Part 52 (1/2)
”The gentleht, M le President, do not appear to like ht notoriously do not like the truth”
This tihter, those of the Right thundered ly The ushers circulated at a pace beyond their usual, agitated themselves, clapped their hands, and called in vain for silence
The President rang his bell
Above the general din came the voice of La Tour d'Azyr, who had half-risen from his seat: ”Mountebank! This is not the theatre!”
”No, round for bully-swordsrew
The deputy-suppleant looked round and waited Near at hand he rin of Le Chapelier, and the quiet, approving smile of Kersain, another Breton deputy of his acquaintance A little farther off he saw the great head of Mirabeau thrown back, the great eyes regarding hi all thatsea of faces, the sallow countenance of the Arras' lawyer Robespierre--or de Robespierre, as the little snob now called hi assuative of a man of his distinction in the councils of his country With his tip-tilted nose in the air, his carefully curled head on one side, the deputy for Arras was observing Andre-Louis attentively The horn-ri were thrust up on to his pale forehead, and it was through a levelled spy-glass that he considered the speaker, his thin-lipped er-cat smile that was afterwards to become so famous and so feared
Gradually the uproar wore itself out, and diminished so that at last the President could ravely addressed the young man in the tribune:
”Monsieur, if you wish to be heard, let e” And then to the others: ”Messieurs, if we are to proceed, I beg that you will restrain your feelings until the deputy-suppleant has concluded his discourse”
”I shall endeavour to obey, M le President, leaving provocation to the gentleht If the feords I have used so far have been provocative, I regret it But it was necessary that I should refer to the distinguished deputy whose place I come so unworthily to fill, and it was unavoidable that I should refer to the event which has procured us this sad necessity The deputy Lagron was a ular nobility of h purpose of doing his duty by his electors and by this asseift of eloquence”
La Tour d'Azyr writhed at the well-known phrase--his own phrase--the phrase that he had used to explain his action in the matter of Philippe de Vilmorin, the phrase that from time to time had been cast in his teeth with such vindictive menace
And then the crisp voice of the witty Canales, that very rapier of the Privileged party, cut sharply into the speaker's reat solemnity, ”has the deputy-suppleantpart in the debate on the constitution of the legislative asse a funeral oration upon the departed deputy Lagron?”
This tiave way to hter is obscene!” In this truly Gallic fashi+on he flung his glove into the face of Privilege, deterhter perished on the instant quenched in speechless fury
Soleron died To refer to his death at all requires courage, to laugh in referring to it requires so that I will not attempt to qualify If I have alluded to his decease, it is becauseyou seemed to render some such allusion necessary
It is mine to take up the burden which he set down I do not pretend that I have the strength, the courage, or the wisdoe and wisdom as I possess that burden will I bear And I trust, for the sake of those who ht attempt it, that the means taken to impose silence upon that eloquent voice will not be taken to impose silence upon mine”
There was a faint murhter froht
”Rhodomont!” a voice called to hi froroup of spadassins amid the Blacks across the Piste, and he smiled Inaudibly his lips answered:
”No, erous felloho goes tortuously to his ends” Aloud, he resumed: ”M le President, there are those ill not understand that the purpose for which we are asse of laws by which France overned, by which France may be lifted out of theFor there are some ant, it seems, not laws, but blood; I sole them, if they do not learn in tiain in that phrase there was so that stirred a memory in La Tour d'Azyr He turned in the fresh uproar to speak to his cousin Chabrillane who sat beside hiue, this bastard of Gavrillac's,” said he
Chabrillane looked at hier
”Let hiain after to-day Leave this to me”