HOCHE[smiling]. Very well, then.
HULIN. You think it very well? The thunderbolt is above you; everything is ready to crumble.... Roll, thunder! Truth, burn the night!
HULIN. I am not afraid of the storm. Everything I have told you, comrade, doesn't make me any more afraid. I am not afraid for my own skin. But I don't see even the first rain-drop. If your eyes are better than mine, show me! And wherever there is a good blow needed, be assured I shall be ready. Lead me, show me the road; what must I do?
HOCHE. There is no settled plan. Watch and see what happens. When the storm comes, hold fast and run with it. Meantime, let us proceed as usual—and sell our waistcoats. [The Crowd again inundates the stage. Cries and laughter are heard. An Urchin of four or five is carried on the shoulders of a huge Porter.LA CONTAT, DESMOULINS,and the rest follow them, laughing.]
THE URCHIN[screaming]. Down with the aristos, the aristocracks, the aristaustrians!
HULIN. Now what are they playing at? Ah, their favorite amusement: abusing the aristocrats.
THE PORTER. Attention, Voice of the People! What shall we condemn them to? Hey, there, Monsieur, don't you hear me, Leonidas? What'll we do to Artois?
THE URCHIN. The pillory!
THE PORTER. And Polignac?
THE URCHIN. A flogging!
THE PORTER. And Condé?
THE URCHIN. The gallows!
THE PORTER. And the Queen?
THE URCHIN. To the—! [The Crowd bursts into loud laughter, cheering the Urchin, who cries aloud, inflated by his success. The Porter continues on his way with the boy.]
LA CONTAT. The dear child! He makes me die laughing.
DESMOULINS. Let's follow them. Bravo, terror of the aristos!—Messieurs, young Leonidas has forgotten one of our friends, Monsieur de Vintimille, Marquis de Castelnau.
HULIN[toHOCHE]. Listen, he's speaking of my master.
DESMOULINS. We surely owe him something. The Marshal has just appointed him guard over the Bastille, with M. de Launey, and he has promised that within two days, we shall go and ask pardon of him, barefooted and with ropes round our necks. I propose that one of us make a present of his rope to that friend of the people.
THE CROWD. Burn him! He lives near! Burn his house—his furniture—his wife—his children!
VINTIMILLE[appearing in the midst of the Crowd, cold and ironic]. Messieurs—
LA CONTAT. God save us!
HULIN. Hoche! [He takes hold ofHOCHE'Sarm.]
HOCHE. What's the matter?
HULIN. It's he!
HOCHE. Who?
HULIN. Vintimille.
VINTIMILLE. Messieurs, M. de Vintimille's upholsterer asks permission to speak.—
THE CROWD. Hear the upholsterer!
VINTIMILLE. Messieurs, you are quite right in wishing to burn that blackguard aristocrat, who makes game of you, despises you, and who goes about saying that dogs ought to be whipped when they show their teeth. Burn, Messieurs, by all means burn, but I warn you, take care that the flame of your just fury does not scorch you, and demolish what is yours along with what is his. Let me ask you first of all, Messieurs, whether it is right to ruin M. de Vintimille and those who ruin him—his creditors, that is? At least allow me to beg you to spare the furniture, which belongs to me, and for which the scoundrel has not paid a son.
CROWD. Take back your furniture!
VINTIMILLE. I am encouraged, Messieurs, by the success of my request, to make another, this time on behalf of the architect of the house. He has been no more successful than I in extracting écus from the pocket of M. de Vintimille; and he asks you to consider what harm you would do him in destroying his only security?
CROWD. Save the house!
VINTIMILLE. And as for his wife, Messieurs—why burn what belongs to you? His wife is of the people. The Court, the city, the clergy, the middle-classes, have often appreciated her splendid qualities. She possesses a liberal mind, and she recognizes no privileges: the three orders are equal in her eyes. In her person she realizes the perfect union of the nation. Let us do honor to so rare a virtue. Messieurs, let us show mercy for Madame.
DESMOULINS. Mercy for Notre Dame!
THE CROWD[laughing]. Yes, yes, mercy for Madame!
VINTIMILLE. Really, Messieurs, I am taking advantage—
THE CROWD. No, no!
VINTIMILLE. Finally, Messieurs, if you burned M. de Vintimille's children, would you not tremble to vie with our tragediennes?
THE CROWD[laughing]. Long live the children! Ha, ha!
VINTIMILLE[ina changed tone]. As for him, burn him, Messieurs, burn him, burn him. And, let me tell you, if you don't burn him, he will burn you! [He steps down from the chair, and disappears into the Crowd, who laugh and shout, and applaud him.]
LA CONTAT[going quickly toVINTIMILLE]. Run quickly! They might recognize you!
VINTIMILLE. Hello, Contat, were you there? What are you doing in such vile company?
LA CONTAT. Don't make fun of the dogs until you are well out of the village.
VINTIMILLE. Oh, not every barking dog bites. Come!
LA CONTAT. Later.
VINTIMILLE. I shall meet you at the Bastille.
LA CONTAT. Very well: at the Bastille. [VINTIMILLEgoes out.]
HOCHE. The rascal! What effrontery!
HULIN. A mixture of courage and nasty vileness.
HOCHE. Often to be observed in our "betters."
HULIN. This one made his fortune by marrying one of the late king's mistresses; and the same man wins honor at Crefeld and Rosbach.
AN OLD WOMAN SHOPKEEPER. What do you mean with your talk all the time of burning and hanging and stirring things up? What'll it bring you? I know well enough you'll not do a blessed thing about it. Then why talk so much? Will it make your soup taste better if you cook a few aristocrats? They'll fun off with all their money and we'll be more miserable than ever. You see, you've got to take things as they come, and not believe those liars that tell you you can change things by shouting. D'ye know what I think? We're wasting our time here. Nothing's going to happen, nothingcanhappen. You're threatened with famine, war—the whole Apocalypse. I tell you, it's all invented by the newspapers that haven't anything else to print, and by spies who want to stir things up. There's just a misunderstanding with the king, but it'll be all right if we go about our business. We have a good king: he's promised to keep our good M. Necker, who's going to give us a Constitution. Why don't you believe it? Isn't that good common sense? Why isn't it, eh? I believe what they say, and I was just as foolish as you: I wasted four hours here. I'm going now and sell my turnips.
THE CROWD[approvingly]. She's right.—You're all right, mother. Let's go home.
HULIN. What have you to say to that?
HOCHE[with a smile]. She reminds me of my old aunt. She talked about patience the moment she set to beating me.
HULIN. I think she talked good common sense.
HOCHE. I ask nothing better than to be able to believe her; and I find it so natural that reason should prevail in her mind that if I listened to my own counsel, I should even allow my enemies to make reason triumph; but, you see, experience has too often disabused me. All I have to do is to open my eyes; I see Gonchon and his band closing shop. They do nothing without a motive, mind you, and I am very much afraid that this sudden quiet is only the lull before the storm. At base, no one believes that this calm is natural; they all stayed, even the old lady. They try to delude themselves, but they can't. They have all caught the fever. Listen to the voice of that crowd! They don't shout, but hear the murmurs! Like the rustling of leaves. The breeze before the rain. [He seizesHULIN'Shand.] See! Look! Hulin—here, here—[A great confused murmur comes from the Crowd at the back of the Garden, and then bursts forth like a clap of thunder.]
A MAN[out of breath, his hat gone, his clothing in disorder, runs in, and cries out in terror.] Necker is exiled!
THE CROWD[excitedly, hurrying to the Man] What! What! Necker!—It's a lie!
THE MAN[shouting]. Necker is banished! He's gone, gone!
THE CROWD[howling]. Kill him! He's a spy from Versailles! Kill him!
THE MAN[terror-stricken, as he attempts to free himself.] What are you doing? You don't understand! I say that Necker—
THE CROWD. To the fountain! The informer! Drown him!
THE MAN[howling]. Me?
HOCHE. Let's save him, Hulin!
HULIN. You'd have to strike down twenty to save one. [They try in vain to break through the Crowd, which bears off the unfortunate Man.ROBESPIERREthen rises from the Crowd and stands on a table. He makes a gesture indicating that he wants silence.]
HOCHE. Who is that thin little fellow who's trying to talk?
DESMOULINS. That is Robespierre, Deputy from Arras.
HOCHE. Shout, Hulin, and make them keep still!
HULIN. Listen! Listen to Citizen Robespierre! [At firstROBESPIERREtrembles. He is not heard amid the confusion. Some cry, "Louder!"]
DESMOULINS. Speak, Robespierre.
HULIN. Don't be afraid. [ROBESPIERRElooks at him with a timid and disdainful smile.]
DESMOULINS. He's not used to speaking.
HOCHE. Silence, comrades!
ROBESPIERRE[composing himself]. Citizens, I am Deputy to the Third Estate. I have come from Versailles. That man spoke the truth: Necker has been exiled. The power is now in the hands of the nation's enemies. De Broglie, Breteuil, Foulon: Carnage, Rapine, and Famine, are now the ministers. This means war. I have cast my lot with you.
THE CROWD[terrified],We're lost!
DESMOULINS. What shall we do?
ROBESPIERRE. Let us know how to die.
HOCHE[with a shrug]. Lawyer!
HULIN. Speak to them, Citizen Deputy.
ROBESPIERRE. What is the use of talk? Let each one consult his own conscience.
HOCHE. They are mad with terror. If they're not made to do something, they are lost. [ROBESPIERREtakes manuscripts and printers' proofs from his pocket.]
HULIN. What's he going to read? Don't read! One really human word is worth a thousand from those papers!
ROBESPIERRE[opens out his papers, and reads in a quiet, but cutting tone]. "Declaration of Rights."
HOCHE. Listen!
ROBESPIERRE. "Declaration of Rights, proposed to the National Assembly, yesterday, Saturday July 11: The National Assembly proclaims abroad to the Universe and under the eye of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and citizen: Nature has made men free and equal—" [A thunder of applause, which drowns out the rest of the sentence.]
"Every man is born with inalienable and indefeasible rights: liberty of thought, the care of his honor and his life, the complete freedom of his person, the pursuit of happiness, and resistance to oppression." [The applause is redoubled.]
HOCHE[drawing his saber]. Resistance to oppression! [Others follow his example, and in a moment the Crowd bristle with arms.]
ROBESPIERRE. "Oppression exists against the social order, when even a single member of it is oppressed. There exists oppression against each and every member of the social order, when the whole is oppressed."
GONCHON. Are they going on with this? They must be got out of the way. If the army comes, they ought to go somewhere else and get killed! [He speaks to his associates.]
ROBESPIERRE. "The Nation is sovereign." [A shout is heard. The Crowd are terrified and listen in fear and trembling.]
HOCHE. Hulin! The storm at last!
A VOICE[terrified]. They're coming! They're coming! The cavalry!
ONE OF GONCHON'S MEN[in a strident voice]. Run for your lives! [Great confusion and shouting.]
HULIN[leaping upon the man who just shouted, and striking him on the head]. Good God! [ToROBESPIERRE.] Continue! [ROBESPIERREtries to go on, but his voice fails him..HOCHEjumps up on the table besideROBESPIERRE,and reads with enthusiasm, which stirs the Crowd.]
HOCHE. "The Nation is sovereign, and the government is its work.—When the government violates the rights of the nation, insurrection in that nation becomes the most sacred of duties.—Those who make war upon a people in order to arrest the progress of its liberty, ought to be attacked by all, not as ordinary enemies, but as rebel slaves who have lifted a hand against the Sovereign of the World, which is Mankind." [Amid the wild acclamations,DESMOULINS,hair waving in the wind and eyes aflame, jumps up on the table from whichHOCHEhas just stepped down.]
DESMOULINS. Liberty, liberty! It is now flying just above our heads. It bears me along with its sacred whirlwind. On to victory! Let us march with the wind of her wings! The day of bondage has passed—passed. Stand up, and let us send back the thunderbolt against the scoundrels who have the army! Against the King! [The Crowd shouts:"Against the King!"] Look at me, spies! You are hidden here, I know. It is I, Camille Desmoulins, who incite Paris to revolt! I fear nothing: no matter what happens, they will never catch me alive. [He displays a pistol which he has taken from his pocket.] The only catastrophe I fear is to see France enslaved! But we shan't see that! It will be free with us, or die with us. Yes, like Virginius we will stab her with our own hands, rather than allow her to be violated by tyrants. Brothers, we will be free! We are already free! Against the Bastilles of stone we will offer our breasts, the unconquerable fortresses of Liberty! Look! The very heavens open, the gods are on our side. The sun tears open the clouds. See, the leaves on the trees tremble for joy! Oh, leaves that quiver with the life-blood of a people that is now awaking to life, be our rallying emblem, our pledge of victory; you are the color of hope, of the sea, of young and free Nature! [He breaks off a small branch from a chestnut tree.] In hoc signo vinces.Liberty! Liberty!
THE PEOPLE. Liberty! [They crowd aboutDESMOULINS,embracing and kissing him.]
LA CONTAT[putting leaves in her hair]. Oh, young Liberty! Bloom in my hair and flourish in my heart! [She throws handfuls of leaves to the people.] Friends, deck yourselves with the cockades of summer! [The Crowd strip the trees of their leaves.]
THE OLD WOMAN SHOPKEEPER. Against the King! He was right! You must go to the King!—On to Versailles, my children!
HULIN[pointing to theOLD WOMANandLA CONTAT]. Nowtheyare more excited than the rest!
HOCHE. You'll have a hard time stopping them!
THE PEOPLE. To the Champ de Mars! Before the people of Versailles! We'll show them!—- Scoundrels! They thought they could down the people of Paris!
THE OLD WOMAN. I'll have their hides! I'll show those nasty Germans who's master!
DESMOULINS. They have banished our Necker. Now we banish them! We want Necker to remain We will show the world what we want.
THE PEOPLE. Let's parade in honor of Necker!—Here's his portrait, in Curtius' shop, among the wax figures. Let's carry it in triumph!—The shop's closed!—Break it in!
GONCHON[to his followers]. Let's take advantage of the occasion!
A FOLLOWER OF GONCHON. Monsieur Gonchon! They're stealing everything!
GONCHON. Nevermind! You do the same!
THE SHOPKEEPER. But they're coming into my shop!
GONCHON. Can't keep them out. [He enters the shop and shouts with the rest of the Crowd. Those outside run here and there. In a moment, swords, sticks, pistols, and hatchets are seen flourishing in the air.]
THE PEOPLE. Easy, now! No disorder, comrades!—Hey, there, run away to school, lad! This is no child's play! This must be serious! We must inspire the tyrants with the sacred terror of the nation. [A bust of Necker is carried out of the shop, hugged close to the breast of the athletic Porter. The Crowd gather around him.] Off with your hats! Here is our defender, our father! Cover him with crêpe! ThePatrieis in mourning! [GONCHONand his followers come forth from the shop with the bust of the Due d'Orléans. They assume the same attitudes of solemn dignity as the others. The People pay no attention to them.]
HULIN. What's that?
HOCHE. Our friend Gonchon's patron, the Citizen d'Orléans.
HULIN. I'm going to break in his head, and those of his bearers.
HOCHE[smiling]. No, no, let them be. Let them compromise themselves.
HULIN. Don't you know him?
HOCHE. An Orléans? He who knows one, knows them all. He's a vicious vermin, who has caught hold of the robes of Liberty, and tries to harm her. He needs a slap, and he will get it. Let him alone.
HULIN. But what if he take away our liberty?
HOCHE. That misshapen brat? He'd better take care that she doesn't take away his head! [GONCHONand his followers cover d'Orléans' head with crêpe. A procession then farms, in absurdly solemn order. Silence. All at once, theOLD WOMAN SHOPKEEPERcomes in heating a drum. A formidable shout arises.]
THE PEOPLE. Forward! [The procession starts. First comes the drummer, followed by Necker's bust, which the Porter carries on his head. He is surrounded by men armed with sticks and hatchets-young men, elegantly attired in silks, wearing jewels and watches, and armed with cudgels and swords; French Guards with drawn sabers; women, first among whom isLA CONTAT,clinging toDESMOULINS'arm. Then comesGONCHON,who carries Orléans' bust, followed by the shopkeepers of the Palais-Royal. Then the rest of the Crowd. A great silence, broken now and then by the low hum of the vast crowd. In the distance, shouting is heard; it grows nearer and nearer, and finally passes through the whole line like a tremor of passion. Then silence for a moment.]
HOCHE[toHULIN,pointing at the People]. Well, Hulin, are you convinced now?
HULIN. Absurd. That disorderly mob! Attack an army? They're all going to be massacred. There's no sense to it. [He follows the procession.]
HOCHE. Where are you going?
HULIN. With them, of course.
HOCHE. Old comrade, your instinct is better than your head.
HULIN. You see that, do you? Do you know where those blind people are going?
HOCHE. Don't bother about understanding. They know: they see for you.
HULIN. Who?
HOCHE. The blind. [The lugubrious roll of the drums is heard in the distance. The People march out slowly. Silence.]
[.Monday night, July 13-14. It is two or three o'clock in the morning.
The scene is a street in Paris, in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. At the back, towering above the house-tops, stands the great bulk of the Bastille, the turrets of which, engulfed in the black night, soar up into the sky, and seem to strain higher and higher as dawn approaches. To the right, at the corner of a street, isLUCILE'Shouse. A convolvulus twines itself about the balcony support, and clambers along the wall. The street is lighted by candles, placed on the window-sills. Sounds from blacksmith shops—hammers pounding on forges, are heard, and from time to time the tocsin of a church, or occasionally a far-off musket-shot. Workingmen are constructing a barricade of wood and stone at the street corner, underLUCILE'Swindow.]
A MASON. Only a few more stones now.
A WORKINGMAN[with his bed on his back]. Here, use this. It's my bed.
THE MASON. Are you sleeping here?
THE WORKINGMAN. I will before long, with a bullet in me.
THE MASON. You have a sense of humor.
THE WORKINGMAN. If the brigands pass here, we won't need anything. Our beds are made elsewhere.
A CARPENTER. Help me stretch this cord.
AN APPRENTICE. What for?
THE CARPENTER. To trip the horses.
A PRINTER. Hey, Camuset?
ANOTHER. Yes?
THE PRINTER. Listen.
THE OTHER. What?
THE PRINTER. Don't you hear?
THE OTHER. I hear anvils. They're making pikes in all the blacksmith shops.
THE PRINTER. No, not that. There—[He points to the ground.]
THE OTHER. There?
THE PRINTER. Yes, under the ground. [He lies down, with his ear to the ground.]
THE OTHER. You're dreaming!
THE WORKINGMAN[lying down]. Sounds like mining.
THE OTHER. Good Lord, they're going to blow us up!
THE CARPENTER[incredulously]. Nonsense!
THE WORKINGMAN[still on the ground]. They've hidden millions of pounds of powder there.
THE OTHER WORKINGMAN. That's why we can't find any.
THE CARPENTER. Do you think an army can go about underground like rats?
THE WORKINGMAN[still on the ground]. They've got underground passages leading from the Bastille to Vincennes.
THE CARPENTER. Fairy tales!
THE OTHER WORKINGMAN[rising]. I'll have a look in the cellar, anyway. Are you coming with me, Camuset? [They both go into a house.]
THE CARPENTER[laughing]. In the cellar? Ha, ha! They're looking for a pretext to wet their whistles! Now, let's finish our work.
THE MASON[looking behind him as he works]. Good God!
THE CARPENTER. What's wrong?
THE MASON[looking toward the Bastille], That—that! Every time I look at that thing, it weighs down on my back—that Bastille! It catches in my throat.
THE CARPENTER. One looks under ground, and the other in the air. Don't look around; go on with your work.
THE MASON. Makes no difference: I feel it. Like as if some one was standing behind me, with his fist raised ready to hit me.—Good God!
THE VOICE OF A BOURGEOIS. He is right: we are watched by cannon. What good is all this going to do us? In a flash it could knock that all down like a house of cards.
THE CARPENTER. Oh, no.
THE MASON[pointing toward the Bastille], You damned monster! When are we going to get rid of you!
THE CARPENTER. Soon.
OTHERS. You think so?—How?
THE CARPENTER. I don't know, but it's so. Courage, now! It's a long lane that has no turning. [They set to work again.]
THE APPRENTICE. Meantime, we can't see a thing.
THE CARPENTER[shouting toward the houses]. Hey, up there! You women, look to your candles! We've got to see tonight!
A WOMAN[at a window, re-lighting candles]. How is everything getting along?
THE CARPENTER. Well, more than one will leave his carcass here before they get past.
THE WOMAN. Are they coming soon?
THE CARPENTER. They say Grenelle is running with blood. You can hear shots from the Vaugirard section.
THE OLD BOURGEOIS. They are waiting for daylight before entering.
THE MASON. What time is it?
THE WOMAN. Three. Listen, the cocks are crowing.
THE MASON[wiping his brow with his sleeve]. Got to hurry! Lord, how hot it is!
THE CARPENTER. So much the better.
THE OLD BOURGEOIS. I can't do another stroke.
THE CARPENTER. Rest a little, Monsieur. Nobody need work any more than he can.
THE OLD BOURGEOIS[bringing a paving-block]. I want to put this in place, though.
THE CARPENTER. Take it easier. If you can't gallop, trot.
THE WOMAN, Have you got your muskets yet?
THE CARPENTER. They keep putting us off at the Hötel de Ville. A few hundred bourgeois there take everything.
THE MASON. Never mind. We have knives, and sticks and stones. Anything is good to kill with.
THE WOMAN. I've got a lot of tiles, broken bottles, and glass here in my room. Everything's near the window—dishes, furniture, everything. If they pass this way, I'll smash them!
ANOTHER WOMAN[at her window]. My kettle's been on the fire since dinner. The water's hot enough to boil paving-stones. Let them come! I'll boil them!
A VAGABOND[with a gun, speaking to a Bourgeois]. Give me some money.
THE BOURGEOIS. No begging here.
THE VAGABOND. I'm not asking for bread, though I am starving. But I have a musket, and not a son to buy powder with. Give me some money.
ANOTHER VAGABOND[a little drunk]. I've got money, much as you like! [He pulls a handful of money from his pocket.]
FIRST VAGABOND. Where did you get that?
SECOND VAGABOND. I took it from the Lazarists when they pillaged the convent.
FIRST VAGABOND[seizing the other by the throat]. Do you want to dishonor the people, you pig?
SECOND VAGABOND[trying to break away]. What's matter? Are you crazy?
FIRST VAGABOND[shaking him]. Empty your pockets!
SECOND VAGABOND. But I—
FIRST VAGABOND[emptying his pockets]. Empty your pockets, you thief!
SECOND VAGABOND. Haven't we the right to rob the aristos any more, eh?
THE OTHERS. Hang him! Hang him!—Hang him on the sign-board!—A flogging is enough!—Ask pardon of the people!—Good!—Now, get out! [The Vagabond runs away.]
FIRST VAGABOND[setting to work]. He ought to have been hanged—for an example. There will be others like him. To be exposed to such nastiness—keep company with thieves! It's nasty.
CAMILLE DESMOULINS[entering, in his usual absent-minded idle way]. A spanking will be enough for you. [They all laugh and set to work again.]
THE PEOPLE. Well, let's finish this.
DESMOULINS[looking at the house and the workers]. My Lucile is there. I've just been to see her. The house was empty. They told me the family went out to dinner with relatives in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. They've been blockaded!—Well, I should think so! A splendid fortification! Scarp and counter-scarp, everything perfect. They are besieging the house. But, my friends, we have to demolish the Bastille, and not construct another like it. I don't know what your enemies will think, but it is in any case dangerous to your friends: I've just gotten my feet tangled up in your strings, and I almost stayed where I was.—This cask won't stand. You must put back the paving-blocks.
THE CARPENTER. Do you work as well as you talk?
DESMOULINS[gaily, as he takes up a block]. I can work, too. [From the top of the barricade, where he now stands, he can touch the window of the house. A light is seen moving inside.DESMOULINSlooks at it.] She is there!
THE OLD BOURGEOIS. Provost Flesselles is a traitor. He pretends to be one of us, but he's in communication with Versailles.
THE MASON. He's the one who organized the Bourgeois Militia; it pretends to defend us, but it tries to tie our hands. They're all Judases, ready to sell us.
THE CARPENTER. That only teaches us not to depend on any one but ourselves. But I've known that for a long while. [During the above,CAMILLElightly taps the window, and calls "Lucile!"The light disappears, and the window opens.LUCILE'Spretty face, with her lovely teeth and winning smile, appear at the window. Each puts his fingers to his mouth, a warning to be careful. They converse by means of lovers' signs. Each time the workers false their heads from the barricade and look in her direction, Lucile quickly shuts the window. But two workingmen catch sight of her.]
A WORKINGMAN[pointing toDESMOULINS]. What's he doing anyway?
SECOND WORKINGMAN. The little fellow's in love. Don't bother him!
FIRST WORKINGMAN. He'll fight all the better for it. The rooster will defend his hen. [They continue working, from time to time glancing up good-naturedly at the lovers. But they always observe caution, in order not to interrupt them.]
LUCILE[in an undertone]. What are you doing there?
DESMOULINS. It's a fort to defend you. [They look at each other and smile.]
LUCILE. I can't stay any longer. My people are here.
DESMOULINS. Just one moment!
LUCILE. Later. When every one has gone. [LUCILElistens.] They're calling me. Wait. [She blows a kiss at him and disappears.]
THE MASON[looking at the barricade]. There, that's done—and well done, I may say.
THE CARPENTER[slappingDESMOULINSon the shoulder]. Don't work too hard: you'll come down with pleurisy.
DESMOULINS. Each one has his work, comrade. After all, this barricade here is the result of my talk.
THE MASON. What are you talking about?
THE CARPENTER. Do you work with your voice?
DESMOULINS. Was neither, of you at the Palais-Royal yesterday?
THE CROWD. The Palais-Royal?—Listen to that!—Are you the little fellow who called us to arms, and gave us our cockades? Are you Monsieur Desmoulins? Wonderful speech!—How well you spoke! I cried! Fine little fellow!—Monsieur Desmoulins, let me shake hands with you!—Long live Monsieur Desmoulins! Long live our little Camille!
GONCHON[enters, in the uniform of a Captain of the Bourgeois Militia, followed by his patrol.] What the devil are you doing there? What's all this talking! You're disturbing the peace! Make way, there! Go back home!
THE PEOPLE. There's that damned Bourgeois Guard again!—Down with them!—Disturb the peace? That's good!—We're defending Paris!
GONCHON. That's not your affair.
THE PEOPLE[indignantly]. Not our affair?
GONCHON[with vehemence]. That's not your affair. That's our business, and ours alone. We are the Permanent Committee on defense. Damn you, get out of here!
DESMOULINS[coming close to him]. Why, it's Gonchon!
GONCHON[stumbling]. Ten thousand devils! For God's sake, what sons of dogs have put up that thing, torn up the street, and stopped traffic! Knock that down, do you hear!
THE PEOPLE[furiously]. Knock down our barricade? Try it!
THE CARPENTER. Listen to me, Captain, and attend to what I say. We'll agree to go away and not question the Committee's orders, even though they're given by fools. There must be discipline in war-time; we're willing to submit, but if you touch one stone of our fortification, we'll smash the faces of you and the rest of your monkeys.
THE PEOPLE. Tear down our barricade?
GONCHON. Who said anything about tearing it down? Are we masons? We have something better to do. Make way now!
THE MASON[in a menacing tone]. We'll go, but you understand?
GONCHON[with aplomb],I said no one would touch it. No back-talk, now! [The workers disperse.DESMOULINSlags behind.] Didn't you hear, you?
DESMOULINS. Don't you allow any privileges to your friends, Gonchon?
GONCHON. Oh, it's you, you damned spouter! Arrest that fellow!
ROBESPIERRE[entering]. Sacrilege! Who dares lift a hand against the founder of Liberty?
DESMOULINS. Ah, Robespierre! Thanks.
GONCHON[releasingDESMOULINS—aside],A Deputy! The devil! [Aloud.] Very well. You see, it is my duty to keep order, and I will keep it in spite of everything.
ROBESPIERRE. Come with me, Camille. Our friends are meeting in this house tonight. [He points to the house down-stagey left.]
DESMOULINS[aside].I can see Lucile's window from here! [They go to the house, at the door of which, in an obscure entrance, a man is on guard. He is in his shirt sleeves, has bare legs, and carries a musket.]
THE MAN. Who are you?
ROBESPIERRE. Robespierre.
THE MAN. I don't know you.
ROBESPIERRE. Deputy from Arras.
THE MAN. Show your card.
DESMOULINS. Desmoulins.
THE MAN. The little fellow with the cockade? Pass, comrade.
DESMOULINS[pointing toROBESPIERRE]. He is with me.
THE MAN. Pass, you, too, citizen Robert Pierre.
DESMOULINS[fatuously]. Admire the power of eloquence, my friend! [ROBESPIERRElooks at him with a bitter smile, sighs, and follows him without a word.]
GONCHON[going toTHE MAN]. What's going on here?
THE MAN. Make way!
GONCHON. What's that, you rascal? What are you doing here?
THE MAN[emphatically]. I am watching over the nation—over the thoughts of the nation.
GONCHON. What are you talking about? Have you any papers? Who stationed you here?
THE MAN. I.
GONCHON. Go home!
THE MAN. I am home. My home is the street. I have no home. You go home yourself. Get off my side-walk! [He makes a step towardGONCHONwith a threat.]
GONCHON. Ah! No quarreling, now. I refuse to waste my time squabbling with a drunkard. Now, I shall continue on my rounds. These cursed vagabonds!
And these barricades—they spring up out of the ground, like mushrooms; and the streets are full of these fellows! They think of nothing but fighting! If they were let alone, there would be no king tomorrow! [He goes out with his men.]
THE MAN. Look at those nasty scoundrels, those blue toads, those idiotic fools! Just because they're titled, they think they can make laws for free men! Bourgeois! The moment four of them gather together, they form committees and spoil good paper with their rules and regulations! "Show your papers!" As if we had to have their permission, their signatures, and the rest of it, to defend ourselves when we're attacked! Let every one protect himself! It's shameful to think a man has to let some one else defend him! They tried to make us give up our muskets, and throw us into prison. Can't do that! And those other fools, who think they're being betrayed, and at the first injunction, throw up a barricade out of respect for the constituted authorities and the moneyed classes! They're used to serving, and I suppose they can't get over their old habits in a day. Luckily, there are other wandering dogs like me, who haven't any home, and respect nothing. Well, I'll stay here and keep guard. By God, they won't take our Paris! Never mind if I haven't a thing to my name, it belongs to us all, and we're going to hold on to it. Yesterday, I didn't have any idea of all this. What was this city to me, where I hadn't a blessed hole to crawl into when it rained, or a place to get a crust of bread? What did I care about it? What did I care about any one's happiness or sorrow? But now everything's changed. I've got a part to play; I feel that everything belongs just a little to me: their houses, their money, and their thoughts—I must watch over them; they are working for me. Everybody is equal, equal and free. God, I always felt that, but I couldn't say it. Free! I'm a vagabond, I'm hungry, but I don't care: I'm free. Free! It makes my chest swell, it does! I'm a king. I could walk over the world. [He becomes excited as he talks, striding back and forth.] It's like as if I was drunk; my head's turned—though I haven't drunk a drop. What is it? It's glory!
HULIN[coming from the house]. I was stifling in there. I must get out.
THE MAN. Eh, Hulin, what are they doing?
HULIN. Talking, talking. The damned gossips. They're never at a loss for something to say. Desmoulins is making jokes and spouting Latin. Robespierre, with his long face, declares he'll sacrifice himself. They're calling everything into question: laws, the social contract, reason, the origin of the world. One is making war on God, and the other on Nature. As to real war plans, how to protect themselves against danger, not a word! Their counsel is like that in Paris: when it rains, why let it rain!—Devil take these phrasemakers!
THE MAN. Don't blame them. It's a fine thing to be able to speak. I tell you, there are words he uses that catch you way-down inside. They make the shivers run up your spine. They make you cry, they'd make you even kill your father; and they make you feel as strong as the whole world; make you feel like the good God Himself. Each man has his own work to do. They do the thinking for us; we've got to do our part for them.
HULIN. What do you want to do? Look. [He indicates the Bastille.]
THE MAN. Lights on the left tower. They're not sleeping any more than we, up there. They're fixing up their cannon.
HULIN. What do you intend to do with them? You can't resist them.
THE MAN. That remains to be seen.
HULIN. What do you mean?
THE MAN. I mean, that remains to be seen. Two small make one great.
HULIN. You are an optimist.
THE MAN. It's my character.
HULIN. It doesn't seem to have agreed with you, however.
THE MAN[good-naturedly]. But I am naturally an optimist. Luck and I are not close relatives. As long as I can remember, I never got anything I wanted. [Laughing.] Good Lord, I've had bad luck enough in my life! Everything isn't pleasure; life is a mixture. But I don't care: I'm always hoping, and sometimes I'm wrong. This time, Hulin, something good's come to me. The wind has shifted, and luck is with us.
HULIN[chaffingly]. Luck? You'd better ask it to warm you up a bit first.
THE MAN[looking at his naked feet]. I'd rather wear these shoes than the King's. I'd go this way to Vienna or Berlin, if necessary, to teach those kings a lesson.
HULIN. Haven't you enough to do here?
THE MAN. That won't last forever, When we're through here, and have cleaned up Paris and France, why not go the lot of us, arm-in-arm, soldiers, bourgeois, Tom, Dick, and Harry, and clean up Europe? We aren't selfish: we don't want all the fun for ourselves. You know, every time I learn something new, I want to tell it to others. Ever since these things began to stir in me—Liberty, and all this damned fine stuff—I feel I've just got to tell it to everybody, and spout it everywhere. God, if the others are like me, we'll do great things. I can already see the ground trembling under our feet, and Europe boiling like wine in a vat. People are falling on our necks. It's like little brooks rushing down to meet the river. We're a great river, washing everything clean.
HULIN. Say, are you sick?
THE MAN. I? I'm as well as a cabbage.
HULIN. And yet you dream?
THE MAN. All the time. It's good, too. If you dream enough, you end by getting something of what you're dreaming about. Hey, Hulin, what do you say? Won't it be a fine march? Aren't you coming with us?
HULIN. As soon as you've taken Vienna and Berlin, I'll keep watch over them.
THE MAN. Don't joke. Who knows?
HULIN. Anything can happen—
THE MAN. Anything you wish for happens.
HULIN. Meantime I'd like to know what's going to happen right now.
THE MAN. That's hard to tell. How are we going about it? We'll see. Sufficient unto the hour is the work thereof.
HULIN. These French devils are all alike. They think of what may happen in a hundred years, and not of the next day.
THE MAN. Perhaps. But then others will think of us in a hundred years.
HULIN. Much good that you!
THE MAN. My bones thrill already! What troubles me is that in history they won't know my name.
HULIN. You're vain!
THE MAN. Well, I love glory.
HULIN. It's a fine thing, of course. The only trouble is that you can't enjoy it until you're dead. A good pipe is better. [VINTIMILLEenters right.]
VINTIMILLE. The streets are empty. Two vagabonds talking about glory. A little mound of broken furniture, put there by a lot of epileptics. So this is the great revolution! A patrol of guards is enough to put the rabble in its place. What are they waiting for at Versailles?
THE MAN[getting up quickly and going toVINTIMILLE]. What's he want?
VINTIMILLE[ironically, as he glances atTHE MAN]. Is this a new uniform of the Archers? Get out of here, old man!
THE MAN. Who are you? Where are you going at this hour?
VINTIMILLE[handing him a paper]. Can you read?
THE MAN. Papers? Of course, I can read. [ToHULIN.] You read them. What is it?
HULIN[after having read]. A pass. It's all right. Signed by the Committee of the Hötel de Ville. Countersigned by the Captain of the Bourgeois Militia, Gonchon.
THE MAN. Good joke! Anybody can buy those. [He grumblingly allowsVINTIMILLEto pass.]
VINTIMILLE. Of course! Everything can be bought. [As he turns to go, he throws a coin atTHE MAN.]
THE MAN[on the alert]. What! What's that?
VINTIMILLE[without turning]. You see. Take it and keep your mouth shut.
THE MAN[running toVINTIMILLEand blocking his way]. So you're an aristocrat? You're trying to bribe me?
HULIN[interposing]. Don't, comrade, don't. I know him very well. [He goes toVINTIMILLE.]
VINTIMILLE[casually]. Why, it's—
HULIN. Hulin.
VINTIMILLE. Of course. [A moment's silence. They look at each other.]
HULIN[toTHE MAN]. Let him pass.
THE MAN[furiously—shouting]. He wanted to bribe me—he wanted to buy my conscience!
VINTIMILLE. Your conscience? What should I do with it? The idea! I pay for favors done me. Quick! Take it.
THE MAN. I'm not doing favors! I'm doing my duty.
VINTIMILLE. Then it's to pay you for doing your duty. What do I care?
THE MAN. You don't pay people for doing their duty. I am free!
VINTIMILLE. Your duty and your liberty won't feed you. I refuse to argue. Hurry up, now; money is always good, no matter how one gets it. Don't stand there like that; you know you want it. I know you'll end by taking it. I suppose you want more, eh? How much do you want, free man?
THE MAN[who has several times been on the point of taking the money, jumps uponVINTIMILLE.HULINpulls him away]. Let me go, Hulin! Let me go!
HULIN. Stop it!
THE MAN. I've got to kill him!
VINTIMILLE. What's this!
THE MAN[held back byHULIN,says toVINTIMILLE]. Get out! Why did you come here, anyway? I was happy, I didn't realize how poor I was. I was free, master of everything. You remind me that I'm hungry, that I haven't a thing, that I don't belong to myself, that a filthy scoundrel can be my master by means of a little money that makes a slave of me because I need it. You've spoiled all my happiness. Get out!
VINTIMILLE. What a to-do for so little! Who gives a damn about your scruples? I'm not asking anything of you. Take it!
THE MAN. I'd rather starve.—You give it to me, Hulin. [VINTIMILLEgives the money toHULIN,who drops his hand. The money falls to the ground, andTHE MANpicks it up.]
HULIN. Where are you going?
THE MAN. Get drunk—and forget.
VINTIMILLE. Forget what?
THE MAN. That I'm not free. Dirty scoundrel! [He goes out.]
VINTIMILLE. The pest! There's nothing quite so bad as a rascal like that who develops his self-respect, and is without means to preserve it. Good evening, my boy, and thank you.
HULIN. Thank you. I didn't mention your name, because you'd never have escaped alive. It would have been disloyal of me, and I am an honest man. Anyway, I dislike violence, and I don't believe in revolution. But I am not one of you, and I don't care to bring harm to my comrades. What are you doing here?
VINTIMILLE. You are inquisitive!
HULIN. I beg your pardon, but you are playing with death. Do you realize how people hate you?
VINTIMILLE. I have just been to see my mistress. Shall I change my habits for the sake of two or three madmen?
HULIN. There are more than you imagine.
VINTIMILLE. So much the better. The more numerous and insolent they are, the better, say I.
HULIN. Better for whom?
VINTIMILLE. For us. Our age is rotten with sentimentality. You don't dare do a thing. One dare not give an order for fear of offending this damned liberty of the populace—and shedding a few drops of blood. This effeminacy is the cause of all the disorders of the kingdom. The only cure for so much evil is more evil. A good uprising is what we need. That will be a splendid reason and pretext for putting them in their place. We are ready. We can do it in a day, and we won't be troubled again for a good fifty years with these insane ravings of philosophers and cheap lawyers.
HULIN. So then, a revolution would do that for you? You don't object to the people having a grand butchery? A few crimes, eh?
VINTIMILLE. Why not? Something that will create quite a disturbance.
HULIN. What if they began with you?
VINTIMILLE. The idea!
HULIN. Do you know what I'd like to do this instant?
VINTIMILLE. No.
HULIN. Don't provoke me!
VINTIMILLE. But you wouldn't do anything, my friend. You are an honest man!
HULIN. What do you know about that? I said I was; I was boasting.
VINTIMILLE. No, no, but you are now. Even if you had said nothing, I could have seen it in your face.
HULIN. Is that a reason why I shouldn't inform on you if I like.
VINTIMILLE. Certainly. You must pay for your honesty by sacrifice. What would you think of yourself, Hulin, if you betrayed me? Would you not lose forever that invaluable possession: your self-esteem? It's not so easy as you think to go against your conscience. As you say, you are an honest man. Good-by. [He goes.]
HULIN. He's making game of me. He knows me.—It's true, those villains will always have the better of us honest people, because they're used to giving orders, and we are not. Then why remain honest, if it's all a fraud? Because we can't do otherwise. Well, it's better so. I couldn't breathe if I were as morally rotten and nasty as they are! I know they'll get the better of us. The day is at hand. But it would have been wonderful to win. They're going to crush us! [He shrugs his shoulders.] And—after? [In the distance is heard the joyous voice ofHOCHE,answered by the acclamations of the Crowd. Windows are thrown wide open, and people lean out to see.DESMOULINS,ROBESPIERRE,and their friends come 'forth from the cafe where they have been meeting.]
HOCHE[enters laughing, and shows his comrades the fortifications]. Look at this. What Vauban built it, eh? Fine fellows! I could kiss you all! What work they must have put into it! And why? Against whom? Your friends? The enemy will never come. Don't worry.
THE PEOPLE. Long live the French Guards!
[MARATruns toHOCHE,and bars his way with outstretched arms.]
MARAT. Stop, soldier! Not another step. [The Crowd, astonished, press around them to see.]
DESMOULINS. What's the matter with him? Has he lost his head?
HULIN. Yes, long ago!
MARAT. Surrender your saber! Every one give up his arms!
DESMOULINS. He'll cut himself.
THE FRENCH GUARDS. What's that!—Give up my saber?—I'll give it to you in the belly!
THE PEOPLE. Kill him!
HOCHE. Silence! Let me explain. I know him.—Let me go, friend!
MARAT[standing on the tips of his toes to takeHOCHEby the collar]. Give up your saber!
HOCHE[quietly freeing himself, and taking hold ofMARAT,who squirms]. What are you going to do with it, son?
MARAT. Keep you from thrusting it into the heart of Liberty.
HOCHE. Do you suspect those who have come to shed their blood for the people?
MARAT. Who guarantees your loyalty? Why should we have confidence in unknown soldiers?
THE FRENCH GUARDS. Break his head, Hoche! [HOCHEquiets them with a gesture, looks smilingly atMARAT,and releases him.] He is right. Why have confidence in us? He has never seen us at work. [MARAT,with not a word to say, suddenly assumes an attitude of silent impassiveness.] Good Lord, it is hard to let yourself be accused when you're risking death for those birds!
HOCHE. Why, he doesn't know us. That makes no difference. [Good-naturedly.] But you're mistaken. Marat, you have done well to take such precautions for the people. [To the People.] We'll understand each other in a moment. A glance will prove that we are all good fellows, and believe in one another. But he is wise and has given us a lesson in prudence: this is war-time, and you have the right to demand an account from every one. No one can be excepted.
THE PEOPLE. We know you, Hoche, you're a friend!
HOCHE. Be careful with your friends. [Smiling]. That doesn't refer to me. Your uncertain position does not make many friends for you, and what few you have, are not dangerous. But when you become powerful, you will see them flock to you; then you must keep your eyes open.
THE FRENCH GUARDS. That's good advice.—Be prudent, that's right! Trust no one!
HOCHE[laughing]. When two eyes please me, I ask nothing more. But I'm a fool, and that's my affair. You have to save the world. Don't imitate me. We are only a few hundred French Guards. Our officers, who know our sympathies for the people, tried to send us to Saint-Denis, away from you. But we left our barracks and now we offer our sabers to you. In order to reassure Marat, divide yourselves into groups of ten or twenty; then each group takes its place in a people's battalion. Then you will be our masters, and we can lead you and train you. Will you come with me, Marat? We can each learn something from the other. You'll see that there are still brave men; and perhaps you will teach me to hunt down traitors—though I think your labor will be lost. [MARAT,whose eyes have been glued onHOCHE,goes to him and offers his hand.]