'Good, very good,' he said; 'you express the music of that beautiful tongue excellently.'
Then, glancing at the timepiece with an expression of uneasiness, he added:
'Has Abbé Faujas been here yet this morning? Ah, my child, what a dreadful time I've had! My ears are still buzzing with the abominable3 uproar4 of the railway. It was raining the whole time I was in Paris. I had to rush all over the place, and saw nothing but mud everywhere.'
Abbé Surin laid his book on the corner of a small table.
'Is your lordship satisfied with the results of your journey?' he asked, with the familiarity of a petted favourite.
'I have learnt what I wanted to know,' the Bishop5 replied with his subtle smile. 'I ought to have taken you with me. You would have learnt a good many things that it would be useful for you to know at your age, destined6 as you are by your birth and connections for the episcopate.'
'I am listening, my lord,' said the young priest with a beseeching7 expression.
But the prelate shook his head.
'No, no; these matters are not to be spoken of. Make a friend of Abbé Faujas. He maybe able to do much for you some day. I have received full information about him.'
Abbé Surin, however, clasped his hands with such a wheedling9 look of curiosity that Monseigneur Rousselot went on to say:
'He had some bother or other at Besan?on. Afterwards he was living in great poverty in furnished apartments in[Pg 251] Paris. He went and offered himself. Just at that time the minister was on the look-out for some priests devoted10 to the government. I was told that Faujas at first quite frightened him with his fierce looks and his old cassock. It was quite by chance that he was sent here. The minister was most pleasant and courteous11 to me.'
The Bishop finished his sentences with a slight wave of his hand, as he sought for fitting words, fearing, as it were, to say too much. But at last the affection which he felt for his secretary got the better of his caution, and he continued with more animation12:
'Take my advice and try to be useful to the vicar of Saint-Saturnin's. He will want all the assistance he can get, and he seems to me to be a man who never forgets either an injury or a kindness. But don't ally yourself with him. He will end badly. That is my impression.'
'End badly?' exclaimed the young priest in surprise.
'Oh! just now he is in the full swing of triumph. But his face disquiets13 me, my child. He has a terrible face. That man will never die in his bed. Don't you do anything to compromise me. All I ask is to be allowed to live tranquilly—quietness is all I want.'
Abbé Surin was just taking up his book again, when Abbé Faujas was announced. Monseigneur Rousselot advanced to meet him with outstretched hands and a smiling face, addressing him as his 'dear Curé.'
'Leave us, my child,' he said to his secretary, who thereupon retired14.
He spoke8 of his journey. His sister was better than she had been, he said, and he had been able to shake hands with some old friends.
'And did you see the minister?' asked Abbé Faujas, fixing his eyes upon him.
'Yes; I thought it my duty to call upon him,' replied the Bishop, who felt that he was blushing. 'He spoke to me very favourably15 indeed of you.'
'Then you no longer have any doubts—you trust me absolutely?'
'Absolutely, my dear Curé. Besides, I know nothing about politics myself, and I leave everything in your hands.'
They remained talking together the whole morning. Abbé Faujas persuaded the Bishop to undertake a visitation of his diocese, and said he would go with him and prompt him as to[Pg 252] what he should say. It would be necessary to summon all the rural deans so that the priests of the smallest villages might receive their instructions. There would be no difficulty in all this, for the clergy16 would act as they were told. The most delicate task would be in Plassans itself, in the district of Saint-Marc. The aristocrats17 there, shutting themselves up in the privacy of their houses, were entirely18 beyond the reach of Abbé Faujas's influence, and he had so far only been able to work upon certain ambitious royalists, such men as Rastoil and Maffre and Bourdeu. The Bishop, however, undertook to sound the feelings of various drawing-rooms in the district of Saint-Marc where he visited. But even allowing that the aristocracy should vote adversely19, they would be in a ridiculous minority if they were deserted20 by those electors of the middle classes who were amenable21 to clerical influence.
'Now,' said Monseigneur Rousselot as he rose from his seat, 'it would perhaps be as well if you told me the name of your candidate, so that I may recommend him in my letters.'
Abbé Faujas smiled.
'It is dangerous to mention names,' he said. 'There wouldn't be a scrap22 of our candidate left in a week's time if we made his name known now. The Marquis de Lagrifoul has become quite out of the question. Monsieur de Bourdeu, who reckons upon being a candidate, is still more so. We shall leave them to destroy each other, and then, at the last moment, we shall come forward. Just say that an election on purely23 political grounds would be very regrettable, and that what is needed for the interests of Plassans is somebody who is not a party man, but has an intimate knowledge of the requirements of the town and the department. And you may let it be understood that such a man has been found; but don't go any further.'
The Bishop now in his turn smiled. He detained the priest for a moment as he was about to take leave.
'And Abbé Fenil?' he said, lowering his voice. 'Are you not afraid that he will do all he can to thwart24 your plans?'
Abbé Faujas shrugged25 his shoulders.
'He has made no sign at all,' he said.
'It is precisely26 that quietness of his that makes me uneasy,' rejoined the prelate. 'I know Fenil well. He is the most vindictive27 priest in my diocese. He may possibly have abandoned the ambition of beating you in the political arena,[Pg 253] but you may be sure he will wreak28 personal vengeance29 upon you. I have no doubt that he is keeping a watch on you in his retirement30.'
'Pooh!' said Abbé Faujas, showing his white teeth. 'I'll take care that he doesn't eat me up.'
Abbé Surin had just returned into the room, and when the vicar of Saint-Saturnin's had gone he made the Bishop laugh by exclaiming:
'Ah! if they could only devour31 each other like a couple of foxes, and leave nothing but their tails!'
The electoral campaign was on the point of commencing. Plassans, which generally remained quite calm, unexcited by political questions, was growing a little feverish33 and perturbed34. From some invisible mouth a breath of war seemed to sweep through its quiet streets. The Marquis de Lagrifoul, who lived at La Palud, a large straggling village in the neighbourhood, had been in Plassans for the last fortnight, staying at the house of a relative of his, the Count de Valqueyras, whose mansion35 was one of the largest in the Saint-Marc district. The Marquis showed himself about the town, promenaded36 on the Cours Sauvaire, attended Saint-Saturnin's, and bowed to sundry37 influential38 townspeople, but without succeeding in throwing aside his haughty39 ways. His attempts to acquire popularity seemed to fail. Fresh charges against him, originating from some unknown source, were bandied about every day. It was asserted that he was a miserably41 incompetent42 man. With any other representative Plassans would long ago have had a branch line of railway connecting it with Nice. It was said, too, that if anyone from the district went to see him in Paris he had to call three or four times before he could obtain the slightest service. However, although the candidature of the Marquis was much damaged by gossip of this kind, no other candidate had openly entered the lists. There was some talk of Monsieur de Bourdeu coming forward, though it was considered that it would be extremely difficult to obtain a majority for an ex-prefect of Louis-Philippe, who had no strong connection with the place. There seemed also to be some unknown influence at work in Plassans upsetting all the previous prospects43 of the election by breaking the alliance between the Legitimists and the Republicans. The prevailing44 feeling was one of general perplexity and confusion, mingled45 with weariness and a desire to get the affair over as quickly as possible.
[Pg 254]
'The majority is shifting,' said the politicians of the Cours Sauvaire. 'The question is which way will it finally incline?'
Amid the excitement and restlessness which this doubtful state of things was causing in the town, the Republicans became anxious to run a candidate of their own. Their choice fell upon a master-hatter, one Maurin, a plain simple man, who was very much liked by the working-classes. In the cafés, in the evenings, Trouche expressed an opinion that Maurin was by no means sufficiently46 advanced in his views, and proposed in his stead a wheelwright of Les Tulettes, whose name had appeared in the list of the December proscripts.[6] This man, however, had the good sense to decline the nomination47. It should be said that Trouche now gave himself out as an extreme Republican. He would have come forward himself, he said, if his wife's brother had not been a parson, but as he was—to his great regret, he declared—forced to eat the bread of the hypocrites, he felt bound to remain in the background. He was one of the first to circulate reports to the detriment48 of the Marquis de Lagrifoul, and he also favoured the rupture49 of the Republicans and the Legitimists. Trouche's greatest success was obtained by accusing the Sub-Prefecture party and the adherents50 of Monsieur Rastoil of having brought about the confinement51 of poor Mouret, with the view of depriving the democratic party of one of its worthiest52 chiefs. On the evening when he first launched this accusation53 at a spirit-dealer's in the Rue54 Canquoin, the company assembled there looked at one other with a peculiar55 expression. The gossips of the old quarter of the town spoke quite feelingly about 'the madman who beat his wife,' now that he was shut up at Les Tulettes, and told one another that Abbé Faujas had simply wanted to get an inconvenient56 husband out of his way. Trouche repeated his charge every evening, banging his fists upon the tables of the cafés with such an air of conviction that he succeeded in persuading his listeners of the truth of his story, in which, by the way, Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies was made to play the most extraordinary part imaginable. There was a complete reaction in Mouret's favour. He was considered to be a political victim, a man whose influence had been feared so much that he had been put out of the way in a cell at a mad-house.
[Pg 255]
'Just leave it all to me,' Trouche said with a confidential58 air. 'I'll expose all these precious pious59 folks, and I'll tell some fine stories about their Home of the Virgin60. It's a nice place is that Home—a place where the ladies make assignations!'
Meanwhile Abbé Faujas almost seemed to have the power of multiplying himself. For some time past he was to be seen everywhere. He bestowed61 much attention upon his appearance, and was careful always to have a pleasant smile upon his face; though now and then his eyelids62 dropped for an instant to hide the stern fire kindling63 in his glance. Often with his patience quite worn out, weary of his wretched struggles, he returned to his bare room with clenched64 fists. Old Madame Rougon, whom he continued to see in secret, proved his good genius. She lectured him soundly whenever he felt despondent65, and kept him bent66 before her while she told him that he must strive to please, and that he would ruin everything if he let the iron hand appear from under the velvet67 glove. Afterwards, when he had made himself master, he might seize Plassans by the throat and strangle it, if he liked. She herself certainly had no great affection for Plassans, against which she owed a grudge68 for forty years' wretchedness, and which had been bursting with jealousy69 of her ever since the Coup32 d'état.
'It is I who wear the cassock,' she said sometimes, with a smile; 'you carry yourself like a gendarme70, my dear Curé.'
The priest showed himself particularly assiduous in his attendance at the Young Men's Club. He listened with an indulgent air to the young men talking politics, and told them, with a shake of his head, that honesty was all that was necessary. His popularity at the Club was still increasing. One evening he consented to play at billiards71, and showed himself extremely skilful72 at the game, and sometimes, when they formed a quiet little party, he would even accept a cigarette. The club took his advice on every question that arose. His reputation for tolerance73 was completely established by the kind, good-natured way in which he advocated the admission of Guillaume Porquier, who had now renewed his application.
'I have seen the young man,' he said; 'he came to me to make a general confession74, and I ended by giving him absolution. There is forgiveness for every sin. We must not treat him as a leper just because he pulled down a few signboards in Plassans, and ran into debt at Paris.'
[Pg 256]
When Guillaume was elected, he said to the young Maffres, with a grin:
'Well, you owe me a couple of bottles of champagne75 now. You see that the Curé does all that I want. I have a little machine to tickle76 him with in a sensitive place, and then he begins to laugh, my boys, and he can't refuse me anything.'
'Well, it doesn't seem as though he were very fond of you, anyhow,' said Alphonse; 'he looks very sourly at you.'
'Pooh! that's because I tickled77 him too hard. You will see that we shall soon be the best friends in the world.'
Abbé Faujas did, indeed, seem to have an affection for the doctor's son. He declared that this young man wanted guiding with a very gentle hand. In a short time Guillaume became the moving spirit of the club. He invented amusements, showed them how to make kirsch-water punch, and led young fellows fresh from college into all sorts of dissipation. His pleasant vices78 gave him enormous influence. While the organ was pealing79 above the billiard-room, he drank away, and gathered round him the sons of the most respectable people in Plassans, making them almost choke with laughter at his broad stories. The club now got into a very fast way, indulging in doubtful topics of conversation in all the corners. Abbé Faujas, however, appeared quite unconscious of it. Guillaume said that he had a splendid noddle, teeming80 with the greatest thoughts.
'The Abbé may be a bishop whenever he likes,' he remarked. 'He has already refused a living in Paris. He wants to stay at Plassans; he has taken a liking81 to the place. I should like to nominate him as deputy. He's the sort of man we want in the Chamber82! But he would never consent; he is too modest. Still it would be a good thing to take his advice when the elections are at hand. We may trust anything that he tells us. He wouldn't deceive anybody.'
Meantime, Lucien Delangre remained the serious man of the club. He showed great deference83 to Abbé Faujas, and won the group of studious young men over to the priest's side. He frequently walked with him to the club, talking to him with much animation, but subsiding84 into silence as soon as they entered the general room.
On leaving the café established beneath the Church of the Minimes, the Abbé regularly went to the Home of the Virgin. He arrived there during play-time, and made his appearance with a smiling face upon the steps of the playground.[Pg 257] Thereupon the girls surrounded him, and disputed with each other for the possession of his pockets, in which some sacred pictures or chaplets or medals that had been blessed were always to be found. Those big girls quite worshipped him as he tapped them gently on their cheeks and told them to be good, at which they broke into sly smiles. The Sisters often complained to him that the children confided85 to their care were utterly86 unmanageable, that they fought, tore each other's hair, and did even worse things. The Abbé, however, regarded their offences as mere87 peccadilloes88, and as a rule simply reproved the more turbulent girls in the chapel89, whence they emerged in a more submissive frame of mind. Occasionally he made some rather graver piece of misconduct a pretext90 for sending for the parents, whom he sent away again quite touched by his kindness and good-nature. In this wise the young scapegraces of the Home of the Virgin gained him the hearts of the poor families of Plassans. When they went home in the evening, they told the most wonderful things about his reverence91 the Curé. It was no uncommon92 occurrence to find a couple of them in some secluded93 corner of the ramparts on the point of coming to blows to decide which of them his reverence liked the better.
'Those young hussies represent from two to three thousand votes,' Trouche thought to himself, as from the window he watched Abbé Faujas showing himself so amiable94.
Trouche himself had tried to win over 'the little dears,' as he called the girls; but the priest, distrusting him, had forbidden him to set foot in the playground; and so he now confined himself to throwing sugar-plums there, when the Sisters' backs were turned.
The Abbé's day's work did not end at the Home of the Virgin. From there he started on a series of short visits to the fashionable ladies of Plassans. Madame Rastoil and Madame Delangre welcomed him with delight, and repeated his slightest words everywhere. But his great friend was Madame de Condamin. She maintained an air of easy familiarity towards him betokening95 the superiority of a beautiful woman who is conscious that she is all-powerful. She spoke now and again in low tones, and with meaning smiles and glances, which seemed to indicate that there was some secret understanding between them. When the priest came to see her, she dismissed her husband. 'The government was going to hold a cabinet-council,' so the conservator[Pg 258] of rivers and forests playfully said, as he philosophically96 went off to mount his horse.
It was Madame Rougon who had brought Madame de Condamin to the priest's notice.
'She has not yet absolutely established her position here,' the old lady explained to Abbé Faujas. 'But there is a good deal of cleverness under those pretty, coquettish airs of hers. You can take her into your confidence, and she will see in your triumph a means of making her own success and power more complete. She will be of great use to you if you should find it necessary to give away places or crosses. She has retained an influential friend in Paris, who sends her as many red ribbons as she asks for.'
As Madame Rougon kept herself aloof97 from reasons of diplomacy98, the fair Octavie thus became Abbé Faujas's most active ally. She won over to his side both her friends and her friends' friends. She resumed her campaign afresh every morning and exerted an astonishing amount of influence merely by the pleasant little waves of her delicately gloved fingers. She had particular success with the bourgeoises, and increased tenfold that feminine influence of which the priest had felt the absolute necessity as soon as he began to thread the narrow world of Plassans. She succeeded, too, in closing the mouths of the Paloques—who were growing very rabid about the state of affairs at the Mourets' house—by throwing a honied cake to the two monsters.
'What! do you still bear us a grudge, my dear lady?' she said one day, as she met the judge's wife. 'It is very wrong of you. Your friends have not forgotten you; they are thinking about you and are preparing a surprise for you.'
'A fine surprise, I'll be bound!' cried Madame Paloque, bitterly. 'No, we are not going to allow ourselves to be laughed at again. I have firmly made up my mind to keep to my own affairs.'
Madame de Condamin smiled.
'What would you say,' she asked, 'if Monsieur Paloque were to be decorated?'
The judge's wife stared in silence. A rush of blood to her face turned it quite blue, and made her terrible to behold99.
'You are joking,' she stammered100. 'This is only another plot against us—if it isn't true, I'll never forgive you.'
The fair Octavie swore that she had spoken nothing but the truth. The distinction would certainly be conferred upon[Pg 259] Monsieur Paloque, but it would not be officially notified in the 'Moniteur' until after the elections, as the government did not wish it to appear as if it were buying the support of the magistracy. She also hinted that Abbé Faujas was not unconcerned in the bestowal101 of this long-desired reward, and said that he had talked about it to the sub-prefect.
'My husband was right, then,' exclaimed Madame Paloque, in great surprise. 'For a long time past he has been worrying me dreadfully to go and apologise to the Abbé. But I am very obstinate102, and I would have let myself be killed sooner. But since the Abbé makes the first move—well, we ask nothing more than to live at peace with everyone. We will go to the Sub-Prefecture to-morrow.'
The next day the Paloques were very humble103. Madame Paloque accused Abbé Fenil of the blackest conduct; and related with consummate104 impudence105 how she had gone to see him one day, and how he had spoken in her presence of turning 'the whole of Abbé Faujas's clique106' neck-and-crop out of Plassans.
'If you like,' she said to the priest, taking him aside, 'I will give you a note written at the vicar-general's dictation. It concerns you. He tried, I believe, to get several discreditable stories inserted in the "Plassans Gazette."'
'How did this note come into your hands?' asked Faujas.
'Well, it's sufficient that it is there,' she replied, without any sign of embarrassment107.
And, with a smile, she continued:
'I found it. I recollect108, by the way, that there are two or three words written in the vicar-general's own hand. I may trust to your honour in all this, may I not? We are upright, honest people, and we don't want to compromise ourselves.'
She pretended to be affected109 by scruples110 for three days before bringing him the note; and Madame de Condamin was obliged to assure her privately111 that an application to have Monsieur Rastoil pensioned off would shortly be made, so that her husband could succeed to his post. Then she gave up the paper. Abbé Faujas did not wish to keep it himself, but took it to Madame Rougon, and charged her to make use of it—keeping herself, however, strictly112 in the background—if the vicar-general showed the slightest sign of interfering113 in the elections.
Madame de Condamin also dropped a hint to Monsieur Maffre that the Emperor was thinking about decorating him,[Pg 260] and she made a formal promise to Doctor Porquier to find a suitable post for his good-for-nothing son. She showed the most obliging kindliness114 at the friendly afternoon meetings in the gardens. The summer was now drawing to a close, but she still arrived in light toilettes, shivering slightly and risking a cold, in order to show her arms and overcome the last scruples of the Rastoil party. It was really under the Mourets' arbour that the election was decided115.
'Well, my dear sub-prefect,' said Abbé Faujas one day with a smile, when the two sets of guests were mingling116 together; 'the great battle is drawing near.'
They had now arrived at discussing the political struggle in a quiet friendly way. In the gardens at the back of the houses they cordially grasped each other's hands, while in front of them they still feigned117 an appearance of hostility118. On hearing Abbé Faujas, Madame de Condamin cast a quick glance at Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies, who bent forward with his habitual119 elegance120 and said all in a breath:
'I shall remain in my tent, Monsieur le Curé. I have been fortunate enough to make his excellency understand that it is the duty of the government, in the immediate121 interests of Plassans, to hold itself aloof. There will be no official candidate.'
Monsieur de Bourdeu turned pale. His eyelids quivered and his hands trembled with delight.
'There will be no official candidate?' cried Monsieur Rastoil, greatly moved by this unexpected news, and departing from the reserve which he generally maintained.
'No,' replied Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies: 'the town contains a sufficient number of honourable122 men to make its own choice of a representative.'
He bowed slightly towards Monsieur de Bourdeu, who rose from his seat; and stammered:
'Undoubtedly123, undoubtedly.'
While these remarks were being exchanged Abbé Surin had got up a game of 'hot and cold;' and Monsieur Rastoil's daughters and Monsieur Maffre's sons and Séverin were busy hunting for the Abbé's handkerchief, which he had rolled into a ball and hidden. All the young people were flitting about their elders, while the priest called in his falsetto voice:
'Hot! Hot!'
Angéline at length found the handkerchief in Doctor Porquier's gaping124 pocket, where Abbé Surin had adroitly125 slipped[Pg 261] it. They all laughed and considered the selection of the hiding-place a very ingenious joke.
'Bourdeu has a chance now,' said Monsieur Rastoil, taking Abbé Faujas aside. 'It is very annoying. I can't tell him so, but we sha'n't vote for him: he has compromised himself too much as an Orleanist.'
'Just look at your son Séverin!' cried Madame de Condamin, interrupting the conversation. 'What a big baby he is! He put the handkerchief under Abbé Bourrette's hat.'
Then she lowered her voice as she continued:
'By the way, I have to congratulate you, Monsieur Rastoil. I have received a letter from Paris, from a correspondent who tells me that he has seen your son's name on an official list. He will be nominated assessor to the public prosecutor126 at Faverolles, I believe.'
The presiding judge bowed with a flushed face. The minister had never forgiven the election of the Marquis de Lagrifoul. Since then a kind of fatality127 had seemed to prevent him from finding either a place for his son or husbands for his daughters. He had never uttered any complaints, but his compressed lips had often borne witness to his feelings on the matter.
'I was remarking to you,' he resumed, to conceal128 his emotion, 'that Bourdeu is dangerous. But he isn't a Plassans man, and he doesn't know our requirements. We might just as well re-elect the Marquis.'
'If Monsieur de Bourdeu persists in his candidature,' rejoined Abbé Faujas, 'the Republicans will poll an imposing129 minority, which will have a very bad effect.'
Madame de Condamin smiled. She pretended to understand nothing about politics, and slipped away while the Abbé drew the presiding judge aside to the end of the arbour, where they continued the conversation in subdued130 tones. As they slowly strolled back again, Monsieur Rastoil remarked:
'You are quite right. He would be a very suitable candidate. He belongs to no party, and we could all unite in supporting him. I am no fonder of the Empire than you are, but it would be childish to go on sending deputies to the Chamber for no other purpose than to obstruct131 and rail at the government. Plassans is suffering from such tactics. What we want is a man with a good head for business, a local man who can look after the interests of the place.'
'Hot! Hot!' now cried Aurélie in her fluty voice.
[Pg 262]
Abbé Surin passed through the arbour at the head of the searchers, hunting for the handkerchief.
'Cold! Cold!' exclaimed the girl, laughing at their lack of success. One of the young Maffres, however, lifted up a flower-pot and there discovered the handkerchief folded in four.
'That big stick Aurélie might have very well crammed133 it into her mouth,' said Madame Paloque. 'There is plenty of room for it, and no one would ever have thought of looking for it there.'
Her husband reduced her to silence with an angry look. He would no longer allow her to indulge in bitter language. Fearing that Monsieur de Condamin might have overheard her, he exclaimed:
'What a handsome lot of young people!'
'Your success is certain, my dear sir,' the conservator of rivers and forests was saying to Monsieur de Bourdeu. 'But be careful what you do when you get to Paris. I hear from a very trustworthy source that the government has resolved upon taking strong measures if the opposition134 shows itself too provoking.'
The ex-prefect looked at Monsieur de Condamin very uneasily, wondering if he was making fun of him. Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies merely smiled, and stroked his moustaches. Then the conversation became general again, and Monsieur de Bourdeu thought he could detect that everyone was congratulating him upon his approaching triumph, with a discretion135 that was full of tact132. He enjoyed the sweets of an hour's imaginary popularity.
'It is surprising how much more quickly the grapes ripen136 in the sun,' remarked Abbé Bourrette, who had never moved from his chair, but now raised his eyes to the arbour.
'In the north,' Doctor Porquier explained, 'grapes can often only be got to ripen by freeing them from the surrounding leaves.'
They were beginning to discuss this point, when Séverin in his turn cried out: 'Hot! Hot!'
But he had hung the handkerchief with such little concealment137 upon the garden door that Abbé Surin found it at once. When the Abbé hid it again, the whole troop vainly scoured138 the garden for nearly half an hour, and at last gave it up. Then the Abbé showed it to them lying in the centre of a flowerbed, rolled up so artistically139 that it looked like a white stone. This was the most effective stratagem140 of the afternoon.
[Pg 263]
The news that the government had determined141 to run no candidate of its own quickly spread through the town, where it gave rise to great excitement. This abstention had the natural effect of disquieting142 the various political sections, who had each counted upon the diversion of a certain number of votes in favour of the official candidate to enable their own man to win. The Marquis de Lagrifoul, Monsieur de Bourdeu and hatter Maurin appeared to divide the support of the voters pretty equally amongst them. There would certainly be a second ballot143, and heaven only could tell what name would then appear at the top of the list. However, there was certainly some talk of a fourth candidate, whose name nobody quite knew, some moderate equable man who would possibly bring the different parties into concord144 and harmony. The Plassans electors, who had grown a little alarmed since they had felt the imperial bridle145 about their necks, would have been only too glad to come to an understanding, and choose one of their fellow-citizens who would be acceptable to all parties.
'The government is wrong to treat us like refractory146 children,' said the politicians of the Commercial Club, in tones of annoyance147. 'Anybody would suppose that the town was a hot-bed of revolution. If the authorities had been tactful enough to bring forward the right sort of candidate, we should all have voted for him. The sub-prefect has talked about a lesson. Well, we sha'n't receive the lesson. We shall be able to find a candidate for ourselves, and we will show that Plassans is a town of sound sense and true liberty.'
They then began to look about for a candidate. But the names which were proposed by friends or interested parties only served to increase the confusion. In a week's time there were twenty candidates before Plassans. Madame Rougon, who had become very uneasy, and quite unable to understand the position, went to see Abbé Faujas, full of indignation with the sub-prefect. That Péqueur was an ass1, she cried, a fop, a dummy148, of no use except as a pretty ornament149 to the official drawing-room. He had already allowed the government to be defeated, and now he was going to compromise it by an attitude of ridiculous indifference150.
'Make yourself easy,' said the priest, with a smile; 'this time Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies is confining himself to obeying orders. Victory is certain.'
[Pg 264]
'But you've got no candidate!' cried Madame Rougon. 'Where is your candidate?'
Then the priest unfolded his plans to her. She expressed her approval of them; but she received the name which he confided to her with the greatest surprise.
'What!' she exclaimed, 'you have chosen him! No one has ever thought of him, I assure you.'
'I trust that they haven't,' replied the priest, again smiling. 'We want a candidate of whom nobody has ever thought, so that all parties may accept him without fancying that they are compromising themselves.'
Then with the perfect frankness of a shrewd man who has made up his mind to explain his designs, he continued:
'I have very much to thank you for. You have prevented me from making many mistakes. I was looking straight towards the goal, and I did not see the strings151 that were stretched across the path, and which might, perhaps, have tripped me up and brought me to grief. Thank heaven! all this petty childish struggle is over, and I shall soon be able to move at my ease. As for the choice I have made, it is a good one; you may feel quite assured of that. Ever since my arrival at Plassans, I have been looking about for a man, and he is the only one I have found. He is flexible, very capable, and very energetic. He has been clever enough not to embroil152 himself with a single person in the place, which is no common accomplishment153. I know that you are not a very great friend of his, and that is the reason that I did not confide57 my plan to you sooner. But you will see that you are mistaken, and that he will make his way rapidly as soon as he gets his foot into the stirrup. What finally determined me in his favour is what I heard about his means. It is said that he has taken his wife back again three separate times, after she had been detected in actual unfaithfulness, and after he had made his good-natured father-in-law pay him a hundred thousand francs on each occasion. If he has really coined money in that way, he will be very useful in Paris in certain matters. You may look about as much as you like; but, putting him aside, there is only a pack of imbeciles in Plassans.'
'Then it is a present you are making to the government?' said Félicité, with a laugh.
She allowed herself to be convinced. The next day the name of Delangre was in everybody's mouth. His friends[Pg 265] declared that it was only after the strongest pressure had been brought to bear upon him that he had accepted the nomination. He had refused it for a long time, considering himself unworthy of the position, insisting that he was not a politician, and that the Marquis de Lagrifoul and Monsieur de Bourdeu had, on the other hand, had long experience of public affairs. Then, when it had been impressed upon him that what Plassans urgently needed was a representative who was unconnected with the political parties, he had allowed himself to be prevailed upon. He explicitly154 declared the principles upon which he should act if he were returned. It must be thoroughly155 understood, he said, that he would not go to the Chamber either to oppose or support the government under all circumstances; he should look upon himself solely156 as the representative of the interests of the town; he would always vote for liberty with order, and order with liberty, and would still remain mayor of Plassans, so that he might show what a conciliatory and purely administrative157 task he had charged himself with. These views struck people as being singularly sensible. The knowing politicians of the Commercial Club vied with each other that same evening in lauding158 Delangre.
'I told you so; he is the very man we want. I shall be curious to see what the sub-prefect will say when the mayor's name heads the list. The authorities can scarcely accuse us of having voted like a lot of sulking school-boys, any more than they can reproach us with having gone down on our knees before the government. If the Empire could only receive a few lessons like this, things would go much better.'
The whole thing was like a train of gunpowder159. The mine was laid, and a spark was sufficient to set it off. In every part of Plassans simultaneously160, in all the three quarters of the town, in every house, and in every family, Monsieur Delangre's name was pronounced amidst unanimous eulogies161. He had become the expected Messiah, the saviour162, unknown the previous day, revealed in the morning, and worshipped ere night.
Even in the sacristies and confessionals of Plassans, his name was buzzed about; it mingled with the echoes in the naves163, sounded from pulpits in the suburbs, was passed on from ear to ear like a sacrament, and made its way into the most distant homes of the pious. The priests carried it about with them in the folds of their cassocks; Abbé Bourrette[Pg 266] bestowed on it the respectable cheeriness of his corporation, Abbé Surin the grace of his smile, and Monseigneur Rousselot the charm of his pastoral blessing164. The fashionable ladies were never tired of talking of Monsieur Delangre. He had such a kind disposition165, they said, and such a fine sensible face. Madame Rastoil learned to blush again at mention of him; Madame Paloque grew almost pretty in her enthusiasm, while as for Madame de Condamin, she was ready to fight for him, and won all hearts to his side by the tender way in which she pressed the hands of the electors who promised to vote for him. The Young Men's Club, too, grew passionately166 enthusiastic on his behalf. Séverin made quite a hero of him, and Guillaume and the young Maffres went canvassing167 for him through all the disreputable parts of the town.
On the day of the election his majority was overwhelming. The whole town seemed to have conspired168 together to return him. The Marquis de Lagrifoul and Monsieur de Bourdeu, bursting with indignation and crying that they had been betrayed, had retired from the contest, and thus Monsieur Delangre's only opponent was the hatter Maurin. The latter received the votes of some fifteen hundred intractable Republicans of the outskirts169 of the town; while the mayor had the support of the country districts, the fervent170 Bonapartists, the townsmen of the new quarter who were amenable to clerical influence, the timid shopkeepers of the old town, and even certain simple-minded Royalists of the district of Saint-Marc, whose aristocratic denizens171 chiefly abstained172 from voting. Monsieur Delangre thus obtained thirty-three thousand votes. The business was managed so promptly173, the victory was won with such a dash, that Plassans felt quite amazed, on the evening of the election, to find itself so unanimous. The town half fancied that it had just had a wonderful dream, that some powerful hand must have struck the soil and drawn174 from it those thirty-three thousand electors, that army, almost alarming in its numbers, whose strength no one had ever before suspected. The politicians of the Commercial Club looked at one another in perplexity, like men dazed with victory.
In the evening, Monsieur Rastoil's friends joined those of Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies, to congratulate each other, in a little drawing-room at the Sub-Prefecture, overlooking the gardens. Tea was served to them. The great victory of the[Pg 267] day ended by a coalition175 of the two parties. All the usual guests were present.
'I have never systematically176 opposed any government,' said Monsieur Rastoil, after a time, as he accepted some little cakes which Monsieur Péqueur des Saulaies offered him. 'The judicial177 bench ought to take no part in political struggles. I willingly admit that the Empire has already accomplished178 some great things, and that it has a still nobler future before it, if it continues to advance in the paths of justice and liberty.'
The sub-prefect bowed, as though this eulogy179 was addressed to himself personally. The previous evening, Monsieur Rastoil had read in the 'Moniteur' a decree appointing his son assistant public prosecutor at Faverolles. There was also a good deal of talk about a marriage between his eldest180 daughter and Lucien Delangre.
'Oh, yes! it is quite settled,' Monsieur de Condamin said in low tones to Madame Paloque, who had just been questioning him upon the subject. 'He has chosen Angéline. I believe that he would rather have had Aurélie, but it has probably been hinted to him that it would not be seemly for the younger sister to be married before the elder one.'
'Angéline! Are you quite sure?' Madame Paloque murmured maliciously181. 'I fancy that Angéline has a likeness—'
The conservator of rivers and forests put his finger to his lips, with a smile.
'Well, it's just a toss-up, isn't it?' she continued. 'It will strengthen the ties between the two families. We are all good friends now. Paloque is expecting his cross, and I am quite satisfied with everything.'
Monsieur Delangre did not arrive till late. He received, as newspaper writers say, a perfect ovation182. Madame de Condamin had just informed Doctor Porquier that his son Guillaume had been nominated chief clerk at the post-office. She was circulating good news through the room, declaring that Abbé Bourrette would be vicar-general the following year; that Abbé Surin would be a bishop before he was forty, and that Monsieur Maffre was to have a cross.
'Poor Bourdeu!' exclaimed Monsieur Rastoil, with a last sigh of regret.
'Oh, there's no occasion to pity him!' cried Madame de Condamin, gaily183. 'I will undertake to console him. He is[Pg 268] not cut out for the Chamber. What he wants is a prefecture. Tell him that he shall have one before long.'
The merriment increased. The fair Octavie's high spirits, and the desire which she showed to please everybody, delighted the company. It was really she who was doing the honours of the Sub-Prefecture. She was the queen of the place. And, while she seemed to be speaking quite playfully, she gave Monsieur Delangre the most practical advice in the world about the part he ought to play in the Corps184 Législatif. She took him aside and offered to introduce him to several influential people, an offer which he gratefully accepted. About eleven o'clock, Monsieur de Condamin suggested that the garden should be illuminated185, but his wife calmed the enthusiasm of the gentlemen, and said that such a course would be inadvisable, for it would not do to appear to be exulting186 over the town.
'Well, what about Abbé Fenil?' she suddenly asked Abbé Faujas, as she took him aside into one of the window recesses187. 'He has not made any movement, has he?'
'Abbé Fenil is a man of sense,' the priest replied. 'It has been hinted to him that he would do well not to interfere188 in political matters for the future.'
In the midst of all the triumphant189 joy, Abbé Faujas remained grave. He had won after a hard fight. Madame de Condamin's chatter190 wearied him; and the satisfaction of these people, with their poor vulgar ambitions, filled him with disdain191. As he stood leaning against the mantelpiece, with a far-off look in his eyes, he seemed to be buried in thought. He was master now, and no longer compelled to veil and suppress his real feelings. He could reach out his hand and seize the town, and make it tremble in his grasp. His tall, black figure seemed to fill the room. The guests gradually drew their chairs closer to him, and formed a circle round him. The men awaited some expression of satisfaction from his lips, the women besought192 him with their eyes, like submissive slaves. But he bluntly broke through the circle and went away the first, saying but a brief word or two as he took his leave.
When he returned to the Mourets' house, going thither193 by way of the Impasse194 des Chevillottes and the garden, he found Marthe alone in the dining-room, sitting listlessly on a chair against the wall, looking very pale, and gazing with a blank expression at the lamp, the wick of which was beginning to[Pg 269] char40. Upstairs, Trouche was having a party, and could be heard singing a broad comic song, which Olympe and his guests accompanied by striking their glasses with the handles of their knives.
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1
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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wheedling
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| v.骗取（某物），哄骗（某人干某事）( wheedle的现在分词 ) | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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disquiets
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| n.忧虑( disquiet的名词复数 )；不安；内心不平静；烦恼v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的第三人称单数 ) | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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favourably
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| adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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aristocrats
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| n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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adversely
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| ad.有害地 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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amenable
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| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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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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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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promenaded
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| v.兜风( promenade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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char
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| v.烧焦；使...燃烧成焦炭 | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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43
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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rupture
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| n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂 | |
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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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51
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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52
worthiest
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| 应得某事物( worthy的最高级 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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53
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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54
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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57
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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60
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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63
kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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70
gendarme
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| n.宪兵 | |
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71
billiards
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| n.台球 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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76
tickle
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| v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒 | |
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tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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pealing
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的现在分词 ) | |
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80
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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81
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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82
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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83
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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84
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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85
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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86
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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87
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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88
peccadilloes
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| n.轻罪，小过失( peccadillo的名词复数 ) | |
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89
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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90
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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91
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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92
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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93
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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94
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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95
betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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96
philosophically
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| adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地 | |
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97
aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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98
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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99
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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100
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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101
bestowal
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| 赠与，给与； 贮存 | |
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102
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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103
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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104
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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105
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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106
clique
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| n.朋党派系，小集团 | |
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107
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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108
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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109
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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110
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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111
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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112
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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113
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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114
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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115
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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116
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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117
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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118
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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119
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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120
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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121
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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122
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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123
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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124
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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125
adroitly
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| adv.熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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126
prosecutor
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| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
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127
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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128
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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129
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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130
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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131
obstruct
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| v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物 | |
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132
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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133
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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134
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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135
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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136
ripen
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| vt.使成熟；vi.成熟 | |
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137
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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138
scoured
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| 走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮 | |
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139
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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140
stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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141
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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142
disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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143
ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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144
concord
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| n.和谐；协调 | |
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145
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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146
refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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147
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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148
dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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149
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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150
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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151
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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152
embroil
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| vt.拖累；牵连；使复杂 | |
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153
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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154
explicitly
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| ad.明确地，显然地 | |
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155
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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156
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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157
administrative
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| adj.行政的，管理的 | |
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158
lauding
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| v.称赞，赞美( laud的现在分词 ) | |
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159
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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160
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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161
eulogies
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| n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 ) | |
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162
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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163
naves
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| n.教堂正厅( nave的名词复数 )；本堂；中央部；车轮的中心部 | |
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164
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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165
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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166
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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167
canvassing
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的现在分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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168
conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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169
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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170
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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171
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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172
abstained
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| v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票） | |
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173
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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174
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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175
coalition
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| n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合 | |
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176
systematically
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| adv.有系统地 | |
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177
judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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178
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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179
eulogy
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| n.颂词；颂扬 | |
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180
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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181
maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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182
ovation
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| n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌 | |
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183
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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184
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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185
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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186
exulting
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| vi. 欢欣鼓舞，狂喜 | |
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187
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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188
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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189
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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190
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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191
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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192
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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193
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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194
impasse
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| n.僵局；死路 | |
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