the four horsemen of the apocalypse-第78节

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with　printed　sheets　as　at　the　beginning　of　hostilities。　　A　serene　and　resigned　calm　had　succeeded　the　excitement　of　those　first　moments　when　the　people　were　daily　looking　for　miraculous　interventions。　　All　the　periodicals　were　saying　about　the　same　thing。　　He　was　content　with　the　official　report；　and　he　had　learned　to　wait　for　that　document　without　impatience；　foreseeing　that　with　but　few　exceptions；　it　would　say　the　same　thing　as　the　day　before。

The　fever　of　the　first　months；　with　its　illusions　and　optimisms；　now　appeared　to　Argensola　somewhat　chimerical。　　Those　not　actually　engaged　in　the　war　were　returning　gradually　to　their　habitual　occupations。　　Life　had　recovered　its　regular　rhythm。　　〃One　must　live！〃　said　the　people；　and　the　struggle　for　existence　filled　their　thoughts　with　its　immediate　urgency。　　Those　whose　relatives　were　in　the　army；　were　still　thinking　of　them；　but　their　occupations　were　so　blunting　the　edge　of　memory；　that　they　were　becoming　accustomed　to　their　absence；　regarding　the　unusual　as　the　normal　condition。　　At　first；　the　war　made　sleep　out　of　the　question；　food　impossible　to　swallow；　and　embittered　every　pleasure　with　its　funereal　pall。　　Now　the　shops　were　slowly　opening；　money　was　in　circulation；　and　people　were　able　to　laugh；　they　talked　of　the　great　calamity；　but　only　at　certain　hours；　as　something　that　was　going　to　be　long；　very　long　and　would　exact　great　resignation　to　its　inevitable　fatalism。

〃Humanity　accustoms　itself　easily　to　trouble；〃　said　Argensola；　〃provided　that　the　trouble　lasts　long　enough。　。　。　。　　In　this　lies　our　strength。〃

Don　Marcelo　was　not　in　sympathy　with　the　general　resignation。　　The　war　was　going　to　be　much　shorter　than　they　were　all　imagining。　　His　enthusiasm　had　settled　on　a　speedy　termination；within　the　next　three　months；　the　next　Spring　probably；　if　peace　were　not　declared　in　the　Spring；　it　surely　would　be　in　the　Summer。

A　new　talker　took　part　in　these　conversations。　　Desnoyers　had　become　acquainted　with　the　Russian　neighbor　of　whom　Argensola　had　so　frequently　spoken。　　Since　this　odd　personage　had　also　known　his　son；　that　was　enough　to　make　Tchernoff　arouse　his　interest。

In　normal　times；　he　would　have　kept　him　at　a　distance。　　The　millionaire　was　a　great　believer　in　law　and　order。　　He　abominated　revolutionists；　with　the　instinctive　fear　of　all　the　rich　who　have　built　up　a　fortune　and　remember　their　humble　beginnings。　Tchernoff's　socialism　and　nationality　brought　vividly　to　his　mind　a　series　of　feverish　imagesbombs；　daggers；　stabbings；　deserved　expiations　on　the　gallows；　and　exile　to　Siberia。　　No；　he　was　not　desirable　as　a　friend。　。　。　。

But　now　Don　Marcelo　was　experiencing　an　abrupt　reversal　of　his　convictions　regarding　alien　ideas。　　He　had　seen　so　much！　。　。　。　　The　revolting　proceedings　of　the　invasion；　the　unscrupulous　methods　of　the　German　chiefs；　the　tranquillity　with　which　their　submarines　were　sinking　boats　filled　with　defenseless　passengers；　the　deeds　of　the　aviators　who　were　hurling　bombs　upon　unguarded　cities；　destroying　women　and　childrenall　this　was　causing　the　events　of　revolutionary　terrorism　which；　years　ago；　used　to　arouse　his　wrath；　to　sink　into　relative　unimportance。

〃And　to　think；〃　he　said　〃that　we　used　to　be　as　infuriated　as　though　the　world　were　coming　to　an　end；　just　because　someone　threw　a　bomb　at　a　grandee！〃

Those　titled　victims　had　had　certain　reprehensible　qualities　which　had　justified　their　execution。　　They　had　died　in　consequence　of　acts　which　they　undertook；　knowing　well　what　the　punishment　would　be。　They　had　brought　retribution　on　themselves　without　trying　to　evade　it；　rarely　taking　any　precautions。　　While　the　terrorists　of　this　war！　。　。　。

With　the　violence　of　his　imperious　character；　the　old　conservative　now　swung　to　the　opposite　extreme。

〃The　true　anarchists　are　yet　on　top；〃　he　said　with　an　ironical　laugh。　　〃Those　who　terrified　us　formerly；　all　put　together；　were　but　a　few　miserable　creatures。　。　。　。　　In　a　few　seconds；　these　of　our　day　kill　more　innocent　people　than　those　others　did　in　thirty　years。〃

The　gentleness　of　Tchernoff；　his　original　ideas；　his　incoherencies　of　thought；　bounding　from　reflection　to　word　without　any　preparation；　finally　won　Don　Marcelo　so　completely　over　that　he　formed　the　habit　of　consulting　him　about　all　his　doubts。　　His　admiration　made　him；　too；　overlook　the　source　of　certain　bottles　with　which　Argensola　sometimes　treated　his　neighbor。　　He　was　delighted　to　have　Tchernoff　consume　these　souvenirs　of　the　time　when　he　was　living　at　swords'　points　with　his　son。

After　sampling　the　wine　from　the　avenue　Victor　Hugo；　the　Russian　would　indulge　in　a　visionary　loquacity　similar　to　that　of　the　night　when　he　evoked　the　fantastic　cavalcade　of　the　four　horsemen　of　the　Apocalypse。

What　his　new　convert　most　admired　was　his　facility　for　making　things　clear；　and　fixing　them　in　the　imagination。　　The　battle　of　the　Marne　with　its　subsequent　combats　and　the　course　of　both　armies　were　events　easily　explained。　。　。　。　　If　the　French　only　had　not　been　so　fatigued　after　their　triumph　of　the　Marne！　。　。　。

〃But　human　powers；〃　continued　Tchernoff；　〃have　their　limits；　and　the　French　soldier；　with　all　his　enthusiasm；　is　a　man　like　the　rest。　　In　the　first　place；　the　most　rapid　of　marches　from　the　East　to　the　North；　in　order　to　resist　the　invasion　of　Belgium；　then　the　combats；　then　the　swift　retreat　that　they　might　not　be　surrounded；　finally　a　seven　days'　battleand　all　this　in　a　period　of　three　weeks；　no　more。　。　。　。　　In　their　moment　of　triumph；　the　victors　lacked　the　legs　to　follow　up　their　advantage；　and　they　lacked　the　cavalry　to　pursue　the　fugitives。　　Their　beasts　were　even　more　exhausted　than　the　men。　When　those　who　were　retreating　found　that　they　were　being　spurred　on　with　lessening　tenacity；　they　had　stretched　themselves；　half…dead　with　fatigue；　on　the　field；　excavating　the　ground　and　forming　a　refuge　for　themselves。　　The　French　also　flung　themselves　down；　scraping　the　soil　together　so　as　not　to　lose　what　they　had　gained。　。　。　。　　And　in　this　way　began　the　war　of　the　trenches。〃

Then　each　line；　with　the　intention　of　wrapping　itself　around　that　of　the　enemy；　had　gone　on　prolonging　itself　toward　the　Northeast；　and　from　these　successive　stretchings　had　resulted　the　double　course　toward　the　seaforming　the　greatest　battle　front　ever　known　to　history。

When　Don　Marcelo　with　optimistic　enthusiasm　announced　the　end　of　the　war　in　the　following　Spring　or　Summerin　four　months　at　the　outsidethe　Russian　shook　his　head。

〃It　will　be　long　。　。　。　very　long。　　It　is　a　new　war；　the　genuine　modern　warfare。　　The　Germans　began　hostilities　in　the　old　way　as　though　they　had　observed　nothing　since　1870a　war　of　involved　movements；　of　battles　in　the　open　field；　the　same　as　Moltke　might　have　planned；　imitating　Napoleon。　　They　were　desirous　of　bringing　it　to　a　speedy　conclusion；　and　were　sure　of　triumph。　　Why　employ　new　methods？　。　。　。　　But　the　encounter　of　the　Marne　twisted　their　plans；　making　them　shift　from　the　aggressive　to　the　defensive。　　They　then　brought　into　service　all　that　the　war　staff　had　learned　in　the　campaigns　of　the　Japanese　and　Russians；　beginning　the　war　of　the　trenches；　the　subterranean　struggle　which　is　the　logical　outcome　of　the　reach　and　number　of　shots　of　the　modern　armament。　　The　conquest　of　half　a　mile　of　territory　to…day　stands　for　more　than　did　the　assault　of　a　stone　fortress　a　century　ago。　　Neither　side　is　going　to　make　any　headway　for　a　long　time。　　Perhaps　they　may　never　make　a　definite　advance。　　The　war　is　bound　to　be　long　and　tedious；　like　the　athletic　conquests　between　opponents　who　are　equally　matched。〃

〃But　it　will　have　to　come　to　an　end；　sometime；〃　interpolated　Desnoyers。

〃Undoubtedly；　but　who　knows　when？　。　。　。　　And　in　what　condition　will　they　both　be　when　it　is　all　over？〃　。　。　。

He　was　counting　upon　a　rapid　finale　when　it　was　least　expected；　through　the　exhaustion　of　one　of　the　contestants；　carefully　dissimulated　until　the　last　moment。

〃Germany　will　be　vanquished；〃　he　added　with　firm　conviction。　　〃I　do　not　know　when　nor　how；　but　she　will　fall　logically。　　She　failed　in　her　master…stroke　in　not　entering　Paris　and　overcoming　its　opposition。　　All　the　trumps　in　her　pack　of　cards　were　then　played。　She　did　not　win；　but　continues　playing　the　game　because　she　holds　many　cards；　and　she　will　prolong　it　for　a　long　time　to　come。　。　。　。　But　what　she　could　not　do　at　first；　she　will　never　be　able　to　do。〃

For　Tchernoff；　the　final　defeat　did　not　mean　the　destruction　of　Germany　nor　the　annihilation　of　the　German　people。

〃Excessive　patriotism　irritates　me；〃　he　pursued。　　〃Hearing　people　form　plans　for　the　definite　extinction　of　Germany　seems　to　me　like　listening　to　the　Pan…Germanists　of　Berlin　when　they　talk　of　dividing　up　the　continents。〃

Then　he　summed　up　his　opinion。

〃Imperialism　will　have　to　be　crushed　for　the　sake　of　the　tranquillity　of　the　world；　the　great　war　machine　which　menaces　the　peace　of　nations　will　have　to　be　suppressed。　　Since　1870；　we　have　all　been　living　in　dread　of　it。　　For　forty　years；　the　war　has　been　averted；　but　in　all　that　time；　what　apprehension！〃　。　。　。

What　was　most　irritating　Tchernoff　was　the　moral　lesson　born　of　this　situation　which　had　ended　by　overwhelming　the　worldthe　glorification　of