“Good evening to you, Philibert. They told me you were ill, but you aren’t looking so bad.”
The old man turned his lustreless eyes towards him and signed to him to sit down.
“I’m glad you came. You’re only just in time.”
He still spoke in the dry voice of authority with which he presided over Municipal Council meetings; but now it quickly weakened from shortage of breath, and sometimes failed entirely.
“I'm nearly done for,” he said.
Honore and his wife joined in protest. He made an impatient movement.
"One can't choose. But just in the middle of the harvest. . it's hard.’’
ou'll be up by the time the grass has grown again,” said Honore.
"I shan't see it,” said Philibert Messelon, faintly smiling. “I shall be helping it to grow.”
He closed his eyes in exhaustion; his hand clutched his panting chest and a rasping sounded in his throat. Honore began to tiptoe out of the room to let him rest, but he said without opening his eyes:
“Stay where you are, son. Out you go, missus, and shut the door. I want to talk to him.”
When the old woman had left the room Philibert half-opened his eyes. Honore, now seated beside the bed, waited in curiosity. He made a questioning movement of his chin. The old man did not at first answer, seeming to have forgotten his presence. But suddenly he raised himself on the pillow; a light shone in the eyes which he now fully opened; his face and hands grew lively, while anger and irony lent a twist to his tired mouth. He said in a harsh voice raised to the limit of his strength:
“So it seems that the priests are cropping up again!” Honore was silent for a moment while he wondered if word of Maloret's manoeuvres had already reached him. He wagged his head and said cautiously:
“All this talk about Boulanger, one doesn’t know what to think. He’s got Republicans on his side as well as Clericals. I don't know anything about politics, but I’m bound to sav I've no confidence. .”
Philibert cut him short with an irritated gesture. It was upon General Boulanger that he had been reiving to carry out the true Republican policy: that is to say, to reconquer Alsace and Lorraine, to put down reaction, to liberate Poland and to get rid of every tyrant in Europe.
“A soldier’s what we need,” he said; “and one that isn’t an aristocrat. But that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. There’s something more urgent. Honore, they’re scheming to get the mayoralty of Claquebue.”
“Philibert, what are you talking about? You’re imagining things.”
“There's more than one that wants to see me out of the wav so as to take mv place. The priests aren’t asleep.”
“All the same, there are only four Clericals on the Council,” said Honore.
“Yes, but they’re a stubborn, dangerous lot. And it’s not only those. .”
Honore felt his fears take shape. He thought of his brother’s house: a roomy house with place for man and beast; a solid house with chimneys that drew, a garden in front, a garden behind, and fields all round. Not wanting to betray his disquiet he made an effort to reassure the dying man:
“Listen, Philibert, I’ve been a Republican since longer than yesterday. I get around, I see people and I hear what they saw I was at the Council meeting on Thursdav evening. You can trust me to know what’s going on. And I can tell you one thing: there’s no danger at the moment.”
“But God Almighty, I see people too! The cure has been here three times this week-”
“Oh, the cure! You've only got to be stuck in bed with a cold and he’ll come rushing round.”
Philibert was seized by a spasm of rage which shook his entire body.
“But why the devil did he want to come and talk politics to me? The spirit of harmony, he talked about, and ‘if you could persuade vour friends to be a bit more moderate’ and I don’t know what else. . By God, if I didn’t need him to help me die I’d have had him thrown out!. . That bunch are always trying to climb on our backs!.
Exhaustion and fury robbed him of his breath; his chest heaved rapidlv while pain and terror darkened his eyes and constricted the muscles of his neck. With his mouth wide open he thrust out his arms, uttering a prolonged gasping sound which caused Honore to fear for an instant that he was going to die on the spot. Taking his hand, he said gently:
“Philibert. . Steady, Philibert.
“To climb on our backs. the old man repeated faintly.
Honore fanned him with his hat. By degrees his breathing grew easier, while his strained face slowly relaxed. He went on without wasting an instant:
“Until we’ve really got them down we’ve got to go on watching them.”
“No doubt about that,” said Honore nodding.
“And another thing that’s certain is that Zephe Maloret’s out to be the next mayor,” said Messelon with a sharp glance at him.
“What makes you think so, Philibert?”
“You needn’t try to bluff me. You must know perfectly well what Zephe’s up to, now you’ve so suddenly become friends.”
Honore, growing thoughtful, paced up and down the room for a moment under the old man’s sardonic gaze. Then he sat down again and said:
“If you know so much about it you ought to know I wouldn’t touch Zephe with a bargepole.”
Philibert uttered a little derisive laugh.
“I’ve heard that before. Your father was just the same — full of big talk about people he took a dislike to, but ready to crawl on his stomach when there was something to be gained by it.”
Honore had little respect for the memory of his father, whom he had despised during his lifetime; but he never spoke of him except in praise. He behaved thus, not from any sense of filial duty, or from pride, but simply because he regarded the good repute of his parents as a family possession which had to be properly looked after. He searched for a wounding reply, but the old man, having regained his breath, cut him short.
“Your brother came to see me late this afternoon. He repeated all the stuff the cure said, a bit more emphatic, that’s all. What it amounts to, according to him, is that we’re threatened with serious developments abroad, and that in order to meet them the country has got to be united. .
Philibert could not restrain a grin as he recalled these views. W here he was concerned, it would be time enough to think about events abroad when the country had been cleansed of the gangrene of reaction which was undermining the vital forces of the nation.
“Conciliation, moderation, spirit of harmony — just like the cure said. . And seeing that the Clericals in Claque-bue already have four members on the Council, we might as well show our goodw ill by letting them have the mayor too. Zephe Maloret isn’t really so hot on holv water— that's what your brother savs — and quite friendly to us Republicans. . And he doesn't see win’ there should be any difficulty, particularly as you agree with him!’" Honore paused on the brink of an avowal which it irked him to make to Philibert. Nevertheless, he made it: “I might as well tell you, seeing vou aren’t going to last much longer. The fact is, although we don’t show' it. I’ve never got on well with Ferdinand, and I had a row with him this afternoon about what we’re talking about. I told him he’d always find me against him and against Maloret, and that if he was going to try and push that swine into the Mairie I'd clear out of our house, which is his property, as you know. That’s what I said, and I meant it.-’
The old man wriggled on the bed, laughing softlv.
“I knew it!. . Oh, God, Honore, it hurts me when I laugh!. .”