Dutocq. “I said nothing against Monsieur Rabourdin; only it has just been told to me in confidence that he has written a paper denouncing all the clerks and officials, and full of facts about their lives; in short, the reason why his friends support him is because he has written this paper against the administration, in which we are all exposed—”
Phellion [in a loud voice]. “Monsieur Rabourdin is incapable of—”
Bixiou. “Very proper in you to say so. Tell me, Dutocq” [they whisper together and then go into the corridor].
Bixiou. “What has happened?”
Dutocq. “Do you remember what I said to you about that caricature?”
Bixiou. “Yes, what then?”
Dutocq. “Make it, and you shall be under-head-clerk with a famous fee. The fact is, my dear fellow, there’s dissension among the powers that be. The minister is pledged to Rabourdin, but if he doesn’t appoint Baudoyer he offends the priests and their party. You see, the King, the Dauphin and the Dauphine, the clergy, and lastly the court, all want Baudoyer; the minister wants Rabourdin.”
Bixiou. “Good!”
Dutocq. “To ease the matter off, the minister, who sees he must give way, wants to strangle the difficulty. We must find some good reason for getting rid of Rabourdin. Now somebody has lately unearthed a paper of his, exposing the present system of administration and wanting to reform it; and that paper is going the rounds,—at least, this is how I understand the matter. Make the drawing we talked of; in so doing you’ll play the game of all the big people, and help the minister, the court, the clergy,—in short, everybody; and you’ll get your appointment. Now do you understand me?”
Bixiou. “I don’t understand how you came to know all that; perhaps you are inventing it.”