penguin island-第28章

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atus。　With　an　inextinguishable　ardour　he　observed　aerolites；　meteors；　and　fire…balls；　and　all　the　glowing　ruins　and　blazing　sparks　which　pass　through　the　terrestrial　atmosphere　with　prodigious　speed；　and　as　a　reward　for　is　studious　vigils　he　received　the　indifference　of　the　public；　the　ingratitude　of　the　State　and　the　blame　of　the　learned　societies。　Engulfed　in　the　celestial　spaces　he　knew　not　what　occurred　upon　the　surface　of　the　earth。　He　never　read　the　newspapers；　and　when　he　walked　through　the　town　his　mind　was　occupied　with　the　November　asteroids；　and　more　than　once　he　found　himself　at　the　bottom　of　a　pond　in　one　of　the　public　parks　or　beneath　the　wheels　of　a　motor　omnibus。

Elevated　in　stature　as　in　thought　he　respected　himself　and　others。　This　was　shown　by　his　cold　politeness　as　well　as　by　a　very　thin　black　frock　coat　and　a　tall　hat　which　gave　to　his　person　an　appearance　at　once　emaciated　and　sublime。　He　took　his　meals　in　a　little　restaurant　from　which　all　customers　less　intellectual　than　himself　had　fled；　and　thenceforth　his　napkin　bound　by　its　wooden　ring　rested　alone　in　the　abandoned　rack。

In　this　cook…shop　his　eyes　fell　one　evening　upon　Colomban's　memorandum　in　favour　of　Pyrot。　He　read　it　as　he　was　cracking　some　bad　nuts　and　suddenly；　exalted　with　astonishment；　admiration；　horror；　and　pity；　he　forgot　all　about　falling　meteors　and　shooting　stars　and　saw　nothing　but　the　innocent　man　hanging　in　his　cage　exposed　to　the　winds　of　heaven　and　the　ravens　perching　upon　it。

That　image　did　not　leave　him。　For　a　week　he　had　been　obsessed　by　the　innocent　convict；　when；　as　he　was　leaving　his　cook…shop；　he　saw　a　crowd　of　citizens　entering　a　public…house　in　which　a　public　meeting　was　going　on。　He　went　in。　The　meeting　was　disorderly；　they　were　yelling；　abusing　one　another　and　knocking　one　another　down　in　the　smoke…laden　hall。　The　Pyrotists　and　the　Anti…Pyrotists　spoke　in　turn　and　were　alternately　cheered　and　hissed　at。　An　obscure　and　confused　enthusiasm　moved　the　audience。　With　the　audacity　of　a　timid　and　retired　man　Bidault…Coquille　leaped　upon　the　platform　and　spoke　for　three…quarters　of　an　hour。　He　spoke　very　quickly；　without　order；　but　with　vehemence；　and　with　all　the　conviction　of　a　mathematical　mystic。　He　was　cheered。　When　he　got　down　from　the　platform　a　big　woman　of　uncertain　age；　dressed　in　red；　and　wearing　an　immense　hat　trimmed　with　heroic　feathers；　throwing　herself　into　his　arms；　embraced　him；　and　said　to　him：

〃You　are　splendid！〃

He　thought　in　his　simplicity　that　there　was　some　truth　in　the　statement。

She　declared　to　him　that　henceforth　she　would　live　but　for　Pyrot's　defence　and　Colomban's　glory。　He　thought　her　sublime　and　beautiful。　She　was　Maniflore；　a　poor　old　courtesan；　now　forgotten　and　discarded；　who　had　suddenly　become　a　vehement　politician。

She　never　left　him。　They　spent　glorious　hours　together　in　doss…houses　and　in　lodgings　beautified　by　their　love；　in　newspaper　offices；　in　meeting…halls　and　in　lecture…halls。　As　he　was　an　idealist；　he　persisted　in　thinking　her　beautiful；　although　she　gave　him　abundant　opportunity　of　seeing　that　she　had　preserved　no　charm　of　any　kind。　From　her　past　beauty　she　only　retained　a　confidence　in　her　capacity　for　pleasing　and　a　lofty　assurance　in　demanding　homage。　Still；　it　must　be　admitted　that　this　Pyrot　affair；　so　fruitful　in　prodigies；　invested　Maniflore　with　a　sort　of　civic　majesty；　and　transformed　her；　at　public　meetings；　into　an　august　symbol　of　justice　and　truth。

Bidault…Coquille　and　Maniflore　did　not　kindle　the　least　spark　of　irony　or　amusement　in　a　single　Anti…Pyrotist；　a　single　defender　of　Greatauk；　or　a　single　supporter　of　the　army。　The　gods；　in　their　anger；　had　refused　to　those　men　the　precious　gift　of　humour。　They　gravely　accused　the　courtesan　and　the　astronomer　of　being　spies；　of　treachery；　and　of　plotting　against　their　country。　Bidault…Coquille　and　Maniflore　grew　visibly　greater　beneath　insult；　abuse；　and　calumny。

For　long　months　Penguinia　had　been　divided　into　two　camps　and；　though　at　first　sight　it　may　appear　strange；　hitherto　the　socialists　had　taken　no　part　in　the　contest。　Their　groups　comprised　almost　all　the　manual　workers　in　the　country；　necessarily　scattered；　confused；　broken　up；　and　divided；　but　formidable。　The　Pyrot　affair　threw　the　group　leaders　into　a　singular　embarrassment。　They　did　not　wish　to　place　themselves　either　on　the　side　of　the　financiers　or　on　the　side　of　the　army。　They　regarded　the　Jews；　both　great　and　small；　as　their　uncompromising　opponents。　Their　principles　were　not　at　stake；　nor　were　their　interests　concerned　in　the　affair。　Still　the　greater　number　felt　how　difficult　it　was　growing　for　them　to　remain　aloof　from　struggles　in　which　all　Penguinia　was　engaged。

Their　leaders　called　a　sitting　of　their　federation　at　the　Rue　de　la　Queue…du…diable…St。　Mael；　to　take　into　consideration　the　conduct　they　ought　to　adopt　in　the　present　circumstances　and　in　future　eventualities。

Comrade　Phoenix　was　the　first　to　speak。

〃A　crime；〃　said　he；　〃the　most　odious　and　cowardly　of　crimes；　a　judicial　crime；　has　been　committed。　Military　judges；　coerced　or　misled　by　their　superior　officers；　have　condemned　an　innocent　man　to　an　infamous　and　cruel　punishment。　Let　us　not　say　that　the　victim　is　not　one　of　our　own　party；　that　he　belongs　to　a　caste　which　was；　and　always　will　be；　our　enemy。　Our　party　is　the　party　of　social　justice；　it　can　look　upon　no　iniquity　with　indifference。

〃It　would　be　a　shame　for　us　if　we　left　it　to　Kerdanic；　a　radical；　to　Colomban；　a　member　of　the　middle　classes；　and　to　a　few　moderate　Republicans；　alone　to　proceed　against　the　crimes　of　the　army。　If　the　victim　is　not　one　of　us；　his　executioners　are　our　brothers'　executioners；　and　before　Greatauk　struck　down　this　soldier　he　shot　our　comrades　who　were　on　strike。

〃Comrades；　by　an　intellectual；　moral　and　material　effort　you　must　rescue　Pyrot　from　his　torment；　and　in　performing　this　generous　act　you　are　not　turning　aside　from　the　liberating　and　revolutionary　task　you　have　undertaken；　for　Pyrot　his　become　the　symbol　of　the　oppressed　and　of　all　the　social　iniquities　that　now　exist；　by　destroying　one　you　make　all　the　others　tremble。〃

When　Phoenix　ended；　comrade　Sapor　spoke　in　these　terms：

〃You　are　advised　to　abandon　your　task　in　order　to　do　something　with　which　you　have　no　concern。　Why　throw　yourselves　into　a　conflict　where；　on　whatever　side　you　turn；　you　will　find　none　but　your　natural；　uncompromising；　even　necessary　opponents？　Are　the　financiers　to　be　less　hated　by　us　than　the　army？　What　inept　and　criminal　generosity　is　it　that　hurries　you　to　save　those　seven　hundred　Pyrotists　whom　you　will　always　find　confronting　you　in　the　social　war？

〃It　is　proposed　that　you　act　the　part　of　the　police　for　your　enemies；　and　that　you　are　to　re…establish　for　them　the　order　which　their　own　crimes　have　disturbed。　Magnanimity　pushed　to　this　degree　changes　its　name。

〃Comrades；　there　is　a　point　at　which　infamy　becomes　fatal　to　a　society。　Penguin　society　is　being　strangled　by　its　infamy；　and　you　are　requested　to　save　it；　to　give　it　air　that　it　can　breathe。　This　is　simply　turning　you　into　ridicule。

〃Leave　is　to　smother　itself　and　let　us　gaze　at　its　last　convulsions　with　joyful　contempt；　only　regretting　that　it　has　so　entirely　corrupted　the　soil　on　which　it　has　been　built　that　we　shall　find　nothing　but　poisoned　mud　on　which　to　lay　the　foundations　of　a　new　society。〃

When　Sapor　had　ended　his　speech　comrade　Lapersonne　pronounced　these　few　words：

〃Phoenix　calls　us　to　Pyrot's　help　for　the　reason　that　Pyrot　is　innocent。　It　seems　to　me　that　that　is　a　very　bad　reason。　If　Pyrot　is　innocent　he　has　behaved　like　a　good　soldier　and　has　always　conscientiously　worked　at　his　trade；　which　principally　consists　in　shooting　the　people。　That　is　not　a　motive　to　make　the　people　brave　all　dangers　in　his　defence。　When　it　is　demonstrated　to　me　that　Pyrot　is　guilty　and　that　he　stole　the　army　hay；　I　shall　be　on　his　side。〃

Comrade　Larrivee　afterwards　spoke。

〃I　am　not　of　my　friend；　Phoenix's　opinion　but　I　am　not　with　my　friend　Sapor　either。　I　do　not　believe　that　the　party　is　bound　to　embrace　a　cause　as　soon　as　we　are　told　that　that　cause　is　just。　That；　I　am　afraid；　is　a　grievous　abuse　of　words　and　a　dangerous　equivocation。　For　social　justice　is　not　revolutionary　justice。　They　are　both　in　perpetual　antagonism：　to　serve　the　one　is　to　oppose　the　other。　As　for　me；　my　choice　is　made。　I　am　for　revolutionary　justice　as　against　social　justice。　Still；　in　the　present　case　I　am　against　abstention。　I　say　that　when　a　lucky　chance　brings　us　an　affair　like　this　we　should　be　fools　not　to　profit　by　it。

〃How？　We　are　given　an　opportunity　of　striking　terrible；　perhaps　fatal；　blows　against　militarism。　And　am　I　to　fold　my　arms？　I　tell　you；　comrades；　I　am　not　a　fakir；　I　have　never　been　a　fakir；　and　if　there　are　fakirs　here　let　them　not　count　on　me。　To　sit　in　meditation　is　a　policy　without　results　and　one　which　I　shall　never　adopt。

〃A　party　like　ours　ought　to　be　continually　asserting　itself。　It　ought　to　prove　its　existence　by　continual　action。　We　will　intervene　in　the　Pyrot　affair　but　we　will　intervene　in　it　in　a　revolutionary　manner；　we　will　adopt　violent　action。　。　。　。　Perhaps　you　think　that　violence　is　old…fashioned　and　superannuated；　to　be　scrapped　along　with　diligences；　hand…presses　and　aerial　telegraphy。　You　are　mistaken。　To…day　as　yesterday　nothing　is　obtained　except　by　violence；　it　is　the　one　efficient　instrument。　The　only　thing　necessary　is　to　know　how　to　use　it。　You　ask　what　will　our　action　be？　I　will　tell　you：　it　will　be　to　stir　up　the　governing　classes　against　one　another；　to　put　the　army　in　conflict　with　the　capitalists；　the　government　with　the　magistracy；　the　nobility　and　clergy　with　the　Jews；　and　if　possible　to　drive　them　all　to　destroy　one　another。　To　do　this　would　be　to　carry　on　an　agitation　which　would　weaken　government　in　the　same　way　that　fever　wears　out　the　sick。

〃The　Pyrot　affair；　little　as　we　know　how　to　turn　it　to　advantage；　will　put　forward　by　ten　years　the　growth　of　the　Social　party　and　the　emancipation　of　the　proletariat；　by　disarmament；　the　general　strike；　and　revolution。〃

The　leaders　of　the　party　having　each　expressed　a　different　opinion；　the　discussion　was　continued；　not　without　vivacity。　The　orators；　as　always　happens　in　such　a　case；　reproduced　the　arguments　they　had　already　brought　forward；　though　with　less　order　and　moderation　than　before。　The　dispute　was　prolonged　and　none　changed　his　opinion。　These　opinions；　in　the　final　analysis；　were　reduced　to　two：　that　of　Sapor　and　Lapersonne　who　advised　abstention；　and　that　of　Phoenix　and　Larrivee；　who　wanted　intervention。　Even　these　two　contrary　opinions　were　united　in　a　common　hatred　of　the　heads　of　the　army　and　of　their　justice；　and　in　a　common　belief　in　Pyrot's　innocence。　So　that　public　opinion　was　hardly　mistaken　in　regarding　all　the　Socialist　leaders　as　pernicious　Anti…Pyrotists。

As　for　the　vast　masses　in　whose　name　they　spoke　and　whom　they　represented　as　far　as　speech　can　express　the　impossibleas　for　the　proletarians　whose　thought　is　difficult　to　know　and　who　do　not　know　it　themselves；　it　seemed　that　the　Pyrot　affair　did　not　interest　them。　It　was　too　literary　for　them；　it　was　in　too　classical　a　style；　and　had　an　upper…middle…class　and　high…finance　tone