Zola's Rougon-Macquart Family [pp. 412-422]

Zola's Rouzgon-Macqztart Family.
as well was necessary to the fortune of
the Rougons. A new dynasty is seldom
founded save uponi an affray. Blood is
agood pasture. It would be fine if the
Rougons, like certain other illustrious
families, dated from a massacre. When
the thought sent a cold chill through her
marrow, she planted herself at the win dow and contemplated the beautiful cur tains of the present tax-receiver's house,
- curtains that would be hers after
the bloodshed. This sustained her cour age.
On December ist, they received a let ter warning them that the crisis was at
hand, and on the afternoon of the next
day but one the news reached Plassans
that Napoleon had proclaimed himself
emperor. The yellow drawing room at
once accepted the coup d'itat, but grew
alarmed as news came in of insurrection
in neighboring towns. It was asserted
that blood had been shed in Marseilles,
and that rebellion had broken out in
Paris. On the 7th, it was learned that
three thousand insurgents would pass
through Plassans, and most of the fre quenters of the yellow drawing room
fled to hide themselves. Among them
all there was one hero. Sicardot, commander of the National Guard, was ready
to defend the city with his life, and he
called upon Pierre to follow him. F6licite was equal to the emergency. Throwing herself between them, she clung to
her husband, vowing that he should not
leave her. Though he only half caught
the clue, Pierre pretended to be eager to
go, but allowed his wife to persuade him
that it would be better for him to conceal
himself, with a view to putting himself
at the head of a reserve corps, to restore
order when the insurgents had left the
town. So he obtained from the commander a key to the cart-house where
the ammunition was kept. And with a
few cowardly companions he proceeded
to defend Plassans by hiding himself, in
order to render the town secure.
It was eleven at night when the in
surgents entered. They glanced at
every window in apprehension of bullets,
but saw hardly a shutter opened, and
heard nothing save here and there a sti fled exclamation. At the city hall they
arrested the mayor, and made a prisoner
of Commander Sicardot, who was furi ous at finding himself unable to muster
a corporal's guard.
They had come this way only because
they needed food. This the mayor was
glad enough to furnish, and by two
o'clock the insurgents marched on again,
taking a few functionaries as prisoners,
and by request of Antoine Macquart,
Pierre Rougon's half brother, leaving
behind a guard of twenty men under his
charge. These took possession of the
city hall, and Antoine installed himself
in the mayor's chair, stuffed with the
dignity of his unaccustomed surround ings.
This was Pierre's opportunity. At
five o'clock in the morning he stole out
of his hiding place, crept stealthily into
the city, trembling at every door, found
the town sleeping like a top, unconscious
of the danger it had passed through, and
discovered that his hopes were realized,
-the insurgents had abandoned the
town to him. To him,-forhad he not
the key to the ammunition? Had he
not by suggesting concealment become
the recognized leader of his timid associates?
Yet he began to feel uneasy. What
if the empire should have been established without his aid? What if Sicardot, instead of being arrested and carried
away, had conquered the rebels, and
shut them up in the citadel?
A cold perspiration broke out over
him, and he hurried home, hoping that
Fdlicit6 would give him some trustworthy information. He found the yellow
drawing room lit, and saw the dark figure of his wife at the window. She
beckoned to him and threw him the key
to the cart-house. This meant that he
must arm his followers; and as he picked
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[October,