society as he
does--what do they pay him? Have you any idea?

BERTHA. Yes, I know; you've often told me, mother.

MADAME VAGRET. And I'll tell you again. Counting the stoppages for the
pension, he gets altogether, and for everything, three hundred and
ninety-five francs and eighty-three centimes a month. And then we are
obliged to give a dinner for nine persons in honor of the President of
Assizes, a Councillor! Well, at all events, I suppose everything is
ready? Let's see. My _Revue des Deux Mondes_--is it there? Yes. And my
armchair--is that in the right place? [_She sits in it_] Yes. [_As
though receiving a guest_] Pray be seated, Monsieur le President. I hope
that's right. And Monsieur Dufour, who was an ordinary magistrate when
your father was the same, when we were living at Castelnaudery, he's now
President of the second class at Douai, and he was only at Brest before
he was promoted!

BERTHA. Really!

MADAME VAGRET [_searching for a book on the over-mantel_] Look in the
Year Book.

BERTHA. I'll take your word for it.

MADAME VAGRET. You may! The Judicial Year Book. I know it by heart!

BERTHA. But then father may be appointed Councillor any day now.

MADAME VAGRET. He's been waiting a long time for his appointment as
Councillor.

BERTHA. But it's as good as settled now. He was promised the first
vacancy, and Monsieur Lefevre has just died.

MADAME VAGRET. I hope to God you are right. If we fail this time, we're
done for. We shall be left at Mauleon until he's pensioned off. What a
misfortune it is that they can't put their hands on that wretched
murderer! Such a beautiful crime too! We really had some reason for
hoping for a death sentence this time! The first, remember!

BERTHA. Don't worry, motherkins. There's still a chance.

MADAME VAGRET. It's easy for you to talk. You see the newspapers are
beginning to grumble. They reproach us, they say we are slack. My dear
child, you don't realize--there 's a question of sending a detective
down from Paris! It would be such a disgrace! And everything promised so
well! You can't imagine how excited your father was when they waked him
up to tell him that an old man of eighty-seven had been murdered in his
district! He dressed himself in less than five minutes. He was very
quiet about it. But he gripped my hands. "I think," he said, "I think we
can count on my nomination this time!" [_She sighs_] And now everything
is spoilt, and all through this ruffian wh