From that day the conversations of Theophrastus, Marceline, and Adolphe were of fascinating interest to them. They pored and pored over the document; they discussed over and over again the "Cock," the "Gall," "Chopinettes," and the "Betrayal of April 1st" of the mysterious document. They soon left Azure1 Waves Villa2 and returned to Paris to ransack3 the libraries.
Adolphe, the great reader, was much better adapted to historical research than either Marceline or Theophrastus; and their patience was exhausted4 long before his.
One Sunday they were strolling along the Champs-Elysées; and both Theophrastus and Marceline had been complaining bitterly of their failure at the libraries, when Adolphe said thoughtfully:
"What use would it be to us to find approximately the spot in which the treasures are[Pg 56] buried unless Theophrastus had his Black Feather?"
"What Black Feather? What do you mean?" said Marceline and Theophrastus with one voice.
"Let's stroll back towards the Rond-Pont; and I'll tell you what I mean," said Adolphe.
"You've heard of the water-finders?"
"Well, owing to some phenomenon, of which the explanation has not yet been discovered, these water-finders, equipped with forked hazel-twigs which they hold over the ground they are crossing, are able to see, through the different strata8 of the soil, the position of the spring sought, and the spot where the well must be sunk. I don't despair of getting Theophrastus to do for his treasures what the water-finders do for their springs. I shall take him to the place, and he will say, 'Here's where you dig for the treasures.'"
"But all this does not explain what you mean by my Black Feather," interrupted Theophrastus.
"I'm coming to it. I shall bring to this spot you, the treasure-seeker, as one brings the[Pg 57] water-finder to the spot where one suspects the presence of water. I shall bring you there when you have your Black Feather."
He paused, and then went on in his professorial tone:
"I shall have to talk to you about Darwin; but you needn't be uneasy: I shan't have to talk about him for long. You'll understand at once. You know that Darwin devoted9 a great part of his life to some famous experiments of which the most famous were his experiments with pigeons. Desirous of accounting10 for the phenomena11 of heredity, he studied closely the breeding of pigeons. He chose pigeons because the generations of pigeons follow one another so closely that one can draw conclusions from them in a comparatively short space of time. At the end of a certain number, call it X, of generations he found once more the same pigeon. You understand, the same pigeon, with the same defects and the same qualities, the same shape, the same structure, and the same black feather in the very place where the first pigeon had a black feather. Well, I, Adolphe Lecamus, maintain, and I will prove it to you, that to eyes opened by Darwin it is the same with souls as with bodies. At the end of a number X of generations, one finds the[Pg 58] same soul, exactly as it was originally, with the same defects and the same qualities, with the same black feather. Do you understand?"
"Not quite," said Theophrastus apologetically.
"Yet I'm lowering myself to the level of your intelligence," said Adolphe, impatient but frank. "But it is necessary to distinguish between the soul which appears hereditarily12 and that which returns by reincarnation."
"What do you mean?" said Theophrastus rather faintly.
"An hereditary13 soul which revives the ancestor has always its black feather, owing to the fact that it is the result of a unique combination, since it exists in the sheath, the body, which is hereditary to the same extent. Is that clear?"
"I notice that whenever you say, 'Is that clear?' my dear Adolphe, everything seems to go as dark as pitch," said Marceline humbly14.
Adolphe ground his teeth, and raised his voice:
"Whereas a soul which returns in the course of reincarnation finds itself in a body in which nothing has been prepared to receive it. The aggregate15 of the materials of this body have their origin in—I take Theophrastus as[Pg 59] example—several generations of cabbage-planters—"
"Gardeners—market-gardeners!" interjected Theophrastus gently.
"—at Ferté-sous-Jouarre. The aggregate of the materials of this body may for a while impose silence on this soul, originally perhaps—I am still taking Theophrastus as an example—belonging to one of the first families in France. But there comes a time when the soul gets the upper hand; then it speaks, and shows itself in its entirety, exactly as it was originally, with its black feather."
"Then when this soul speaks in you," cried Adolphe, warming to eloquence17, "you're no longer yourself! Theophrastus Longuet has disappeared! It's the Other who is there! The Other who has the gestures, the air, the action, and the Black Feather of the Other! It's the Other who will recall exactly the mystery of the treasures! It's the Other who remembers the Other!"
"Oh, this is wonderful!" cried Theophrastus, almost in tears of joy. "I grasp now what you mean by my Black Feather. I shall have my Black Feather when I'm the Other!"
[Pg 60]"And we will help you in the matter, dear friend," said Adolphe with unabated warmth. "But till we have disentangled the Unknown who is hidden in Theophrastus Longuet, until he is alive before our very eyes with the right amount of force, daring, and energy, until, in a word, he appears with his Black Feather, let us calmly devote ourselves to the study of this interesting document which you brought back from the Conciergerie. Let us make it our pastime to penetrate18 its mystery, let us fix the limits of the space in which these treasures were buried. But let us wait before ransacking19 the bowels20 of the earth till the Other, who is asleep in you, awakes and cries, 'It is here!'"
"You speak like a book, Adolphe!" cried Marceline, overwhelmed with admiration21. "But can we really expect the soil in which the treasures were buried to have remained undisturbed all these years—over two hundred?"
"Woman of little faith," said Adolphe sternly, "they have been disturbing the sacred soil of the Roman Forum22 for over two thousand years as the soil of Paris has never been disturbed; and it was only a few years ago that they brought to light the famous rostrum from which Caius and Tiberius poured forth[Pg 61] their eloquence... Ah, here's M. Mifroid, my friend the Commissary of Police, whom I've so long wanted you to know. Well, this is lucky!"
A man of forty, dressed in the height of fashion and as neat as a new pin, with one white lock drawn23 carefully down on his unwrinkled brow, came up to them smiling, raised his hat, and shook Adolphe warmly by the hand.
"How are you?" said Adolphe cordially. "Let me introduce you to my friends. M. Mifroid—Madame Longuet—M. Longuet."
From the glance of respectful admiration which he bestowed24 on her charming face Marceline gathered that the Commissary of Police was also a squire25 of dames26.
"We have often heard our friend M. Lecamus speak of you," she said with a gracious smile.
"I feel that I have known you for a long time. Every time I meet him, he talks about his friends of Gerando Street, and in such terms that the good fortune which this moment befalls me, this introduction, has been my most fervent27 desire," said M. Mifroid gallantly28.
"I hear that you are an accomplished29 violinist," said Marceline, delighted with his politeness.
"Accomplished? I don't know about accom[Pg 62]plished: I play the violin; and I am something of a sculptor30 and a student of philosophy—a taste which I owe to our friend M. Lecamus here. And when I passed you just now, I heard you discussing the immortality31 of the soul," said M. Mifroid, who wished to shine before the eyes of the pretty Marceline.
"Adolphe and I love to discuss these serious questions; and just now we were discussing the body and soul and the relations between them," said Theophrastus with a very fair imitation of the professorial air of Adolphe.
"Haven't you got beyond that?" said M. Mifroid, burning to shine. "In the eyes of Science matter and spirit are one and the same thing, that is to say, they constitute the same unity32 in the same Force, at once result and phenomenon, cause and effect, moving towards the same end: the Progressive Ascent33 of Being. You two gentlemen are the only people left to make this distinction between matter and spirit."
Theophrastus was a trifle huffed: "We do the best we can," he said stiffly.
The little party had come into the Place de la Concorde. At the top of the Rue34 Royale there was a large crowd of people, shouting and gesticulating.
[Pg 63]At once Theophrastus, like a true Parisian, was on fire to learn what was going on, and plunged35 into the heart of the crowd.
"Mind you don't get your pockets picked!" cried Marceline after him.
"Oh, you needn't be afraid of getting your pocket picked when you're in the company of Commissary Mifroid," said that gentleman proudly.
"I don't know about that," said Adolphe slyly. "My friend Mifroid appears to me more dangerous than all the pickpockets37 on the face of the earth—to the heart."
"Ah, he will have his joke!" said M. Mifroid laughing; but he assumed his most conquering air.
Theophrastus kept them standing38 there for fully5 ten minutes before he emerged from the crowd with his eyes shining very brightly.
"It's a cab-driver who has locked his wheel with that of a motor car," he said.
"And what has happened?" said Marceline.
"Why, he can't unlock it," said Theophrastus.
[Pg 64]"And all this crowd about a trifle like that! How silly people are!" said Marceline.
Thereupon she invited M. Mifroid to come home and dine with them. He needed but a little pressing to accept the invitation; and they strolled slowly back to Gerando Street.
The dinner was very lively, for M. Mifroid was still bent39 on shining; and his example spurred Adolphe to splendid emulation40. It was when they were taking their coffee at the end of dinner that M. Mifroid suddenly seemed uneasy. He felt in all his pockets, trying to find his handkerchief. His search was vain; it was not there. After a final search in the pockets in the tails of his frock-coat, he ground his teeth, gave his moustache a despairing tug41, and took a deep breath.
Two minutes later Theophrastus blew his nose. Marceline asked him where he had got that pretty handkerchief. M. Mifroid looked at it and saw that it was his. He laughed somewhat awkwardly, declared that it was an excellent joke, took it from Theophrastus, and put it in his pocket. Theophrastus could not understand it at all.
Suddenly M. Mifroid turned pale, and felt in his left-hand breast pocket.
[Pg 65]"Goodness! What has become of my pocket-book?" he cried.
The explanation of its absence was entirely42 simple: someone had picked the pocket of the Commissary of Police of his pocket-book with five hundred francs in it. M. Mifroid did not so much regret the loss of the five hundred francs as he was furious to find himself ridiculous. Marceline made fun of him gently as she condoled43 with him on its loss; she could not help it. He was furious indeed.
He pulled out a pocket-book. M. Mifroid uttered a sharp cry: it was his own pocket-book!
Theophrastus turned a rich scarlet45. M. Mifroid stared at him, took the pocket-book from his trembling fingers, recovered his five hundred francs, and put them in his pocket.
Then he forthwith began to make a hundred pressing occupations his excuse for taking a hurried leave of them, and said good-bye.
As he was clattering46 down the staircase, he called back up it, with some heat, to his friend Adolphe, who had hurried out of the flat after him:
[Pg 66]"Whoever are these people you have introduced me to?"
Adolphe said nothing; he wiped his perspiring47 brow.
The clattering footsteps of M. Mifroid died away down the stairs; and he went slowly back into the dining-room. Theophrastus had just finished turning out his pockets. On the table lay three watches, six handkerchiefs, four pocket-books, containing considerable sums of money, and eighteen purses!
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1
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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ransack
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| v.彻底搜索，洗劫 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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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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accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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hereditarily
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| 世袭地，遗传地 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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ransacking
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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forum
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| n.论坛，讨论会 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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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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squire
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dames
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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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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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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pickpockets
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| n.扒手( pickpocket的名词复数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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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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emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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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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condoled
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| v.表示同情，吊唁( condole的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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