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prefect；　and　the　attorney…general；　for　they　were　all　anxious；　while

showing　enough　firmness　to　keep　the　local　authorities　up　to　their　duty

and　awe　the　country…people；　to　be　as　gentle　as　possible；　fully

realizing　as　they　did　the　difficulties　of　the　question。　In　fact；　if

resistance　had　occurred；　the　government　would　have　been　in　a　tight

place。　As　Laroche　truly　said；　they　could　not　guillotine　or　even

convict　a　whole　community。



The　general　invited　the　mayor　of　Conches；　the　lieutenant；　and　the

sergeant　to　breakfast。　The　conspirators　of　the　Grand…I…Vert　adjourned

to　the　tavern　of　Conches；　where　the　delinquents　spent　in　drink　the

money　their　relations　had　given　them　to　take　to　prison；　sharing　it

with　the　Blangy　people；　who　were　naturally　part　of　the　wedding；the

word　〃wedding〃　being　applied　indiscriminately　in　Burgundy　to　all　such

rejoicings。　To　drink；　quarrel；　fight；　eat　and　go　home　drunk　and　sick；

that　is　a　wedding　to　these　peasants。



The　general；　who　had　come　by　the　park；　took　his　guests　back　through

the　forest　that　they　might　see　for　themselves　the　injury　done　to　the

timber；　and　so　judge　of　the　importance　of　the　question。



Just　as　Rigou　and　Soudry　were　on　their　way　back　to　Blangy；　the　count

and　countess；　Emile　Blondet；　the　lieutenant　of　gendarmerie；　the

sergeant；　and　the　mayor　of　Conches　were　finishing　their　breakfast　in

the　splendid　dining…room　where　Bouret's　luxury　had　left　the　delightful

traces　already　described　by　Blondet　in　his　letter　to　Nathan。



〃It　would　be　a　terrible　pity　to　abandon　this　beautiful　home；〃　said　the

lieutenant；　who　had　never　before　been　at　Les　Aigues；　and　who　was

glancing　over　a　glass　of　champagne　at　the　circling　nymphs　that

supported　the　ceiling。



〃We　intend　to　defend　it　to　the　death；〃　said　Blondet。



〃If　I　say　that；〃　continued　the　lieutenant；　looking　at　his　sergeant　as

if　to　enjoin　silence；　〃it　is　because　the　general's　enemies　are　not

only　among　the　peasantry〃



The　worthy　man　was　quite　moved　by　the　excellence　of　the　breakfast；　the

magnificence　of　the　silver　service；　the　imperial　luxury　that

surrounded　him；　and　Blondet's　clever　talk　excited　him　as　much　as　the

champagne　he　had　imbibed。



〃Enemies！　have　I　enemies？〃　said　the　general；　surprised。



〃He；　so　kind！〃　added　the　countess。



〃But　you　are　on　bad　terms　with　our　mayor；　Monsieur　Gaubertin；〃　said

the　lieutenant。　〃It　would　be　wise；　for　the　sake　of　the　future；　to　be

reconciled　with　him。〃



〃With　him！〃　cried　the　count。　〃Then　you　don't　know　that　he　was　my

former　steward；　and　a　swindler！〃



〃A　swindler　no　longer；〃　said　the　lieutenant；　〃for　he　is　mayor　of

Ville…aux…Fayes。〃



〃Ha；　ha！〃　laughed　Blondet；　〃the　lieutenant's　wit　is　keen；　evidently　a

mayor　is　essentially　an　honest　man。〃



The　lieutenant；　convinced　by　the　count's　words　that　it　was　useless　to

attempt　to　enlighten　him；　said　no　more　on　that　subject；　and　the

conversation　changed。







CHAPTER　VI



THE　FOREST　AND　THE　HARVEST



The　scene　at　Conches　had；　apparently；　a　good　effect　on　the　peasantry；

on　the　other　hand；　the　count's　faithful　keepers　were　more　than　ever

watchful　that　only　dead　wood　should　be　gathered　in　the　forest　of　Les

Aigues。　But　for　the　last　twenty　years　the　woods　had　been　so　thoroughly

cleared　out　that　very　little　else　than　live　wood　was　now　there；　and

this　the　peasantry　set　about　killing；　in　preparation　for　winter；　by　a

simple　process；　the　results　of　which　could　only　be　discovered　in　the

course　of　time。　Tonsard's　mother　went　daily　into　the　forest；　the

keepers　saw　her　enter；　knew　where　she　would　come　out；　watched　for　her

and　made　her　open　her　bundle；　where；　to　be　sure；　were　only　fallen

branches；　dried　chips；　and　broken　and　withered　twigs。　The　old　woman

would　whine　and　complain　at　the　distance　she　had　to　go　at　her　age　to

gather　such　a　miserable　bunch　of　fagots。　But　she　did　not　tell　that　she

had　been　in　the　thickest　part　of　the　wood　and　had　removed　the　earth　at

the　base　of　certain　young　trees；　round　which　she　had　then　cut　off　a

ring　of　bark；　replacing　the　earth；　moss；　and　dead　leaves　just　as　they

were　before　she　touched　them。　It　was　impossible　that　any　one　could

discover　this　annular　incision；　made；　not　like　a　cut；　but　more　like

the　ripping　or　gnawing　of　animals　or　those　destructive　insects　called

in　different　regions　borers；　or　turks；　or　white　worms；　which　are　the

first　stage　of　cockchafers。　These　destructive　pests　are　fond　of　the

bark　of　trees；　they　get　between　the　bark　and　the　sap…wood　and　eat

their　way　round。　If　the　tree　is　large　enough　for　the　insect　to　pass

into　its　second　state　（of　larvae；　in　which　it　remains　dormant　until

its　second　metamorphose）　before　it　has　gone　round　the　trunk；　the　tree

lives；　because　so　long　as　even　a　small　bit　of　the　sap…wood　remains

covered　by　the　bark；　the　tree　will　still　grow　and　recover　itself。　To

realize　to　what　a　degree　entomology　affects　agriculture；　horticulture；

and　all　earth　products；　we　must　know　that　naturalists　like　Latreille；

the　Comte　Dejean；　Klugg　of　Berlin；　Gene　of　Turin；　etc。；　find　that　the

vast　majority　of　all　known　insects　live　at　the　sacrifice　of

vegetation；　that　the　coleoptera　（a　catalogue　of　which　has　lately　been

published　by　Monsieur　Dejean）　have　twenty…seven　thousand　species；　and

that；　in　spite　of　the　most　earnest　research　on　the　part　of

entomologists　of　all　countries；　there　is　an　enormous　number　of　species

of　whom　they　cannot　trace　the　triple　transformations　which　belong　to

all　insects；　that　there　is；　in　short；　not　only　a　special　insect　to

every　plant；　but　that　all　terrestrial　products；　however　much　they　may

be　manipulated　by　human　industry；　have　their　particular　parasite。　Thus

flax；　after　covering　the　human　body　and　hanging　the　human　being；　after

roaming　the　world　on　the　back　of　an　army；　becomes　writing…paper；　and

those　who　write　or　who　read　are　familiar　with　the　habits　and　morals　of

an　insect　called　the　〃paper…louse；〃　an　insect　of　really　marvellous

celerity　and　behavior；　it　undergoes　its　mysterious　transformations　in

a　ream　of　white　paper　which　you　have　carefully　put　away；　you　see　it

gliding　and　frisking　along　in　its　shining　robe；　that　looks　like

isinglass　or　mica；truly　a　little　fish　of　another　element。



The　borer　is　the　despair　of　the　land…owner；　he　works　underground；　no

Sicilian　vespers　for　him　until　he　becomes　a　cockchafer！　If　the

populations　only　realized　with　what　untold　disasters　they　are

threatened　in　case　they　let　the　cockchafers　and　the　caterpillars　get

the　upper　hand；　they　would　pay　more　attention　than　they　do　to

municipal　regulations。



Holland　came　near　perishing；　its　dikes　were　undermined　by　the　teredo；

and　science　is　unable　to　discover　the　insect　from　which　that　mollusk

derives；　just　as　science　still　remains　ignorant　of　the　metamorphoses

of　the　cochineal。　The　ergot；　or　spur；　of　rye　is　apparently　a

population　of　insects　where　the　genius　of　science　has　been　able；　so

far；　to　discover　only　one　slight　movement。　Thus；　while　awaiting　the

harvest　and　gleaning；　fifty　old　women　imitated　the　borer　at　the　feet

of　five　or　six　hundred　trees　which　were　fated　to　become　skeletons　and

to　put　forth　no　more　leaves　in　the　spring。　They　were　carefully　chosen

in　the　least　accessible　places；　so　that　the　surrounding　branches

concealed　them。



Who　conveyed　the　secret　information　by　which　this　was　done？　No　one。

Courtecuisse　happened　to　complain　in　Tonsard's　tavern　of　having　found

a　tree　wilting　in　his　garden；　it　seemed　he　said；　to　have　a　disease；

and　he　suspected　a　borer；　for　he；　Courtecuisse；　knew　what　borers　were；

and　if　they　once　circled　a　tree　just　below　the　ground；　the　tree　died。

Thereupon　he　explained　the　process。　The　old　women　at　once　set　to　work

at　the　same　destruction；　with　the　mystery　and　cleverness　of　gnomes；

and　their　efforts　were　doubled　by　the　rules　now　enforced　by　the　mayor

of　Blangy　and　necessarily　followed　by　the　mayors　of　the　adjoining

districts。



The　great　land…owners　of　the　department　applauded　General　de

Montcornet's　course；　and　the　prefect　in　his　private　drawing…room

declared　that　if；　instead　of　living　in　Paris；　other　land…owners　would

come　and　live　on　their　estates　and　follow　such　a　course　together；　a

solution　of　the　difficulty　could　be　obtained；　for　certain　measures；

added　the　prefect；　ought　to　be　taken；　and　taken　in　concert；　modified

by　benefactions　and　by　an　enlightened　philanthropy；　such　as　every　one

could　see　actuated　in　General　Montcornet。



The　general　and　his　wife；　assisted　by　the　abbe；　tried　the　effects　of

such　benevolence。　They　studied　the　subject；　and　endeavored　to　show　by

incontestable　results　to　those　who　pillaged　them　that　more　money　could

be　made　by　legitimate　toil。　They　supplied　flax　and　paid　for　the

spinning；　the　countess　had　the　thread　woven　into　linen　suitable　for

towels；　aprons；　and　coarse　napkins　for　kitchen　use；　and　for

underclothing　for　the　very　poor。　The　general　began　improvements　which

needed　many　laborers；　and　he　employed　none　but　those　in　the　adj