heard the whole discussion]. "Blackguards! Who?
Rabourdin? Then you know the news?"

Fleury [rolling his eyes savagely]. "Rabourdin a blackguard! Are you
mad, Dutocq? do you want a ball in your brains to give them weight?"

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."

Dutocq. "Do you want me to let you see what Rabourdin wrote about you?"

Bixiou. "Yes."

Dutocq. "Then come home with me; for I must put the document into safe
keeping."

Bixiou. "You go first alone." [Re-enters the bureau Rabourdin.] "What
Dutocq told you is really all true, word of honor! It seems that
Monsieur Rabourdin has written and sent in very unflattering
descriptions of the clerks whom he wants to 'reform.' That's the real
reason why his secret friends wish h