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第3节

unconscious comedians-第3节

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danseuse earns。 The danseuse; who was celebrated before Taglioni and

Ellsler appeared; has preserved to our day some of the old traditions

of the character dance and pantomime。 If the two others had not

revealed in the art of dancing a poetry hitherto unperceived; she

would have been the leading talent; as it is; she is reduced to the

second line。 But for all that; she fingers her thirty thousand francs

a year; and her faithful friend is a peer of France; very influential

in the Chamber。 And see! there's a danseuse of the third order; who;

as a dancer; exists only through the omnipotence of a newspaper。 If

her engagement were not renewed the ministry would have one more

journalistic enemy on its back。 The corps de ballet is a great power;

consequently it is considered better form in the upper ranks of

dandyism and politics to have relations with dance than with song。 In

the stalls; where the habitues of the Opera congregate; the saying

'Monsieur is all for singing' is a form of ridicule。〃



A short man with a common face; quite simply dressed; passed them at

this moment。



〃There's the other half of the Opera receiptsthat man who just went

by; the tenor。 There is no longer any play; poem; music; or

representation of any kind possible unless some celebrated tenor can

reach a certain note。 The tenor is love; he is the Voice that touches

the heart; that vibrates in the soul; and his value is reckoned at a

much higher salary than that of a minister。 One hundred thousand

francs for a throat; one hundred thousand francs for a couple of

ankle…bones;those are the two financial scourges of the Opera。〃



〃I am amazed;〃 said Gazonal; 〃at the hundreds of thousands of francs

walking about here。〃



〃We'll amaze you a good deal more; my dear cousin;〃 said Leon de Lora。

〃We'll take Paris as an artist takes his violoncello; and show you how

it is played;in short; how people amuse themselves in Paris。〃



〃It is a kaleidoscope with a circumference of twenty miles;〃 cried

Gazonal。



〃Before piloting monsieur about; I have to see Gaillard;〃 said Bixiou。



〃But we can use Gaillard for the cousin;〃 replied Leon。



〃What sort of machine is that?〃 asked Gazonal。



〃He isn't a machine; he is a machinist。 Gaillard is a friend of ours

who has ended a miscellaneous career by becoming the editor of a

newspaper; and whose character and finances are governed by movements

comparable to those of the tides。 Gaillard can contribute to make you

win your lawsuit〃



〃It is lost。〃



〃That's the very moment to win it;〃 replied Bixiou。



When they reached Theodore Gaillard's abode; which was now in the rue

de Menars; the valet ushered the three friends into a boudoir and

asked them to wait; as monsieur was in secret conference。



〃With whom?〃 asked Bixiou。



〃With a man who is selling him the incarceration of an UNSEIZABLE

debtor;〃 replied a handsome woman who now appeared in a charming

morning toilet。



〃In that case; my dear Suzanne;〃 said Bixiou; 〃I am certain we may go

in。〃



〃Oh! what a beautiful creature!〃 said Gazonal。



〃That is Madame Gaillard;〃 replied Leon de Lora; speaking low into his

cousin's ear。 〃She is the most humble…minded woman in Paris; for she

had the public and has contented herself with a husband。〃



〃What is your will; messeigneurs?〃 said the facetious editor; seeing

his two friends and imitating Frederic Lemaitre。



Theodore Gaillard; formerly a wit; had ended by becoming a stupid man

in consequence of remaining constantly in one centre;a moral

phenomenon frequently to be observed in Paris。 His principal method of

conversation consisted in sowing his speeches with sayings taken from

plays then in vogue and pronounced in imitation of well…known actors。



〃We have come to blague;〃 said Leon。



〃'Again; young men'〃 (Odry in the Saltimbauques)。



〃Well; this time; we've got him; sure;〃 said Gaillard's other visitor;

apparently by way of conclusion。



〃ARE you sure of it; pere Fromenteau?〃 asked Gaillard。 〃This it the

eleventh time you've caught him at night and missed him in the

morning。〃



〃How could I help it? I never saw such a debtor! he's a locomotive;

goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine…et…Oise。 A safety

lock I call him。〃 Seeing a smile on Gaillard's face he added: 〃That's

a saying in our business。 Pinch a man; means arrest him; lock him up。

The criminal police have another term。 Vidoeq said to his man; 'You

are served'; that's funnier; for it means the guillotine。〃



A nudge from Bixiou made Gazonal all eyes and ears。



〃Does monsieur grease my paws?〃 asked Fromenteau of Gaillard; in a

threatening but cool tone。



〃'A question that of fifty centimes'〃 (Les Saltimbauques); replied the

editor; taking out five francs and offering them to Fromenteau。



〃And the rapscallions?〃 said the man。



〃What rapscallions?〃 asked Gaillard。



〃Those I employ;〃 replied Fromenteau calmly。



〃Is there a lower depth still?〃 asked Bixiou。



〃Yes; monsieur;〃 said the spy。 〃Some people give us information

without knowing they do so; and without getting paid for it。 I put

fools and ninnies below rapscallions。〃



〃They are often original; and witty; your rapscallions!〃 said Leon。



〃Do you belong to the police?〃 asked Gazonal; eying with uneasy

curiosity the hard; impassible little man; who was dressed like the

third clerk in a sheriff's office。



〃Which police do you mean?〃 asked Fromenteau。



〃There are several?〃



〃As many as five;〃 replied the man。 〃Criminal; the head of which was

Vidoeq; secret police; which keeps an eye on the other police; the

head of it being always unknown; political police;that's Fouche's。

Then there's the police of Foreign Affairs; and finally; the palace

police (of the Emperor; Louis XVIII。; etc。); always squabbling with

that of the quai Malaquais。 It came to an end under Monsieur Decazes。

I belonged to the police of Louis XVIII。; I'd been in it since 1793;

with that poor Contenson。〃



The four gentlemen looked at each other with one thought: 〃How many

heads he must have brought to the scaffold!〃



〃Now…a…days; they are trying to get on without us。 Folly!〃 continued

the little man; who began to seem terrible。 〃Since 1830 they want

honest men at the prefecture! I resigned; and I've made myself a small

vocation by arresting for debt。〃



〃He is the right arm of the commercial police;〃 said Gaillard in

Bixiou's ear; 〃but you can never find out who pays him most; the

debtor or the creditor。〃



〃The more rascally a business is; the more honor it needs。 I'm for him

who pays me best;〃 continued Fromenteau addressing Gaillard。 〃You want

to recover fifty thousand francs and you talk farthings to your means

of action。 Give me five hundred francs and your man is pinched to…

night; for we spotted him yesterday!〃



〃Five hundred francs for you alone!〃 cried Theodore Gaillard。



〃Lizette wants a shawl;〃 said the spy; not a muscle of his face

moving。 〃I call her Lizette because of Beranger。〃



〃You have a Lizette; and you stay in such a business!〃 cried the

virtuous Gazonal。



〃It is amusing! People may cry up the pleasures of hunting and fishing

as much as they like but to stalk a man in Paris is far better fun。〃



〃Certainly;〃 said Gazonal; reflectively; speaking to himself; 〃they

must have great talent。〃



〃If I were to enumerate the qualities which make a man remarkable in

our vocation;〃 said Fromenteau; whose rapid glance had enabled him to

fathom Gazonal completely; 〃you'd think I was talking of a man of

genius。 First; we must have the eyes of a lynx; next; audacity (to

tear into houses like bombs; accost the servants as if we knew them;

and propose treacheryalways agreed to); next; memory; sagacity;

invention (to make schemes; conceived rapidly; never the samefor

spying must be guided by the characters and habits of the persons

spied upon; it is a gift of heaven); and; finally; agility; vigor。 All

these facilities and qualities; monsieur; are depicted on the door of

the Gymnase…Amoros as Virtue。 Well; we must have them all; under pain

of losing the salaries given us by the State; the rue de Jerusalem; or

the minister of Commerce。〃



〃You certainly seem to me a remarkable man;〃 said Gazonal。



Fromenteau looked at the provincial without replying; without

betraying the smallest sign of feeling; and departed; bowing to no

one;a trait of real genius。



〃Well; cousin; you have now seen the police incarnate;〃 said Leon to

Gazonal。



〃It has something the effect of a dinner…pill;〃 said the worthy

provincial; while Gaillard and Bixiou were talking together in a low

voice。



〃I'll give you an answer to…night at Carabine's;〃 said Gaillard aloud;

re…seating himself at his desk without seeing or bowing to Gazonal。



〃He is a rude fellow!〃 cried the Southerner as they left the room。



〃His paper has twenty…two 

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