第78章

"If it were not,how could you make it tell against Nathan's book?"asked Lousteau."That is the first manner of demolishing a book,my boy;it is the pickaxe style of criticism.But there are plenty of other ways.Your education will complete itself in time.When you are absolutely obliged to speak of a man whom you do not like,for proprietors and editors are sometimes under compulsion,you bring out a neutral special article.You put the title of the book at the head of it,and begin with general remarks,on the Greeks and the Romans if you like,and wind up with--'and this brings us to Mr.So-and-so's book,which will form the subject of a second article.'The second article never appears,and in this way you snuff out the book between two promises.But in this case you are writing down,not Nathan,but Dauriat;he needs the pickaxe style.If the book is really good,the pickaxe does no harm;but it goes to the core of it if it is bad.In the first case,no one but the publisher is any the worse;in the second,you do the public a service.Both methods,moreover,are equally serviceable in political criticism."Etienne Lousteau's cruel lesson opened up possibilities for Lucien's imagination.He understood this craft to admiration.

"Let us go to the office,"said Lousteau;"we shall find our friends there,and we will agree among ourselves to charge at Nathan;they will laugh,you will see."Arrived in the Rue Saint-Fiacre,they went up to the room in the roof where the paper was made up,and Lucien was surprised and gratified no less to see the alacrity with which his comrades proceeded to demolish Nathan's book.Hector Merlin took up a piece of paper and wrote a few lines for his own newspaper.--"A second edition of M.Nathan's book is announced.We had intended to keep silence with regard to that work,but its apparent success obliges us to publish an article,not so much upon the book itself as upon certain tendencies of the new school of literature."At the head of the "Facetiae"in the morning's paper,Lousteau inserted the following note:--"M.Dauriat is bringing out a second edition of M.Nathan's book.

Evidently he does not know the legal maxim,Non bis in idem.All honor to rash courage."Lousteau's words had been like a torch for burning;Lucien's hot desire to be revenged on Dauriat took the place of conscience and inspiration.For three days he never left Coralie's room;he sat at work by the fire,waited upon by Berenice;petted,in moments of weariness,by the silent and attentive Coralie;till,at the end of that time,he had made a fair copy of about three columns of criticism,and an astonishingly good piece of work.

It was nine o'clock in the evening when he ran round to the office,found his associates,and read over his work to an attentive audience.

Felicien said not a syllable.He took up the manu,and made off with it pell-mell down the staircase.

"What has come to him?"cried Lucien.

"He has taken your article straight to the printer,"said Hector Merlin."'Tis a masterpiece;not a line to add,nor a word to take out.""There was no need to do more than show you the way,"said Lousteau.

"I should like to see Nathan's face when he reads this to-morrow,"said another contributor,beaming with gentle satisfaction.

"It is as well to have you for a friend,"remarked Hector Merlin.

"Then it will do?"Lucien asked quickly.

"Blondet and Vignon will feel bad,"said Lousteau.

"Here is a short article which I have knocked together for you,"began Lucien;"if it takes,I could write you a series.""Read it over,"said Lousteau,and Lucien read the first of the delightful short papers which made the fortune of the little newspaper;a series of sketches of Paris life,a portrait,a type,an ordinary event,or some of the oddities of the great city.This specimen--"The Man in the Street"--was written in a way that was fresh and original;the thoughts were struck out by the shock of the words,the sounding ring of the adverbs and adjectives caught the reader's ear.The paper was as different from the serious and profound article on Nathan as the Lettres persanes from the Esprit des lois.

"You are a born journalist,"said Lousteau."It shall go in to-morrow.

Do as much of this sort of thing as you like.""Ah,by the by,"said Merlin,"Dauriat is furious about those two bombshells hurled into his magazine.I have just come from him.He was hurling imprecations,and in such a rage with Finot,who told him that he had sold his paper to you.As for me,I took him aside and just said a word in his ear.'The Marguerites will cost you dear,'I told him.'A man of talent comes to you,you turn the cold shoulder on him,and send him into the arms of the newspapers.'""Dauriat will be dumfounded by the article on Nathan,"said Lousteau.

"Do you see now what journalism is,Lucien?Your revenge is beginning to tell.The Baron Chatelet came here this morning for your address.

There was a cutting article upon him in this morning's issue;he is a weakling,that buck of the Empire,and he has lost his head.Have you seen the paper?It is a funny article.Look,'Funeral of the Heron,and the Cuttlefish-bone's lament.'Mme.de Bargeton is called the Cuttlefish-bone now,and no mistake,and Chatelet is known everywhere as Baron Heron."Lucien took up the paper,and could not help laughing at Vernou's extremely clever skit.

"They will capitulate soon,"said Hector Merlin.

Lucien merrily assisted at the manufacture of epigrams and jokes at the end of the paper;and the associates smoked and chatted over the day's adventures,over the foibles of some among their number,or some new bit of personal gossip.From their witty,malicious,bantering talk,Lucien gained a knowledge of the inner life of literature,and of the manners and customs of the craft.