His budget was very honestly put together. And, apart from the irregularities that had now become230 regular as the result of a faulty administration common to the whole Republic, nothing worthy7 of blame could be discovered in it. M. Worms-Clavelin knew this. He felt himself strong in his integrity. But the polemics8 of the press put him out of patience. His heart was saddened by the animosity of his opponents and the rancour of the parties that he believed he had disarmed9. After so many sacrifices he was pained at not having won the esteem10 of the Conservatives, which he secretly valued far more highly than the friendship of the Republicans. He would have to inspire le Phare with pointed11 and forceful replies, to conduct a lively, and, perhaps protracted12 war. This thought was harassing13 to the deep slothfulness of his mind and alarming to his prudence14, which feared every action as a source of peril15.
Thus he was in a very bad temper. And it was in a sharp voice that, throwing himself into the old leather arm-chair, he inquired of Rondonneau junior whether M. Guitrel had arrived. M. Guitrel had not yet come. So M. Worms-Clavelin, roughly snatching a paper from the jeweller’s desk, tried to read while smoking his cigar. But neither political ideas nor tobacco-smoke served to dispel17 the gloomy pictures that crowded into his mind. He read with his eyes, but thought of the attacks of le Libéral: “Transfer! There are not fifty people in the county town who know what a transfer is. And here I can see all the231 idiots in the department shaking their heads and solemnly repeating the phrase in their newspaper: ‘We regret to see that M. le préfet has not abandoned the detestable and exploded practice of making transfers.’” He fell into thought. The ash from his cigar lavishly18 bestrewed his waistcoat. He went on thinking: “Why does le Libéral attack me? I got its candidate returned. My department shows the greatest number of new adherents19 at election-times.” He turned over the page of the paper. He thought on again: “I have not covered up a deficit20. The sums voted on the presentation of the estimates have not been spent in a different way from what was proposed. These people don’t know how to read a budget. And they are disingenuous21.” He shrugged22 his shoulders; and gloomy, indifferent to the cigar ash which covered his chest and thighs23, he plunged24 into the reading of his paper.
His eyes fell on these lines:
“We learn that a fire having broken out in a faubourg of Tobolsk, sixty wooden houses have fallen a prey25 to the flames. In consequence of the disaster more than a hundred families are homeless and starving.”
As he read this, M. le préfet Worms-Clavelin emitted a deep shout, something like a triumphal growl26, and, aiming a kick at the jeweller’s desk:
232 “I say, Rondonneau, Tobolsk is a Russian town, isn’t it?”
Rondonneau, raising his innocent, bald head towards the préfet, replied that Tobolsk was, indeed, a town in Asiatic Russia.
“Well,” cried M. le préfet Worms-Clavelin, “we are going to give an entertainment for the benefit of the sufferers by the fire at Tobolsk.”
And he added between his teeth:
“I’ll make?… a Russian entertainment for ’em. I shall have six weeks’ peace, and they won’t talk any more about transfers.”
At that moment Abbé Guitrel, with anxious eyes, his hat under his arm, entered the jeweller’s shop.
“Do you know, monsieur l’abbé,” said the préfet to him, “that, by general request, I am authorising entertainments for the benefit of the sufferers from the fire at Tobolsk—concerts, special performances, bazaars27, &c.? I hope that the Church will join in these benevolent28 entertainments.”
“The Church, monsieur le préfet,” replied Abbé Guitrel, “has her hands full of comfort for the afflicted29 who come to her. And doubtless her prayers?…”
“à propos, my dear abbé, your affairs are not getting on at all. I come from Paris. I saw the friends whom I have at the Department of Religion.233 And I bring back bad news. To start with, there are eighteen of you.”
“Eighteen?”
“Eighteen candidates for the bishopric of Tourcoing. In the first rank is Abbé Olivet, curé of one of the richest parishes in Paris, and the president’s candidate. Next there is Abbé Lavardin, vicar-general at Grenoble. Ostensibly, he is supported by the nuncio.”
“I have not the honour of knowing M. Lavardin, but I do not think he can be the candidate of the nunciature. It is possible that the nuncio has his favourite. But assuredly that favourite remains31 unknown. The nunciature does not solicit32 on behalf of its protégés. It insists on their appointment.”
“Ah! ah! monsieur l’abbé, they are cute at the nunciature.”
“Monsieur le préfet, the members of it are not all eminent33 in themselves; but they have on their side unbroken tradition, and their action is guided by secular34 rules. It is a force, monsieur le préfet, a great force.”
“By Jove, yes! But we were saying that there is the president’s candidate and the nuncio’s candidate. There is also your own Archbishop’s candidate. When they first mentioned him, I thought to myself that it was you.?… We were wrong,234 my poor friend. Monseigneur Charlot’s protégé—I’ll wager35 you won’t guess who it is.”
“Don’t make a wager, monsieur le préfet, don’t make a wager. I would bet that the candidate of Monseigneur the Cardinal-Archbishop is his vicar-general, M. de Goulet.”
“How do you know that? I did not know it myself.”
“Monsieur le préfet, you are not unaware36 that Monseigneur Charlot dreads37 that he may find himself saddled with a coadjutor, and that his old age, otherwise so august and serene38, is darkened by this fear. He is afraid lest M. de Goulet should, so to say, attract this nomination39 to himself, as much by his personal merits as by the knowledge that he has acquired of the affairs of the diocese. And His Eminence40 is still more desirous, and even impatient, to separate himself from his vicar-general, since M. de Goulet belongs by birth to the nobility of the district, and through that fact shines with a brilliancy which is far too dazzling for Monseigneur Charlot. Since, on the contrary, Monseigneur does not rejoice in being the son of an honest artisan who, like Saint Paul, worked at the trade of weaver41!”
“You know, Monsieur Guitrel, that they also talk of M. Lantaigne. He is the protégé of Madame Cartier de Chalmot. And General Cartier de Chalmot, although clerical and reactionary42, is much235 respected in Paris. He is recognised as one of the ablest and most intelligent of our generals. Even his opinions, at this moment, are advantageous43 rather than harmful to him. With a ministry44 disposed to reunion, reactionaries45 get all that they want. They are needed; they give the turn to the scale. And then the Russian alliance and the Czar’s friendship have contributed to restore to the aristocracy and the army of our nation a part of their ancient prestige. We are shunting the Republic on to a certain distinction of mind and manners. Moreover, a general tendency towards authority and stability is declaring itself. I do not, however, believe that M. Lantaigne has great chances. In the first place, I have reported most unfavourably with regard to him. I have represented him in high places as a militant46 monarchist. I have described his uncompromising ways, his cross-grained temperament47. And I have painted a sympathetic portrait of you, my dear Guitrel. I have shown off your moderation, your pliancy48, your politic16 mind, your respect for republican institutions.”
“I am very grateful to you for your kindness, monsieur le préfet. And what did they reply?”
“You want to know that. Well! they replied: ‘We know such candidates as your M. Guitrel. Once nominated, they are worse than the others. They show more zeal49 against us. That is easily236 accounted for. They have more to beg pardon for of their own party.’”
“Is it possible, monsieur le préfet, that they talked like this in high places?”
“Ha! yes. And my interlocutor added this: ‘I do not like candidates for the episcopacy who show too much zeal for our institutions. If I could get a hearing, the choice would be made from among the others. In the civil and political ranks they prefer officials who are most devoted50, most attached to the government. Nothing can be better. But there are no priests devoted to the Republic. In this case, the wise thing is always to take the most honest men.’”
And the préfet, throwing the chewed end of his cigar into the middle of the floor, finished with these words:
“You see, my poor Guitrel, that your affairs are not making headway.”
“I do not see, Monsieur le préfet, I do not perceive anything, in such speeches, that is calculated to produce in you this impression of … discouragement. On the contrary, I should rather derive52 from it a sentiment of?… confidence.?…”
M. le préfet Worms-Clavelin lit a cigar and said with a laugh:
“Who knows whether they are not right, at the237 bureaux??… But reassure53 yourself, my dear abbé, I do not abandon you. Let’s see, whom have we on our side?”
He opened his left hand, in order to count on his fingers.
They both considered.
They found a senator of the department who was beginning to emerge from the difficulties into which the recent scandals had plunged him, a retired54 general, politician, publicist and financier, the bishop30 of Ecbatana, well known in the artistic55 world, and Théophile Mayer, the friend of the ministers.
“But, my dear Guitrel,” cried the préfet, “you have only the rag-tag and bobtail on your side.”
Abbé Guitrel endured these manners, but he did not like them. He looked at the préfet with a saddened air and pressed his sinuous56 lips together. M. Worms-Clavelin, who had no spite, regretted the playfulness of his words and took pains to console the old man:
“Come! come! they are by no means the worst protectors. Besides, my wife is for you. And Noémi by herself is well able to make a bishop.”
The End
The End
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1
bad-tempered
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| adj.脾气坏的 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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censured
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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polemics
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| n.辩论术，辩论法；争论( polemic的名词复数 )；辩论；辩论术；辩论法 | |
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disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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13
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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14
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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15
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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lavishly
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| adv.慷慨地，大方地 | |
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adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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deficit
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| n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差 | |
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21
disingenuous
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| adj.不诚恳的，虚伪的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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25
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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26
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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27
bazaars
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| （东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场 | |
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28
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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solicit
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| vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意) | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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dreads
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| n.恐惧，畏惧( dread的名词复数 )；令人恐惧的事物v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的第三人称单数 ) | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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39
nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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41
weaver
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| n.织布工；编织者 | |
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42
reactionary
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| n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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reactionaries
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| n.反动分子，反动派( reactionary的名词复数 ) | |
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46
militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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47
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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48
pliancy
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| n.柔软，柔顺 | |
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49
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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50
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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51
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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53
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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54
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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55
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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sinuous
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| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
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