Part 20 (1/2)
”I am sure to find him in,” said he, as he ascended the stairs, ”it is the day he writes his criticism--there is no fear of his being out. I will borrow five francs of him.”
”Hallo! it's you, is it?” said the journalist, on seeing Rodolphe. ”You come at the right moment. I have a slight service to ask of you.”
”How lucky it falls out,” thought the editor of ”The Scarf of Iris.”
”Were you at the Odeon Theater last night?”
”I am always at the Odeon.”
”You have seen the new piece, then?”
”Who else would have seen it? I am the Odeon audience.”
”That is true,” said the critic, ”you are one of the caryatides of the theater. It is even rumored that it is you who finds the money for its subvention. Well, that is what I want of you, a summary of the plot of the new piece.”
”That is easy, I have the memory of a creditor.”
”Whom is this piece by?” asked the critic of Rodolphe, whilst the latter was writing.
”A gentleman.”
”It cannot be up to much.”
”Well, it is not as strong as a Turk.”
”Then it cannot be very robust. The Turks, you see, have usurped a reputation for strength. Besides, there are no longer any Turks except at masked b.a.l.l.s and in the Champs-Elysees where they sell dates. One of my friends knows the East and he a.s.sures me that all the natives of it were born in the Rue Coquenard.”
”That is smart,” said Rodolphe.
”You think so?” observed the critic, ”I will put it in my article.”
”Here is my a.n.a.lysis of the piece, it is to the point,” resumed Rodolphe.
”Yes, but it is short.”
”By putting in dashes and developing your critical opinion it will fill some s.p.a.ce.”
”I have scarcely time, my dear fellow, and then my critical opinion will not fill enough s.p.a.ce either.”
”You can stick in an adjective at every third word.”
”Cannot you tail on to your a.n.a.lysis a little, or rather a long criticism of the piece, eh?” asked the critic.
”Humph,” said Rodolphe. ”I have certainly some opinions upon tragedy, but I have printed them three times in 'The Beaver' and 'The Scarf of Iris.'”
”No matter, how many lines do your opinions fill?”
”Forty lines.”
”The deuce, you have strong opinions. Well, lend me your forty lines.”