the deputy of arcis-第67章

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〃Monsieur　the　minister　of　Public　Works；　who；　on　the　eve　of　the　battle；　wishes　me　to　introduce　him　to　a　general　of　the　enemy's　army。〃

〃Monsieur　le　ministre　does　me　too　much　honor；〃　replied　Sallenauve；　ceremoniously。　〃Far　from　being　a　general；　I　am　a　private　soldier；　and　a　very　unknown　one。〃

〃Hum！〃　said　the　minister；　〃it　seems　to　me　that　the　battle　at　Arcis…　sur…Aube　was　not　an　insignificant　victory；　you　routed　our　ranks；　monsieur；　in　a　singular　manner。〃

〃There　was　nothing　wonderful　in　that；　you　must　have　heard　that　a　saint　fought　for　us。〃

〃Well；　at　any　rate；〃　said　Rastignac；　〃I　prefer　this　result　to　the　one　arranged　for　us　by　a　man　I　thought　cleverer　than　he　proved　to　be；　whom　I　sent　down　there。　It　seems　that　Beauvisage　is　a　perfect　nonentity；　he'd　have　rubbed　off　upon　us；　and　after　all；　he　was　really　as　much　Left　centre　as　the　other　man；　Giguet。　Now　the　Left　centre　is　our　real　enemy；　because　it　is　aiming　to　get　our　portfolios。〃

〃Oh！〃　said　Monsieur　de　l'Estorade；　〃after　what　we　heard　of　the　man；　I　think　he　would　have　done　exactly　what　was　wanted　of　him。〃

〃My　dear　friend；　don't　believe　that；〃　said　the　minister。　〃Fools　are　often　more　tenacious　of　the　flag　under　which　they　enlisted　than　we　think　for。　Besides；　to　go　over　to　the　enemy　is　to　make　a　choice；　and　that　supposes　an　operation　of　the　mind；　it　is　much　easier　to　be　obstinate。〃

〃I　agree　with　the　minister；〃　said　Sallenauve；　〃extreme　innocence　and　extreme　rascality　are　equally　able　to　defend　themselves　against　seduction。〃

Here　Monsieur　de　l'Estorade；　seeing；　or　pretending　to　see；　a　signal　made　to　him；　looked　over　his　shoulder　and　said；

〃I'm　coming。〃

And　the　two　adversaries　being　thus　buckled　together；　he　hastened　away　as　if　summoned　to　some　duty　as　master　of　the　house。

Sallenauve　was　anxious　not　to　seem　disturbed　at　finding　himself　alone　with　the　minister。　The　meeting　having　come　about；　he　decided　to　endure　it　with　a　good　grace；　and；　taking　the　first　word；　he　asked　if　the　ministry　had　prepared；　in　view　of　the　coming　sessions；　a　large　number　of　bills。

〃No；　very　few；〃　replied　Rastignac。　〃To　tell　the　truth；　we　do　not　expect　to　be　in　power　very　long；　we　brought　about　an　election　because　in　the　general　confusion　into　which　the　press　has　thrown　public　opinion；　our　constitutional　duty　was　to　force　that　opinion　to　reconstitute　itself；　but　the　fact　is；　we　did　not　expect　the　result　to　be　favorable　to　us；　and　we　are　therefore　taken　somewhat　unawares。〃

〃You　are　like　the　peasant；〃　said　Sallenauve；　laughing；　〃who；　expecting　the　end　of　the　world；　did　not　sow　his　wheat。〃

〃Well；　we　don't　look　upon　our　retirement　as　the　end　of　the　world；〃　said　Rastignac；　modestly；　〃there　are　men　to　come　after　us；　and　many　of　them　well　able　to　govern；　only；　as　we　expected　to　give　but　few　more　representations　in　that　transitory　abode　called　'power；'　we　have　not　unpacked　either　our　costumes　or　our　scenery。　Besides；　the　coming　session；　in　any　case；　can　only　be　a　business　session。　The　question　now　is；　of　course；　between　the　palace；　that　is；　personal　influence；　and　the　doctrine　of　parliamentary　supremacy。　This　question　will　naturally　come　up　when　the　vote　is　taken　on　the　secret…service　fund。　Whenever；　in　one　way　or　the　other；　that　is　settled；　and　the　budget　is　voted；　together　with　a　few　bills　of　secondary　interest；　Parliament　has　really　completed　its　task；　it　will　have　put　an　end　to　a　distressing　struggle；　and　the　country　will　know　to　which　of　the　two　parties　it　can　look　for　the　development　of　its　prosperity。〃

〃And　you　think；〃　said　Sallenauve；　〃that　in　a　well…balanced　system　of　government　that　question　is　a　useful　one　to　raise？〃

〃Well；〃　replied　Rastignac；　〃we　have　not　raised　it。　It　is　born　perhaps　of　circumstances；　a　great　deal；　as　I　think；　from　the　restlessness　of　certain　ambitions；　and　also　from　the　tactics　of　parties。〃

〃So　that；　in　your　opinion；　one　of　the　combatants　is　not　guilty　and　has　absolutely　nothing　to　reproach　himself　with？〃

〃You　are　a　republican；〃　said　Rastignac；　〃and　therefore；　/a　priori/；　an　enemy　to　the　dynasty。　I　think　I　should　lose　my　time　in　trying　to　change　your　ideas　on　the　policy　you　complain　of。〃

〃You　are　mistaken；〃　said　the　theoretical　republican　deputy；　〃I　have　no　preconceived　hatred　to　the　reigning　dynasty。　I　even　think　that　in　its　past；　/striped/；　if　I　may　say　so；　with　royal　affinities　and　revolutionary　memories；　it　has　all　that　is　needed　to　respond　to　the　liberal　and　monarchical　instincts　of　the　nation。　But　you　will　find　it　difficult　to　persuade　me　that　in　the　present　head　of　the　dynasty　we　shall　not　find　extreme　ideas　of　personal　influence；　which　in　the　long　run　will　undermine　and　subvert　the　finest　as　well　as　the　strongest　institutions。〃

〃Yes；〃　said　Rastignac；　ironically；　〃and　they　are　saved　by　the　famous　axiom　of　the　deputy　of　Sancerre：　'The　king　reigns；　but　does　not　govern。'〃

Whether　he　was　tired　of　standing　to　converse；　or　whether　he　wished　to　prove　his　ease　in　releasing　himself　from　the　trap　which　had　evidently　been　laid　for　him；　Sallenauve；　before　replying；　drew　up　a　chair　for　his　interlocutor；　and；　taking　one　himself；　said；

〃Will　you　permit　me　to　cite　the　example　of　another　royal　behavior？　that　of　a　prince　who　was　not　considered　indifferent　to　his　royal　prerogative；　and　who　was　not　ignorant　of　constitutional　mechanism〃

〃Louis　XVIII。；〃　said　Rastignac；　〃or；　as　the　newspapers　used　to　call　him；　'the　illustrious　author　of　the　Charter'？〃

〃Precisely；　and　will　you　kindly　tell　me　where　he　died？〃

〃/Parbleu/！　at　the　Tuileries。〃

〃And　his　successor？〃

〃In　exileOh！　I　see　what　you　are　coming　to。〃

〃My　conclusion　is　certainly　not　difficult　to　guess。　But　have　you　fully　remarked　the　deduction　to　be　drawn　from　that　royal　career？for　which　I　myself　feel　the　greatest　respect。　Louis　XVIII。　was　not　a　citizen　king。　He　granted　this　Charter；　but　he　never　consented　to　it。　Born　nearer　to　the　throne　than　the　prince　whose　regrettable　tendencies　I　mentioned　just　now；　he　might　naturally　share　more　deeply　still　the　ideas；　the　prejudices；　and　the　infatuations　of　the　court；　in　person　he　was　ridiculous　（a　serious　princely　defect　in　France）；　he　bore　the　brunt　of　a　new　and　untried　regime；　he　succeeded　a　government　which　had　intoxicated　the　people　with　that　splendid　gilded　smoke　called　glory；　and　if　he　was　not　actually　brought　back　to　France　by　foreigners；　at　any　rate　he　came　as　the　result　of　the　armed　invasion　of　Europe。　Now；　shall　I　tell　you　why；　in　spite　of　all　these　defects　and　disadvantages；　in　spite；　too；　of　the　ceaseless　conspiracy　kept　up　against　his　government；　it　was　given　to　him　to　die　tranquilly　in　his　bed　at　the　Tuileries？〃

〃Because　he　had　made　himself　a　constitutional　king；〃　said　Rastignac；　with　a　slight　shrug　of　his　shoulders。　〃But　do　you　mean　to　say　that　we　are　not　that？〃

〃In　the　letter；　yes；　in　the　spirit；　no。　When　Louis　XVIII。　gave　his　confidence　to　a　minister；　he　gave　it　sincerely　and　wholly。　He　did　not　cheat　him；　he　played　honestly　into　his　hand；witness　the　famous　ordinance　of　September　5；　and　the　dissolution　of　the　Chamber；　which　was　more　Royalist　than　himself；a　thing　he　had　the　wisdom　not　to　desire。　Later；　a　movement　of　public　opinion　shook　the　minister　who　had　led　him　along　that　path；　that　minister　was　his　favorite；　his　son；　as　he　called　him。　No　matter；　yielding　to　the　constitutional　necessity；　he　bravely　sent　him　to　foreign　parts；　after　loading　him　with　crosses　and　titles；in　short；　with　everything　that　could　soften　the　pain　of　his　fall；　and　he　did　not　watch　and　manoeuvre　surreptitiously　to　bring　him　back　to　power；　which　that　minister　never　regained。〃

〃For　a　man　who　declares　he　does　not　hate　us；〃　said　Rastignac；　〃you　treat　us　rather　roughly。　According　to　you　we　are　almost　faithless　to　the　constitutional　compact；　and　our　policy；　to　your　thinking　ambiguous　and　tortuous；　gives　us　a　certain　distant　likeness　to　Monsieur　Doublemain　in　the　'Mariage　de　Figaro。'〃

〃I　do　not　say　that　the　evil　is　as　deep　as　that；〃　replied　Sallenauve；　〃perhaps；　after　all；　/we/　are　simply　a　/faiseur/；using　the　word；　be　it　understood；　in　the　sense　of　a　meddler；　one　who　wants　to　have　his　finger　in　everything。〃

〃Ah！　monsieur；　but　suppose　we　are　the　ablest　politician　in　the　country。〃

〃If　we　are；　it　does　not　follow　that　our　kingdom　ought　not　t