Anselme Raimondin shrugged his shoulders.
“You are a silly old fool, Maufle. You don’t understand the ins and outs of this election. Yet it’s clear enough. My failure was due to one thing only: the discontent of the small shopkeepers who are being crushed out of existence between the big shops and the co-operative societies. They are suffering and they made me pay for it. That’s all.”
Then, with a faint smile, he added:
“They’ll find themselves nicely taken in.”
CHAPTER XXIV
Meeting his pupils Goubin and Denis, on one of the paths of the Luxembourg garden, Monsieur Bergeret said:
“I have good news for you, gentlemen. The peace of Europe will not be disturbed. The Trublions themselves have assured me of it.”
And Monsieur Bergeret went on to relate the following story: