　and　lacks　the　courtesy　and

consideration　which　are　due　to　a　colleague。〃



Vimeux。　〃It　seems　to　me　that　if　what　he　says　is　false；　the　proper　name

for　it　is　calumny；　defamation　of　character；　and　such　a　slanderer

deserves　the　thrashing。〃



Fleury　＇getting　hot＇。　〃If　the　government　offices　are　public　places；

the　matter　ought　to　be　taken　into　the　police…courts。〃



Phellion　＇wishing　to　avert　a　quarrel；　tries　to　turn　the　conversation＇。

〃Gentleman；　might　I　ask　you　to　keep　quiet？　I　am　writing　a　little

treatise　on　moral　philosophy；　and　I　am　just　at　the　heart　of　it。〃



Fleury　＇interrupting＇。　〃What　are　you　saying　about　it；　Monsieur

Phellion？〃



Phellion　＇reading＇。　〃Question。What　is　the　soul　of　man？



〃Answer。A　spiritual　substance　which　thinks　and　reasons。〃



Thuillier。　〃Spiritual　substance！　you　might　as　well　talk　about

immaterial　stone。〃



Poiret。　〃Don't　interrupt；　let　him　go　on。〃



Phellion　＇continuing＇。　〃Quest。Whence　comes　the　soul？



〃Ans。From　God；　who　created　it　of　a　nature　one　and　indivisible；　the

destructibility　thereof　is；　consequently；　not　conceivable；　and　he　hath

said〃



Poiret　＇amazed＇。　〃God　said？〃



Phellion。　〃Yes；　monsieur；　tradition　authorizes　the　statement。〃



Fleury　＇to　Poiret＇。　〃Come；　don't　interrupt；　yourself。〃



Phellion　＇resuming＇。　〃and　he　hath　said　that　he　created　it　immortal；

in　other　words；　the　soul　can　never　die。



〃Quest。What　are　the　uses　of　the　soul？



〃Ans。To　comprehend；　to　will；　to　remember；　these　constitute

understanding；　volition；　memory。



〃Quest。What　are　the　uses　of　the　understanding？



〃Ans。To　know。　It　is　the　eye　of　the　soul。〃



Fleury。　〃And　the　soul　is　the　eye　of　what？〃



Phellion　＇continuing＇。　〃Quest。What　ought　the　understanding　to　know？



〃Ans。Truth。



〃Quest。Why　does　man　possess　volition？



〃Ans。To　love　good　and　hate　evil。



〃Quest。What　is　good？



〃Ans。That　which　makes　us　happy。〃



Vimeux。　〃Heavens！　do　you　teach　that　to　young　ladies？〃



Phellion。　〃Yes〃　＇continuing＇。　〃Quest。How　many　kinds　of　good　are

there？〃



Fleury。　〃Amazingly　indecorous；　to　say　the　least。〃



Phellion　＇aggrieved＇。　〃Oh；　monsieur！〃　＇Controlling　himself。＇　〃But

here's　the　answer；that's　as　far　as　I　have　got〃　＇reads＇：



〃Ans。There　are　two　kinds　of　good；eternal　good　and　temporal　good。〃



Poiret　＇with　a　look　of　contempt＇。　〃And　does　that　sell　for　anything？〃



Phellion。　〃I　hope　it　will。　It　requires　great　application　of　mind　to

carry　on　a　system　of　questions　and　answers；　that　is　why　I　ask　you　to

be　quiet　and　let　me　think；　for　the　answers〃



Thuillier　＇interrupting＇。　〃The　answers　might　be　sold　separately。〃



Poiret。　〃Is　that　a　pun？〃



Thuillier。　〃No；　a　riddle。〃



Phellion。　〃I　am　sorry　I　interrupted　you〃　＇he　dives　into　his　office

desk＇。　〃But〃　＇to　himself＇　〃at　any　rate；　I　have　stopped　their　talking

about　Monsieur　Rabourdin。〃



At　this　moment　a　scene　was　taking　place　between　the　minister　and　des

Lupeaulx　which　decided　Rabourdin's　fate。　The　general…secretary　had

gone　to　see　the　minister　in　his　private　study　before　the　breakfast…

hour；　to　make　sure　that　La　Briere　was　not　within　hearing。



〃Your　Excellency　is　not　treating　me　frankly〃



〃He　means　a　quarrel；〃　thought　the　minister；　〃and　all　because　his

mistress　coquetted　with　me　last　night。　I　did　not　think　you　so

juvenile；　my　dear　friend；〃　he　said　aloud。



〃Friend？〃　said　the　general…secretary；　〃that　is　what　I　want　to　find

out。〃



The　minister　looked　haughtily　at　des　Lupeaulx。



〃We　are　alone；〃　continued　the　secretary；　〃and　we　can　come　to　an

understanding。　The　deputy　of　the　arrondissement　in　which　my　estate　is

situated〃



〃So　it　is　really　an　estate！〃　said　the　minister；　laughing；　to　hide　his

surprise。



〃Increased　by　a　recent　purchase　of　two　hundred　thousand　francs'　worth

of　adjacent　property；〃　replied　des　Lupeaulx；　carelessly。　〃You　knew　of

the　deputy's　approaching　resignation　at　least　ten　days　ago；　and　you

did　not　tell　me　of　it。　You　were　perhaps　not　bound　to　do　so；　but　you

knew　very　well　that　I　am　most　anxious　to　take　my　seat　in　the　centre。

Has　it　occurred　to　you　that　I　might　fling　myself　back　on　the

'Doctrine'？which；　let　me　tell　you；　will　destroy　the　administration

and　the　monarchy　both　if　you　continue　to　allow　the　party　of

representative　government　to　be　recruited　from　men　of　talent　whom　you

ignore。　Don't　you　know　that　in　every　nation　there　are　fifty　to　sixty；

not　more；　dangerous　heads；　whose　schemes　are　in　proportion　to　their

ambition？　The　secret　of　knowing　how　to　govern　is　to　know　those　heads

well；　and　either　to　chop　them　off　or　buy　them。　I　don't　know　how　much

talent　I　have；　but　I　know　that　I　have　am