Part 9 (1/2)
”Madame Rabourdin is charming,” said the minister's wife, wis.h.i.+ng to say the civil thing to the head of a bureau.
The children all gazed at Rabourdin with curiosity. The poor man had come there expecting some serious, even solemn, result, and he was like a great fish caught in the threads of a flimsy net; he struggled with himself.
”Madame la comtesse is very good,” he said.
”Shall I not have the pleasure of seeing Madame here some Wednesday?”
said the countess. ”Pray bring her; it will give me pleasure.”
”Madame Rabourdin herself receives on Wednesdays,” interrupted des Lupeaulx, who knew the empty civility of an invitation to the official Wednesdays; ”but since you are so kind as to wish for her, you will soon give one of your private parties, and--”
The countess rose with some irritation.
”You are the master of my ceremonies,” she said to des Lupeaulx,--ambiguous words, by which she expressed the annoyance she felt with the secretary for presuming to interfere with her private parties, to which she admitted only a select few. She left the room without bowing to Rabourdin, who remained alone with des Lupeaulx; the latter was twisting in his fingers the confidential letter to the minister which Rabourdin had intrusted to La Briere. Rabourdin recognized it.
”You have never really known me,” said des Lupeaulx. ”Friday evening we will come to a full understanding. Just now I must go and receive callers; his Excellency saddles me with that burden when he has other matters to attend to. But I repeat, Rabourdin, don't worry yourself; you have nothing to fear.”
Rabourdin walked slowly through the corridors, amazed and confounded by this singular turn of events. He had expected Dutocq to denounce him, and found he had not been mistaken; des Lupeaulx had certainly seen the doc.u.ment which judged him so severely, and yet des Lupeaulx was fawning on his judge! It was all incomprehensible. Men of upright minds are often at a loss to understand complicated intrigues, and Rabourdin was lost in a maze of conjecture without being able to discover the object of the game which the secretary was playing.
”Either he has not read the part about himself, or he loves my wife.”
Such were the two thoughts to which his mind arrived as he crossed the courtyard; for the glance he had intercepted the night before between des Lupeaulx and Celestine came back to his memory like a flash of lightning.
CHAPTER VI. THE WORMS AT WORK
Rabourdin's bureau was during his absence a prey to the keenest excitement; for the relation between the head officials and the clerks in a government office is so regulated that, when a minister's messenger summons the head of a bureau to his Excellency's presence (above all at the latter's breakfast hour), there is no end to the comments that are made. The fact that the present unusual summons followed so closely on the death of Monsieur de la Billardiere seemed to give special importance to the circ.u.mstance, which was made known to Monsieur Saillard, who came at once to confer with Baudoyer. Bixiou, who happened at the moment to be at work with the latter, left him to converse with his father-in-law and betook himself to the bureau Rabourdin, where the usual routine was of course interrupted.
Bixiou [entering]. ”I thought I should find you at a white heat! Don't you know what's going on down below? The virtuous woman is done for!
yes, done for, crushed! Terrible scene at the ministry!”
Dutocq [looking fixedly at him]. ”Are you telling the truth?”
Bixiou. ”Pray, who would regret it? Not you, certainly, for you will be made under-head-clerk and du Bruel head of the bureau. Monsieur Baudoyer gets the division.”
Fleury. ”I'll bet a hundred francs that Baudoyer will never be head of the division.”
Vimeux. ”I'll join in the bet; will you, Monsieur Poiret?”
Poiret. ”I retire in January.”
Bixiou. ”Is it possible? are we to lose the sight of those shoe-ties?
What will the ministry be without you? Will n.o.body take up the bet on my side?”
Dutocq. ”I can't, for I know the facts. Monsieur Rabourdin is appointed.
Monsieur de la Billardiere requested it of the two ministers on his death-bed, blaming himself for having taken the emoluments of an office of which Rabourdin did all the work; he felt remorse of conscience, and the ministers, to quiet him, promised to appoint Rabourdin unless higher powers intervened.”
Bixiou. ”Gentlemen, are you all against me? seven to one,--for I know which side you'll take, Monsieur Ph.e.l.lion. Well, I'll bet a dinner costing five hundred francs at the Rocher de Cancale that Rabourdin does not get La Billardiere's place. That will cost you only a hundred francs each, and I'm risking five hundred,--five to one against me! Do you take it up?” [Shouting into the next room.] ”Du Bruel, what say you?”