y put in the plea of mitigating
circumstances, but it won't go down, sir; he is evidently the first, the
only cause of our misfortunes."

He had quite forgotten that only a few months before he had been
an ardent Bonapartist and had labored to ensure the success of the
plebiscite, and now he who was henceforth to be known as the Man of
Sedan was not even worthy to be pitied; he ascribed to him every known
iniquity.

"A man of no capacity, as everyone is now compelled to admit; but let
that pass, I say nothing of that. A visionary, a theorist, an unbalanced
mind, with whom affairs seemed to succeed as long as he had luck on his
side. And there's no use, don't you see, sir, in attempting to work on
our sympathies and excite our commiseration by telling us that he was
deceived, that the opposition refused him the necessary grants of men
and money. It is he who has deceived us, he whose crimes and blunders
have landed us in the horrible muddle where we are."

Maurice, who preferred to say nothing on the subject, could not help
smiling, while Jean, embarrassed by the political turn the conversation
had taken and fearful lest he might make some ill-timed remark, simply
replied:

"They say he is a brave man, though."

But those few words, modestly expressed, fairly made Delaherche jump.
All his past fear and alarm, all the mental anguish he had suffered,
burst from his lips in a cry of concentrated passion, closely allied to
hatred.

"A brave man, forsooth; and what does that amount to! Are you aware,
sir, that my factory was struck three times by Prussian shells, and that
it is no fault of the Emperor's that it was not burned! Are you aware
that I, I shall lose a hundred thousand francs by this idiotic business!
No, no; France invaded, pillaged, and laid waste, our industries
compelled to shut down, our commerce ruined; it is a little too much,
I tell you! One brave man like that is quite sufficient; may the Lord
preserve us from any more of them! He is down in the blood and mire, and
there let him remain!"

And he made a forcible gesture with his closed fist as if thrusting down
and holding under the water some poor wretch who was struggling to
save himself, then finished his coffee, smacking his lips like a true
gourmand. Gilberte waited on Henriette as if she had been a child,
laughing a little involuntary laugh when the latter made some exhibition
of absent-mindedness. And when at last the coffee had all been dru