Chapter 13 Conference In Paris
In a room in Paris five men were sitting. It was a room that had seen his-toric meetings before. Quite a number of them. This meeting was in manyways a meeting of a different kind yet it promised to be no less historic.
Monsieur Grosjean was presiding. He was a worried man doing his bestto slide over things with facility and a charm of manner that had oftenhelped him in the past. He did not feel it was helping1 him so much today.
Signor Vitelli had arrived from Italy by air an hour before. His gestureswere feverish2, his manner unbalanced.
‘It is beyond anything,’ he was saying, ‘it is beyond anything one couldhave imagined.’
‘These students,’ said Monsieur Grosjean, ‘do we not all suffer?’
‘This is more than students. It is beyond students. What can one com-pare this to? A swarm3 of bees. A disaster of nature intensified4. Intensifiedbeyond anything one could have imagined. They march. They have ma-chine-guns. Somewhere they have acquired planes. They propose to takeover the whole of North Italy. But it is madness, that! They are children–nothing more. And yet they have bombs, explosives. In the city of Milanalone they outnumber the police. What can we do, I ask you? The milit-ary? The army too–it is in revolt. They say they are with les jeunes. Theysay there is no hope for the world except in anarchy5. They talk of some-thing they call the Third World, but this cannot just happen.’
Monsieur Grosjean sighed. ‘It is very popular among the young,’ he said,‘the anarchy. A belief in anarchy. We know that from the days of Algeria,from all the troubles from which our country and our colonial empire hassuffered. And what can we do? The military? In the end they back the stu-dents.’
‘The students, ah, the students,’ said Monsieur Poissonier.
He was a member of the French government to whom the word ‘stu-dent’ was anathema6. If he had been asked he would have admitted to apreference for Asian ’flu or even an outbreak of bubonic plague. Eitherwas preferable in his mind to the activities of students. A world with nostudents in it! That was what Monsieur Poissonier sometimes dreamtabout. They were good dreams, those. They did not occur often enough.
‘As for magistrates,’ said Monsieur Grosjean, ‘what has happened to ourjudicial authorities? The police–yes, they are loyal still, but the judiciary,they will not impose sentences, not on young men who are brought beforethem, young men who have destroyed property, government property,private property–every kind of property. And why not, one would like toknow? I have been making inquiries7 lately. The Préfecture have suggestedcertain things to me. An increase is needed, they say, in the standard ofliving among judiciary authorities, especially in the provincial8 areas.’
‘Come, come,’ said Monsieur Poissonier, ‘you must be careful what yousuggest.’
‘Ma foi, why should I be careful? Things need bringing into the open. Wehave had frauds before, gigantic frauds and there is money now circulat-ing around. Money, and we do not know where it comes from, but the Pré-fecture have said to me–and I believe it–that they begin to get an idea ofwhere it is going. Do we contemplate9, can we contemplate a corrupt10 statesubsidized from some outside source?’
‘In Italy too,’ said Signor Vitelli, ‘in Italy, ah, I could tell you things. Yes, Icould tell you of what we suspect. But who, who is corrupting11 our world?
A group of industrialists12, a group of tycoons13? How could such a thing beso.’
‘This business has got to stop,’ said Monsieur Grosjean. ‘Action must betaken. Military action. Action from the Air Force. These anarchists14, thesemarauders, they come from every class. It must be put down.’
‘Control by tear gas has been fairly successful,’ said Poissonier dubi-ously.
‘Tear gas is not enough,’ said Monsieur Grosjean. ‘The same result couldbe got by setting students to peel bunches of onions. Tears would flowfrom their eyes. It needs more than that.’
Monsieur Poissonier said in a shocked voice:
‘You are not suggesting the use of nuclear weapons?’
‘Nuclear weapons? Quelle blague! What can we do with nuclearweapons. What would become of the soil of France, of the air of France ifwe use nuclear weapons? We can destroy Russia, we know that. We alsoknow that Russia can destroy us.’
‘You’re not suggesting that groups of marching and demonstrating stu-dents could destroy our authoritarian16 forces?’
‘That is exactly what I am suggesting. I have had a warning of suchthings. Of stock-piling of arms, and various forms of chemical warfare17 andof other things. I have had reports from some of our eminent18 scientists.
Secrets are known. Stores–held in secret–weapons of warfare have beenstolen. What is to happen next, I ask you. What is to happen next?’
The question was answered unexpectedly and with more rapidity thanMonsieur Grosjean could possibly have calculated. The door opened andhis principal secretary approached his master, his face showing urgentconcern. Monsieur Grosjean looked at him with displeasure.
‘Did I not say I wanted no interruptions?’
‘Yes indeed, Monsieur le Président, but this is somewhat unusual–’ Hebent towards his master’s ear. ‘The Marshal is here. He demands en-trance.’
‘The Marshal? You mean–’
The secretary nodded his head vigorously several times to show that hedid mean. Monsieur Poissonier looked at his colleague in perplexity.
‘He demands admission. He will not take refusal.’
The two other men in the room looked first at Grosjean and then at theagitated Italian.
‘Would it not be better,’ said Monsieur Coin, the Minister for Home Af-fairs, ‘if–’
He paused at the ‘if ’ as the door was once more flung open and a manstrode in. A very well-known man. A man whose word had been not onlylaw, but above law in the country of France for many past years. To seehim at this moment was an unwelcome surprise for those sitting there.
‘Ah, I welcome you, dear colleagues,’ said the Marshal. ‘I come to helpyou. Our country is in danger. Action must be taken, immediate19 action! Icome to put myself at your service. I take over all responsibility for actingin this crisis. There may be danger. I know there is, but honour is abovedanger. The salvation20 of France is above danger. They march this waynow. A vast herd21 of students, of criminals who have been released fromjails, some of them who have committed the crime of homicide. Men whohave committed incendiarism. They shout names. They sing songs. Theycall on the names of their teachers, of their philosophers, of those whohave led them on this path of insurrection. Those who will bring about thedoom of France unless something is done. You sit here, you talk, you de-plore things. More than that must be done. I have sent for two regiments23. Ihave alerted the air force, special coded wires have gone out to our neigh-bouring ally, to my friends in Germany, for she is our ally now in thiscrisis!
‘Riot must be put down. Rebellion! Insurrection! The danger to men, wo-men and children, to property. I go forth24 now to quell15 the insurrection, tospeak to them as their father, their leader. These students, these criminalseven, they are my children. They are the youth of France. I go to speak tothem of that. They shall listen to me, governments will be revised, theirstudies can be resumed under their own auspices25. Their grants have beeninsufficient, their lives have been deprived of beauty, of leadership. Icome to promise all this. I speak in my own name. I shall speak also inyour name, the name of the Government, you have done your best, youhave acted as well as you know how. But it needs higher leadership. Itneeds my leadership. I go now. I have lists of further coded wires to besent. Such nuclear deterrents26 as can be used in unfrequented spots can beput into action in such a modified form that though they may bring terrorto the mob, we ourselves shall know that there is no real danger in them. Ihave thought out everything. My plan will go. Come, my loyal friends, ac-company me.’
‘Marshal, we cannot allow–you cannot imperil yourself. We must…’
‘I listen to nothing you say. I embrace my doom22, my destiny.’
The Marshal strode to the door.
‘My staff is outside. My chosen bodyguard27. I go now to speak to theseyoung rebels, this young flower of beauty and terror, to tell them wheretheir duty lies.’
He disappeared through the door with the grandeur28 of a leading actorplaying his favourite part.
‘Bon Dieu, he means it!’ said Monsieur Poissonier.
‘He will risk his life,’ said Signor Vitelli. ‘Who knows? It is brave, he is abrave man. It is gallant29, yes, but what will happen to him? In the mood lesjeunes are in now, they might kill him.’
A pleasurable sigh fell from Monsieur Poissonier’s lips. It might be true,he thought. Yes, it might be true.
‘It is possible,’ he said. ‘Yes, they might kill him.’
‘One cannot wish that, of course,’ said Monsieur Grosjean carefully.
Monsieur Grosjean did wish it. He hoped for it, though a natural pessim-ism led him to have the second thought that things seldom fell out in theway you wanted them to. Indeed, a much more awful prospect30 confrontedhim. It was quite possible, it was within the traditions of the Marshal’spast, that somehow or other he might induce a large pack of exhilaratedand bloodthirsty students to listen to what he said, trust in his promises,and insist on restoring him to the power that he had once held. It was thesort of thing that had happened once or twice in the career of the Marshal.
His personal magnetism31 was such that politicians had before now mettheir defeat when they least expected it.
‘We must restrain him,’ he cried.
‘Yes, yes,’ said Signor Vitelli, ‘he cannot be lost to the world.’
‘One fears,’ said Monsieur Poissonier. ‘He has too many friends in Ger-many, too many contacts, and you know they move very quickly in milit-ary matters in Germany. They might leap at the opportunity.’
‘Bon Dieu, Bon Dieu,’ said Monsieur Grosjean, wiping his brow. ‘Whatshall we do? What can we do? What is that noise? I hear rifles, do I not?’
‘No, no,’ said Monsieur Poissonier consolingly. ‘It is the canteen coffeetrays you hear.’
‘There is a quotation32 I could use,’ said Monsieur Grosjean, who was agreat lover of the drama, ‘if I could only remember it. A quotation fromShakespeare. “Will nobody rid me of this–”’
‘“turbulent priest,”’ said Monsieur Poissonier. ‘From the play, Becket.’
‘A madman like the Marshal is worse than a priest. A priest should atleast be harmless, though indeed even His Holiness the Pope received adelegation of students only yesterday. He blessed them. He called them hischildren.’
‘A Christian33 gesture, though,’ said Monsieur Coin dubiously34.
‘One can go too far even with Christian gestures,’ said Monsieur Gros-jean.
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helping
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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anarchy
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| n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序 | |
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anathema
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| n.诅咒；被诅咒的人(物)，十分讨厌的人(物) | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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corrupting
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的现在分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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industrialists
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| n.工业家，实业家( industrialist的名词复数 ) | |
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tycoons
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| 大君( tycoon的名词复数 )； 将军； 企业巨头； 大亨 | |
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anarchists
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| 无政府主义者( anarchist的名词复数 ) | |
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quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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authoritarian
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| n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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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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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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deterrents
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| 制止物( deterrent的名词复数 ) | |
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bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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magnetism
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| n.磁性，吸引力，磁学 | |
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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