His Masterpiece Part 26

'Your wife is charming,' said Claude, 'and I see she spoils you.'

But Sandoz, seated at his table, with his elbows among such pages of the book he was working at as he had written that morning, began to talk of the first novel of his series, which he had published in October. Ah!

they had treated his poor book nicely! It had been a throttling, a butchering, all the critics yelling at his heels, a broadside of imprecations, as if he had murdered people in a wood. He himself laughed at it, excited rather than otherwise, for he had st.u.r.dy shoulders and the quiet bearing of a toiler who knows what he's after. Mere surprise remained to him at the profound lack of intelligence shown by those fellows the critics, whose articles, knocked off on the corner of some table, bespattered him with mud, without appearing as much as to guess at the least of his intentions. Everything was flung into the same slop-pail of abuse: his studies of physiological man; the important part he a.s.signed to circ.u.mstances and surroundings; his allusions to nature, ever and ever creating; in short, life--entire, universal life--existent through all the animal world without there really being either high or low, beauty or ugliness; he was insulted, too, for his boldness of language for the conviction he expressed that all things ought to be said, that there are abominable expressions which become necessary, like branding irons, and that a language emerges enriched from such strength-giving baths. He easily granted their anger, but he would at least have liked them to do him the honour of understanding him and getting angry at his audacity, not at the idiotic, filthy designs of which he was accused.

'Really,' he continued, 'I believe that the world still contains more idiots than downright spiteful people. They are enraged with me on account of the form I give to my productions, the written sentences, the similes, the very life of my style. Yes, the middle-cla.s.ses fairly split with hatred of literature!'

Then he became silent, having grown sad.

'Never mind,' said Claude, after an interval, 'you are happy, you at least work, you produce--'

Sandoz had risen from his seat with a gesture of sudden pain.

'True, I work. I work out my books to their last pages--But if you only knew, if I told you amidst what discouragement, amidst what torture!

Won't those idiots take it into their heads to accuse me of pride! I, whom the imperfection of my work pursues even in my sleep--I, who never look over the pages of the day before, lest I should find them so execrable that I might afterwards lack the courage to continue. Oh, I work, no doubt, I work! I go on working, as I go on living, because I am born to it, but I am none the gayer on account of it. I am never satisfied; there is always a great collapse at the end.'

He was interrupted by a loud exclamation outside, and Jory appeared, delighted with life, and relating that he had just touched up an old article in order to have the evening to himself. Almost immediately afterwards Gagniere and Mahoudeau, who had met at the door, came in conversing together. The former, who had been absorbed for some months in a theory of colours, was explaining his system to the other.

'I paint my shade in,' he continued, as if in a dream. 'The red of the flag loses its brightness and becomes yellowish because it stands out against the blue of the sky, the complementary shade of which--orange--blends with red--'

Claude, interested at once, was already questioning him when the servant brought in a telegram.

'All right,' said Sandoz, 'it's from Dubuche, who apologises; he promises to come and surprise us at about eleven o'clock.'

At this moment Henriette threw the door wide open, and personally announced that dinner was ready. She had doffed her white ap.r.o.n, and cordially shook hands, as hostess, with all of them. 'Take your seats!

take your seats!' was her cry. It was half-past seven already, the _bouillabaisse_ could not wait. Jory, having observed that f.a.gerolles had sworn to him that he would come, they would not believe it.

f.a.gerolles was getting ridiculous with his habit of aping the great artist overwhelmed with work!

The dining-room into which they pa.s.sed was so small that, in order to make room for a piano, a kind of alcove had been made out of a dark closet which had formerly served for the accommodation of crockery.

However, on grand occasions half a score of people still gathered round the table, under the white porcelain hanging lamp, but this was only accomplished by blocking up the sideboard, so that the servant could not even pa.s.s to take a plate from it. However, it was the mistress of the house who carved, while the master took his place facing her, against the blockaded sideboard, in order to hand round whatever things might be required.

Henriette had placed Claude on her right hand, Mahoudeau on her left, while Gagniere and Jory were seated next to Sandoz.

'Francoise,' she called, 'give me the slices of toast. They are on the range.'

And the girl having brought the toast, she distributed two slices to each of them, and was beginning to ladle the _bouillabaisse_ into the plates, when the door opened once more.

'f.a.gerolles at last!' she said. 'I have given your seat to Mahoudeau.

Sit down there, next to Claude.'

He apologised with an air of courtly politeness, by alleging a business appointment. Very elegantly dressed, tightly b.u.t.toned up in clothes of an English cut, he had the carriage of a man about town, relieved by the retention of a touch of artistic free-and-easiness. Immediately on sitting down he grasped his neighbour's hand, affecting great delight.

'Ah, my old Claude! I have for such a long time wanted to see you. A score of times I intended going after you into the country; but then, you know, circ.u.mstances--'

Claude, feeling uncomfortable at these protestations, endeavoured to meet them with a like cordiality. But Henriette, who was still serving, saved the situation by growing impatient.

'Come, f.a.gerolles, just answer me. Do you wish two slices of toast?'

'Certainly, madame, two, if you please. I am very fond of _bouillabaisse_. Besides, yours is delicious, a marvel!'

In fact, they all went into raptures over it, especially Jory and Mahoudeau, who declared they had never tasted anything better at Ma.r.s.eilles; so much so, that the young wife, delighted and still flushed with the heat of the kitchen, her ladle in her hand, had all she could do to refill the plates held out to her; and, indeed, she rose up and ran in person to the kitchen to fetch the remains of the soup, for the servant-girl was losing her wits.

'Come, eat something,' said Sandoz to her. 'We'll wait well enough till you have done.'

But she was obstinate and remained standing.

'Never mind me. You had better pa.s.s the bread--yes, there, behind you on the sideboard. Jory prefers crumb, which he can soak in the soup.'

Sandoz rose in his turn and a.s.sisted his wife, while the others chaffed Jory on his love for sops. And Claude, moved by the pleasant cordiality of his hosts, and awaking, as it were, from a long sleep, looked at them all, asking himself whether he had only left them on the previous night, or whether four years had really elapsed since he had dined with them one Thursday. They were different, however; he felt them to be changed: Mahoudeau soured by misery, Jory wrapt up in his own pleasures, Gagniere more distant, with his thoughts elsewhere. And it especially seemed to him that f.a.gerolles was chilly, in spite of his exaggerated cordiality of manner. No doubt their features had aged somewhat amid the wear and tear of life; but it was not only that which he noticed, it seemed to him also as if there was a void between them; he beheld them isolated and estranged from each other, although they were seated elbow to elbow in close array round the table. Then the surroundings were different; nowadays, a woman brought her charm to bear on them, and calmed them by her presence. Then why did he, face to face with the irrevocable current of things, which die and are renewed, experience that sensation of beginning something over again--why was it that he could have sworn that he had been seated at that same place only last Thursday? At last he thought he understood. It was Sandoz who had not changed, who remained as obstinate as regards his habits of friends.h.i.+p, as regards his habits of work, as radiant at being able to receive his friends at the board of his new home as he had formerly been, when sharing his frugal bachelor fare with them. A dream of eternal friends.h.i.+p made him changeless.

Thursdays similar one to another followed and followed on until the furthest stages of their lives. All of them were eternally together, all started at the self-same hour, and partic.i.p.ated in the same triumph!

Sandoz must have guessed the thought that kept Claude mute, for he said to him across the table, with his frank, youthful smile:

'Well, old man, here you are again! Ah, confound it! we missed you sorely. But, you see, nothing is changed; we are all the same--aren't we, all of you?'

They answered by nodding their heads--no doubt, no doubt!

'With this difference,' he went on, beaming--'with this difference, that the cookery is somewhat better than in the Rue d'Enfer! What a lot of messes I did make you swallow!'

After the _bouillabaisse_ there came a _civet_ of hare; and a roast fowl and salad terminated the dinner. But they sat for a long time at table, and the dessert proved a protracted affair, although the conversation lacked the fever and violence of yore. Every one spoke of himself and ended by relapsing into silence on perceiving that the others did not listen to him. With the cheese, however, when they had tasted some burgundy, a sharp little growth, of which the young couple had ordered a cask out of the profits of Sandoz's first novel, their voices rose to a higher key, and they all grew animated.

'So you have made an arrangement with Naudet, eh?' asked Mahoudeau, whose bony cheeks seemed to have grown yet more hollow. 'Is it true that he guarantees you fifty thousand francs for the first year?'

f.a.gerolles replied, with affected carelessness, 'Yes, fifty thousand francs. But nothing is settled; I'm thinking it over. It is hard to engage oneself like that. I am not going to do anything precipitately.'

'The deuce!' muttered the sculptor; 'you are hard to please. For twenty francs a day I'd sign whatever you like.'

They all now listened to f.a.gerolles, who posed as being wearied by his budding success. He still had the same good-looking, disturbing hussy-like face, but the fas.h.i.+on in which he wore his hair and the cut of his beard lent him an appearance of gravity. Although he still came at long intervals to Sandoz's, he was separating from the band; he showed himself on the boulevards, frequented the cafes and newspaper offices--all the places where a man can advertise himself and make useful acquaintances. These were tactics of his own, a determination to carve his own victory apart from the others; the smart idea that if he wished to triumph he ought to have nothing more in common with those revolutionists, neither dealer, nor connections, nor habits. It was even said that he had interested the female element of two or three drawing-rooms in his success, not in Jory's style, but like a vicious fellow who rises superior to his pa.s.sions, and is content to adulate superannuated baronesses.

Just then Jory, in view of lending importance to himself, called f.a.gerolles' attention to a recently published article; he pretended that he had made f.a.gerolles just as he pretended that he had made Claude.

'I say, have you read that article of Vernier's about yourself? There's another fellow who repeats my ideas!'

'Ah, he does get articles, and no mistake!' sighed Mahoudeau.

f.a.gerolles made a careless gesture, but he smiled with secret contempt for all those poor beggars who were so utterly deficient in shrewdness that they clung, like simpletons, to their crude style, when it was so easy to conquer the crowd. Had it not sufficed for him to break with them, after pillaging them, to make his own fortune? He benefited by all the hatred that folks had against them; his pictures, of a softened, attenuated style, were held up in praise, so as to deal the death-blow to their ever obstinately violent works.

'Have you read Vernier's article?' asked Jory of Gagniere. 'Doesn't he say exactly what I said?'

For the last few moments Gagniere had been absorbed in contemplating his gla.s.s, the wine in which cast a ruddy reflection on the white tablecloth. He started:

'Eh, what, Vernier's article?'

'Why, yes; in fact, all those articles which appear about f.a.gerolles.'

Gagniere in amazement turned to the painter.

'What, are they writing articles about you? I know nothing about them, I haven't seen them. Ah! they are writing articles about you, but whatever for?'

There was a mad roar of laughter. f.a.gerolles alone grinned with an ill grace, for he fancied himself the b.u.t.t of some spiteful joke. But Gagniere spoke in absolute good faith. He felt surprised at the success of a painter who did not even observe the laws regulating the value of tints. Success for that trickster! Never! For in that case what would become of conscientiousness?