The Sword of Honor; or, The Foundation of the French Republic

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER XXII.

  MASTER AND FOREMAN.

  The foreman of John Lebrenn's iron works, a stalwart smith of about thesame age as his master, was splendidly typical of the republicanworkingman of the time. Like most of the proletarians of his day,Castillon had embraced revolutionary ideas more by instinct than byreason. In common with his brother workmen, he desired equality beforethe law, and common possession of the tools of production as a means ofescape from bourgeois exploitation. A high-minded patriot, conscious ofhis rights and still more conscious of his civic duties; an honest manin the fullest sense of the word, rigorous of conduct, and despite hiscomplete lack of education, endowed with a lively intelligence; anexcellent workman at his trade, Castillon often regretted not being ableto go to war. He was a true child of Paris, open, joyous and determinedof character, joining to solid qualities of heart a spirit full of goand vivacity, and often of an original turn. Much attached to the youngartisan, who had worked more than ten years at the forge beside him,John Lebrenn appreciated his foreman as he deserved, and exercised overhim a command founded on rectitude of principle, mature judgment, and adegree of education only too rare among his brothers of the people.Master and foreman thee-and-thoued each other like old friends, less inobedience to the general habit of the time than as the result of oldreciprocal affection, and long community of labor.

  "Ah, John, I would not have disturbed you," said Castillon, as heentered the room. "You were in conversation with your wife and hermother--perhaps I come at the wrong time?"

  "You are always welcome, my good Castillon. Be seated. What's afoot?"

  "Such as you see me, my friend, I come as an ambassador--but withoutemoluments. I shall not break the treasury of the Republic."

  "The ambassador of our comrades, no doubt; and what is the text of yourembassy?"

  "This: For a fortnight we have none of us had the time to go to ourSection meetings, we had to finish the order of guns and muskets for thenation; for that is sacred, it comes first before everything. To forgearms for our brothers at the front! Ah! by my pipe, they will be proudand happy, down there, to be able to slap the Prussians!"

  "Patience, Castillon, our day will come."

  "Patience let it be. But it is beggarly hard to be able only to assembleand polish up for others these fine five-foot clarinets, on which onewould so love to play the _Ca Ira_, while we spat our lead at thePrussians; and It will come, by my pipe, It will! But what would you? Weare like the poor workpeople of the silk factories of Lyons and Tours,who see the holy bourgeois sporting the beautiful goods they themselveshave woven! So you see, we could not go to our Section meetings, sincewe worked from six in the morning till twelve at night, withoutstopping. And in this labor for the country you set us the example, forif you were before us in the shop, old fellow, you left it after us."

  "That was my duty; I demanded great efforts of you in the name of theRepublic, I should share your fatigues."

  "Hold, John. You are what we may call a man; a worthy man."

  "Come, we are too old friends to be bandying compliments."

  "Call it what you like, I repeat that you are a worthy man. Look--whatdid you say to us when you bought the place of our old master, GoodmanGervais? 'Here we are, a score of good fellows, working as one familylike good republicans. Let us take count: The shop brings in, or shouldbring in, in income, so much. Good. From this income we must first takeout the sum I must annually pay to Master Gervais, and at the end of tenyears the establishment will belong to us. Up till then, we shall sharethe proceeds proportionately to the hours of labor put in by each of us.My wife, who keeps our books and manages the treasury, will have hershare of the proceeds, like us.' It was in this fashion that you spoketo us, John. It was in your power, on becoming our employer, to exploitus, as the bourgeois do. But you, you shared with us as brothers, asgood comrades. Ah, and now, to return to the purpose of my mission, forI have traveled far from it, here is the business. It is, as you see, afortnight since we have been able to go either to our Sections or to theJacobins or the Cordeliers, to keep track of events. Then, to-night,they beat the assembly. We knew vaguely, from one side and another,that something was simmering; but what it was that was simmering, andwhat it was simmering for--that was the rub! We could have learned bygoing to our Sections, but we were sworn, due to the urgency of ourtask, never to leave the shop before midnight, when work was stopped.Nevertheless, we were restless over what was taking place this eveningin Paris. We asked ourselves whether we ought not to drop work anyhow,and go and lend a hand to our brothers, when they beat the assembly. Sothat finally my comrades sent me to you, John, to ask whether we shouldstick to the shop, or go to our Sections. Decide the question; we shallfollow your advice."

  "My advice is that we should work still more diligently to-night, forto-morrow and perhaps day after to-morrow we may have to go out in thestreet to hold a demonstration, a great demonstration."

  "Let's get busy!" exclaimed Castillon, his face shining with ardor. "Wehave perhaps to exterminate a new intrigue of Pitt and Coburg, or alittle scheme of the ex-nobles and the skull-caps? By my pipe, that'sfine. And, _ca ira_; I have just finished a love of a musket; maybe Ican test it on the blacks or the whites, on the Jesuits, their laymen,and the nobles! What an opportunity!"

  "You will not have that sad chance."

  "What, to mow down the enemies of the Republic, you call that a sadchance? You, my old fellow?"

  "Civil war is always a sad thing, my friend. And it is death to the soulwhen it must resign itself to take up arms against our brothers, againstthe sons of our common mother, the nation."

  "Ah, but tell me, friend John, did not these brigands pull sweet facesand send the blue-bonnets to ambush and cannonade the patriots on the14th of July, on the 5th and 6th of October, on the day of the Field ofMars, on the 10th of August, and everywhere, and all the time? Thearistocrats are our enemies."

  "If our adversaries are strangers to the sentiment of brotherhood, mustwe then imitate them, my friend? In civil war either chance is cause formourning--victory or defeat."

  "Come, John, we shall never agree on that. As to me, I know but onemotto--'To a good cat, a good rat,' or if you like it better, 'An eyefor an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' as they said of old. That's why, inSeptember, we did jolly well to purge the prisons, I'm thinking."

  "If you are set on recalling dates, my good comrade, speak of the greatdays of July 14 and August 10. Let us combat abuse, and be indulgenttoward individuals. We are on the eve of a very grave crisis. To-morrowthe whole people will be in the public place in arms, not to fight--Godbe thanked!--but to demonstrate in the name of its rights, in itsfullness and power and sovereign might. All must bow before the people."

  "Good! I know it, old friend. A manifestation is afoot like that of the20th of June of last year, when we went to say to Capet, full in hisface, 'Here, my man, you are the hereditary guardian of the nation! Ithas given you for your pains forty million pledges. Excuse yourself! youbetray the nation, in place of serving it. Attention to the command, myman. If you do not walk straight, we shall sack you, if we don't doworse!' Capet didn't walk straight; on the contrary; accordingly, weboth sacked him and did worse besides, as was just; we shaved him."

  "To-morrow's manifestation should be as peaceable as that of the 20th ofJune."

  "And for what purpose is the demonstration? It is good to know thereasons for it."

  "I shall tell you, along with your comrades. Let us go down to the shop.It is nine o'clock, and while we work we shall talk. I shall bring withme certain papers which will be necessary to give you the full lay ofthe land," added John, taking several written sheets in a portfolio fromthe bureau. "Return to our comrades, I shall soon join you."

  "So be it, my old friend, we await you, big and little, journeymen andapprentices. Speaking of apprentices, how is Oliver? We have not seenhim to-day. Poor boy, do you know he seems to be in a bad way? He is soweak he can hardly drag himself along. And yet he does not lac
k courage!He haunts the workshop like a lost soul, so great is his chagrin atseeing us at work while he remains idle against his will. Day beforeyesterday he tried to fit in a gunlock, a girl's work, but, bah! almostat once his weakness seized him, and we had barely time to open our armsto catch him and carry him out to the garden. He had fainted outright."

  "We shall talk again of the good boy. Perhaps I shall have to beg you todo him a service."

  "You have but to speak. We all love Oliver in the shop, and I am likethe rest."

  "Thanks, Castillon. I knew I could count on you." And ringing the bell,John added: "I have two words to say to Gertrude before joining ourfriends in the smithy; you shall not have long to await me."

  Castillon left, and Gertrude having come in in response to the bell,John said to her:

  "Is my sister in her room?"

  "No, monsieur, she went out two hours ago, saying that perhaps she mightnot be back for supper. Poor mademoiselle! You really ought, MonsieurJohn, to consult Oliver's physician about her."

  "Do you know where the boy is?"

  "He went up to his room at sundown; he was very tired, he said,complained of a fever, and shivered with the cold. He asked me to givehim some coals in a chafing dish to keep his medicine warm, which I didimmediately."

  "Go, Gertrude, please, and see how he is, and whether he wants foranything," replied Lebrenn; and to himself he continued, "Ah, whatsorrows I foresee if, as Charlotte supposes and as I have every reasonto fear, Victoria loves Oliver, and he feels for her a mad passion, afatal love barren of hope. My sister's past, her betrothal to the poorboy's brother, condemn her never to marry him. The difference of agewould not in itself constitute any obstacle, but my sister is of toodignified and firm a mold not to resign herself to the cruel position inwhich the memory of Maurice has placed her, even should the resignationcarry her to the grave." And thoughtfully John mused on: "The departureof Oliver can alone prevent these woes; the matter must be hastenedthrough."

  At that moment Gertrude broke in, saying to John in a mysterious, almostfrightened air:

  "Ah! monsieur, something strange--"

  "What is it, Gertrude?"

  "On the way up to poor Oliver, I had to pass by Mademoiselle Victoria'sdoor, and I heard the sound of footsteps within."

  "My sister did not go out, then?"

  "Pardon me, monsieur; I saw mademoiselle leave the house, with my owneyes, and she gave me the key of her room."

  "That is truly strange! Who then can be there?"

  "No one, monsieur, for your sister does not receive a soul. That is whythe sound of steps astonished me so!"

  "Explain yourself more clearly!"

  "I mean I heard, or thought I heard, someone walking in mademoiselle'schamber. It could not be you, monsieur, because you are here. It couldbe neither madam nor her mother, for I had just seen them on the firstfloor as I went up to mademoiselle's; so I said to myself, 'Perhaps itis some rogue who has broken in!' Then I rapped at the door and called,'Mademoiselle, are you there?' No answer. I rapped again; no answer. Isaid to myself, 'It surely must be some rascal or other!' I came down inhaste to get the key; risking whatever might come, I opened the door,and, 'pon my faith----"

  "That is what you should have done first thing. The mystery would havebeen solved at once. Whom did you find?"

  "No one--absolutely no one. Everything was in good order, as it alwaysis in mademoiselle's room. Her work table and her other little writingtable were in their accustomed place, near the dormer window that lookson the garden, and as it was open I peeped out. I saw neither ladder norcord which could have served anyone either for entry or escape. Ilooked under the bed, I opened the door of the closet--no one! Then Isaid to myself--"

  "Whence it follows, my good Gertrude, that you thought you heardfootsteps in my sister's room and that you were mistaken, that's all.Now tell me, how did you find Oliver?"

  "When I knocked at his door, the young man was sound asleep, for he didnot hear me at first."

  "So much the better. If he sleeps deep it is a happy symptom. His feverhas gone."

  "I asked him through the door how he was, and whether he neededanything. He told me he had lain down after taking his hot drink, andthat he had slept till I woke him; that he felt better, and that hehoped to pass a good night. Thereupon he wished me good-even."

  "Poor boy--may his hope of rest be realized. Tell my wife, Gertrude,that I am going out to the shop, and not to be worried at my absence. Ishall come in for supper at ten o'clock as usual."

  So saying, John passed out of the parlor and went to join his comradesin the smithy.