the four horsemen of the apocalypse-第70部分

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rush　and　accept　all　the　explanations　of　the　soulful　delineator。　　For　himself；　he　always　preferred　the　old　masters；　and　in　his　bargains　had　acquired　the　work　of　many　a　dead　artist；　but　the　fact　that　Julio　had　thought　as　his　partner　did　was　now　enough　for　the　devotee　of　the　antique　and　made　him　admit　humbly　all　the　Spaniard's　superior　theories。

The　artist's　laborious　zeal　was　always　of　short　duration。　　After　a　few　moments；　he　always　found　that　he　preferred　to　rest　on　the　divan　and　converse　with　his　guest。

The　first　subject；　of　course；　was　the　absentee。　　They　would　repeat　fragments　of　the　letters　they　had　received；　and　would　speak　of　the　past　with　the　most　discreet　allusions。　　The　painter　described　Julio's　life　before　the　war　as　an　existence　dedicated　completely　to　art。　　The　father　ignored　the　inexactitude　of　such　words；　and　gratefully　accepted　the　lie　as　a　proof　of　friendship。　　Argensola　was　such　a　clever　comrade；　never；　in　his　loftiest　verbal　flights；　making　the　slightest　reference　to　Madame　Laurier。

The　old　gentleman　was　often　thinking　about　her　nowadays；　for　he　had　seen　her　in　the　street　giving　her　arm　to　her　husband；　now　recovered　from　his　wounds。　　The　illustrious　Lacour　had　informed　him　with　great　satisfaction　of　their　reconciliation。　　The　engineer　had　lost　but　one　eye。　　Now　he　was　again　at　the　head　of　his　factory　requisitioned　by　the　government　for　the　manufacture　of　shells。　　He　was　a　Captain；　and　was　wearing　two　decorations　of　honor。　　The　senator　did　not　know　exactly　how　this　unexpected　agreement　had　come　about。　　He　had　one　day　seen　them　coming　home　together；　looking　affectionately　at　each　other；　in　complete　oblivion　of　the　past。

〃Who　remembers　things　that　happened　before　the　war　said　the　politic　sage。　　〃They　and　their　friends　have　completely　forgotten　all　about　their　divorce。　　Nowadays　we　are　all　living　a　new　existence。　。　。　。　　I　believe　that　the　two　are　happier　than　ever　before。〃

Desnoyers　had　had　a　presentiment　of　this　happiness　when　he　saw　them　together。　　And　the　man　of　inflexible　morality　who　was；　the　year　before；　anathematizing　his　son's　behavior　toward　Laurier；　considering　it　the　most　unpardonable　of　his　adventures；　now　felt　a　certain　indignation　in　seeing　Marguerite　devoted　to　her　husband；　and　talking　to　him　with　such　affectionate　interest。　　This　matrimonial　felicity　seemed　to　him　like　the　basest　ingratitude。　　A　woman　who　had　had　such　an　influence　over　the　life　of　Julio！　。　。　。　　Could　she　thus　easily　forget　her　love？　。　。　。

The　two　had　passed　on　as　though　they　did　not　recognize　him。　　Perhaps　Captain　Laurier　did　not　see　very　clearly；　but　she　had　looked　at　him　frankly　and　then　hastily　averted　her　eyes　so　as　to　evade　his　greeting。　。　。　。　　The　old　man　felt　sad　over　such　indifference；　not　on　his　own　account；　but　on　his　son's。　　Poor　Julio！　。　。　。　　The　unbending　parent；　in　complete　mental　immorality；　found　himself　lamenting　this　indifference　as　something　monstrous。

The　war　was　the　other　topic　of　conversation　during　the　afternoons　passed　in　the　studio。　　Argensola　was　not　now　stuffing　his　pockets　with　printed　sheets　as　at　the　beginning　of　hostilities。　　A　serene　and　resigned　calm　had　succeeded　the　excitement　of　those　first　moments　when　the　people　were　daily　looking　for　miraculous　interventions。　　All　the　periodicals　were　saying　about　the　same　thing。　　He　was　content　with　the　official　report；　and　he　had　learned　to　wait　for　that　document　without　impatience；　foreseeing　that　with　but　few　exceptions；　it　would　say　the　same　thing　as　the　day　before。

The　fever　of　the　first　months；　with　its　illusions　and　optimisms；　now　appeared　to　Argensola　somewhat　chimerical。　　Those　not　actually　engaged　in　the　war　were　returning　gradually　to　their　habitual　occupations。　　Life　had　recovered　its　regular　rhythm。　　〃One　must　live！〃　said　the　people；　and　the　struggle　for　existence　filled　their　thoughts　with　its　immediate　urgency。　　Those　whose　relatives　were　in　the　army；　were　still　thinking　of　them；　but　their　occupations　were　so　blunting　the　edge　of　memory；　that　they　were　becoming　accustomed　to　their　absence；　regarding　the　unusual　as　the　normal　condition。　　At　first；　the　war　made　sleep　out　of　the　question；　food　impossible　to　swallow；　and　embittered　every　pleasure　with　its　funereal　pall。　　Now　the　shops　were　slowly　opening；　money　was　in　circulation；　and　people　were　able　to　laugh；　they　talked　of　the　great　calamity；　but　only　at　certain　hours；　as　something　that　was　going　to　be　long；　very　long　and　would　exact　great　resignation　to　its　inevitable　fatalism。

〃Humanity　accustoms　itself　easily　to　trouble；〃　said　Argensola；　〃provided　that　the　trouble　lasts　long　enough。　。　。　。　　In　this　lies　our　strength。〃

Don　Marcelo　was　not　in　sympathy　with　the　general　resignation。　　The　war　was　going　to　be　much　shorter　than　they　were　all　imagining。　　His　enthusiasm　had　settled　on　a　speedy　termination；within　the　next　three　months；　the　next　Spring　probably；　if　peace　were　not　declared　in　the　Spring；　it　surely　would　be　in　the　Summer。

A　new　talker　took　part　in　these　conversations。　　Desnoyers　had　become　acquainted　with　the　Russian　neighbor　of　whom　Argensola　had　so　frequently　spoken。　　Since　this　odd　personage　had　also　known　his　son；　that　was　enough　to　make　Tchernoff　arouse　his　interest。

In　normal　times；　he　would　have　kept　him　at　a　distance。　　The　millionaire　was　a　great　believer　in　law　and　order。　　He　abominated　revolutionists；　with　the　instinctive　fear　of　all　the　rich　who　have　built　up　a　fortune　and　remember　their　humble　beginnings。　Tchernoff's　socialism　and　nationality　brought　vividly　to　his　mind　a　series　of　feverish　imagesbombs；　daggers；　stabbings；　deserved　expiations　on　the　gallows；　and　exile　to　Siberia。　　No；　he　was　not　desirable　as　a　friend。　。　。　。

But　now　Don　Marcelo　was　experiencing　an　abrupt　reversal　of　his　convictions　regarding　alien　ideas。　　He　had　seen　so　much！　。　。　。　　The　revolting　proceedings　of　the　invasion；　the　unscrupulous　methods　of　the　German　chiefs；　the　tranquillity　with　which　their　submarines　were　sinking　boats　filled　with　defenseless　passengers；　the　deeds　of　the　aviators　who　were　hurling　bombs　upon　unguarded　cities；　destroying　women　and　childrenall　this　was　causing　the　events　of　revolutionary　terrorism　which；　years　ago；　used　to　arouse　his　wrath；　to　sink　into　relative　unimportance。

〃And　to　think；〃　he　said　〃that　we　used　to　be　as　infuriated　as　though　the　world　were　coming　to　an　end；　just　because　someone　threw　a　bomb　at　a　grandee！〃

Those　titled　victims　had　had　certain　reprehensible　qualities　which　had　justified　their　execution。　　They　had　died　in　consequence　of　acts　which　they　undertook；　knowing　well　what　the　punishment　would　be。　They　had　brought　retribution　on　themselves　without　trying　to　evade　it；　rarely　taking　any　precautions。　　While　the　terrorists　of　this　war！　。　。　。

With　the　violence　of　his　imperious　character；　the　old　conservative　now　swung　to　the　opposite　extreme。

〃The　true　anarchists　are　yet　on　top；〃　he　said　with　an　ironical　laugh。　　〃Those　who　terrified　us　formerly；　all　put　together；　were　but　a　few　miserable　creatures。　。　。　。　　In　a　few　seconds；　these　of　our　day　kill　more　innocent　people　than　those　others　did　in　thirty　years。〃

The　gentleness　of　Tchernoff；　his　original　ideas；　his　incoherencies　of　thought；　bounding　from　reflection　to　word　without　any　preparation；　finally　won　Don　Marcelo　so　completely　over　that　he　formed　the　habit　of　consulting　him　about　all　his　doubts。　　His　admiration　made　him；　too；　overlook　the　source　of　certain　bottles　with　which　Argensola　sometimes　treated　his　neighbor。　　He　was　delighted　to　have　Tchernoff　consume　these　souvenirs　of　the　time　when　he　was　living　at　swords'　points　with　his　son。

After　sampling　the　wine　from　the　avenue　Victor　Hugo；　the　Russian　would　indulge　in　a　visionary　loquacity　similar　to　that　of　the　night　when　he　evoked　the　fantastic　cavalcade　of　the　four　horsemen　of　the　Apocalypse。

What　his　new　convert　most　admired　was　his　facility　for　making　things　clear；　and　fixing　them　in　the　imagination。　　The　battle　of　the　Marne　with　its　subsequent　combats　and　the　course　of　both　armies　were　events　easily　explained。　。　。　。　　If　the　French　only　had　not　been　so　fatigued　after　their　triumph　of　the　Marne！　。　。　。

〃But　human　powers；〃　continued　Tchernoff；　〃have　their　limits；　and　the　French　soldier；　with　all　his　enthusiasm；　is　a　man　like　the　rest。　　In　the　first　place；　the　most　rapid　of　marches　from　the　East　to　the　North；　in　order　to　resist　the　invasion　of　Belgium；　then　the　combats；　then　the　swift　retreat　that　they　might　not　be　surrounded；　finally　a　seven　days'　battleand　all　this　in　a　period　of　three　weeks；　no　more。　。　。　。　　In　their　moment　of　triumph；　the　victors　lacked　the　legs　to　follow　up　their　advantage；　and　they　lacked　the　cavalry　to　pursue　the　fugitives。　　Their　beasts　were　even　more　exhausted　than　the　men。　When　those　who　were　retreating　found　that　they　were　being　spurred　on　with　lessening　tenacity；　they　had　stretched　themselves；　half…dead　with　fatigue；　on　the　field；　excavating　the　ground　and　forming　a　refuge　for　themselves。　　The　French　also　flung　themselves　down；　scraping　the　soil　together　so　as　not　to　lose　what　they　had　gained。　。　。　。　　And　in　this　way　began　the　war　of　the　trenches。〃

Then　each　line；　with　the　intention　of　wrapping　itself　around　that　of　the　enemy；　had　gone　on　prolonging　itself　toward　the　Northeast；　and　from　these　successive　stretchings　had　resulted　the　double　course　toward　the　seaforming　the　greatest　battle　front　ever　known　to　history。

When　Don　Marcelo　with　optimistic　enthusiasm　announced　the　end　of　the　war　in　the　following　Spring　or　Summerin　four　months　at　the　outsidethe　Russian　shook　his　head。

〃It　will　be　long　。　。　。　very　long。　　It　is　a　new　war；　the　genuine　modern　warfare。　　The　Germans　began　hostilities　in　the　old　way　as　though　they　had　observed　nothing　since　1870a　war　of　involved　movements；　of　battles　in　the　open　field；　the　same　as　Moltke　might　have　planned；　imitating　Napoleon。　　They　were　desirous　of　bringing　it　to　a　speedy　conclusion；　and　were　sure　of　triumph。　　Why　employ　new　methods？　。　。　。　　But　the　encounter　of　the　Marne　twisted　their　plans；　making　them　shift　from　the　aggressive　to　the　defensive。　　They　then　brought　into　service　all　that　the　war　staff　had　learned　in　the　campaigns　of　the　Japanese　and　Russians；　beginning　the　war　of　the　trenches；　the　subterranean　struggle　which　is　the　logical　outcome　of　th