a document about him. Besides, the post is
promised to Monsieur Vagret.

MONDOUBLEAU. What is wrong?

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. Here. I shall have to report him to the Superior
Council of the Magistracy or proceed against him in the Court of Appeal.

MONDOUBLEAU. What has he done?

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. Read it.

MONDOUBLEAU [_after casting a glance over the document which the other
has handed to him_] Of course. But really--there's nothing in that. If
you keep quiet about it, no one will know anything. No scandal. The
magistracy is suffering from too many attacks already just now, without
our providing our enemies with weapons.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. Unfortunately Coire knows of it, and he threatens to
tell the whole story in his paper unless Monsieur Mouzon is sent away
from Mauleon.

MONDOUBLEAU. The devil! [_He begins to laugh_]

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. What are you laughing at?

MONDOUBLEAU. Nothing--an extravagant idea, a jest. [_He laughs_] Tell
me--but you won't be annoyed?--it's only a joke--

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. Well?

MONDOUBLEAU. I was thinking--I tell you, it's a grotesque idea. But
after all--after all, if you propose Mouzon for the Councillor's chair
at Pau, you will be pleasing everyone!

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. My dear deputy--

MONDOUBLEAU. A joke--of course, merely a joke--but what's so amusing
about it is that if you did so it would please Coire, it would please
me, it would please Mouzon, and it would please Eugene, who doesn't want
any scandal.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. But it would be a--

MONDOUBLEAU. No, no. In politics there can be no scandal except where
there is publicity.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. But really--

MONDOUBLEAU. I agree with you--I know all that could be said--I repeat,
I am only chaffing. And do you realize--it's very curious--when one
reflects--this fantastic solution is the only one that does not offer
serious disadvantages--obvious disadvantages. That is so. If you leave
Mouzon here, Coire tells everything. If you proceed against him, you
give a certain section of the press an opportunity it won't lose--an
opportunity of sapping one of the pillars of society. Those gentry are
not particular as to the means they employ. They will confound the whole
magistracy with Mouzon. It won't be Mouzon who will be the rake, but the
Court, the Court of Appeal. There will be mud on all--on every robe.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. But you can't seriously ask me--

MONDOUBLEAU. Do you know what we ought to do? Let us go