HULIN. This one made his fortune by marrying one of the late king's mistresses; and the same man wins honor at Crefeld and Rosbach.
AN OLD WOMAN SHOPKEEPER. What do you mean with your talk all the time of burning and hanging and stirring things up? What'll it bring you? I know well enough you'll not do a blessed thing about it. Then why talk so much? Will it make your soup taste better if you cook a few aristocrats? They'll fun off with all their money and we'll be more miserable than ever. You see, you've got to take things as they come, and not believe those liars that tell you you can change things by shouting. D'ye know what I think? We're wasting our time here. Nothing's going to happen, nothing can happen. You're threatened with famine, war—the whole Apocalypse. I tell you, it's all invented by the newspapers that haven't anything else to print, and by spies who want to stir things up. There's just a misunderstanding with the king, but it'll be all right if we go about our business. We have a good king: he's promised to keep our good M. Necker, who's going to give us a Constitution. Why don't you believe it? Isn't that good common sense? Why isn't it, eh? I believe what they say, and I was just as foolish as you: I wasted four hours here. I'm going now and sell my turnips.
THE CROWD [approvingly]. She's right.—You're all right, mother. Let's go home.
HULIN. What have you to say to that?
HOCHE [with a smile]. She reminds me of my old aunt. She talked about patience the moment she set to beating me.
HULIN. I think she talked good common sense.
HOCHE. I ask nothing better than to be able to believe her; and I find it so natural that reason should prevail in her mind that if I listened to my own counsel, I should even allow my enemies to make reason triumph; but, you see, experience has too often disabused me. All I have to do is to open my eyes; I see Gonchon and his band closing shop. They do nothing without a motive, mind you, and I am very much afraid that this sudden quiet is only the lull before the storm. At base, no one believes that this calm is natural; they all stayed, even the old lady. They try to delude themselves, but they can't. They have all caught the fever. Listen to the voice of that crowd! They don't shout, but hear the murmurs! Like the rustling of leaves. The breeze before the rain. [He seizes HULIN'S hand.] See! Look! Hulin—here, here—[A great confused murmur comes from the Crowd at the back of the Garden, and then bursts forth like a clap of thunder.]
A MAN [out of breath, his hat gone, his clothing in disorder, runs in, and cries out in terror.] Necker is exiled!
THE CROWD [excitedly, hurrying to the Man] What! What! Necker!—It's a lie!
THE MAN [shouting]. Necker is banished! He's gone, gone!