Castle to Castle (46 page)

"Sulphur ointment! A jar! . . . you'll take it?"

"Oh, certainly! Oh, many thanks!"

"And a little coffee . . . you'll take it?"

Would I take it! . . . he shows me a small bag . . .

"Oh yes, thank you!"

He's spoiling us . . .

"Discretion! . . . secrecy, you understand?"

"The tomb . . . the tomb, colleague!"

He opens the door . . . a word to the sergeant . . . the men all come to attention! Assembly! They go down . . . Kraut colleague Traub goes last! they all leave! . . . what had they come for? . . . I never really found out . . . to arrest me? . . . maybe not . . . one thing anyway, Traub came back to see me . . . I kept him on noodles and water for seven months . . . and then he stopped coming . . . I never heard from him again! . . . there must have been some reason for all that! . . . I never found out! . . . but I made the best of it . . . a day is a day! . . . one day is a big thing sometimes . . . and we had some coffee . . . oh, not very much . . . and some sulphur ointment . . . not very much of that either . . .

Two . . . three days more . . . oh, not quiet days! . . . more and more people in the streets . . . by road and by train . . . they kept coming! from Strasbourg and the North . . . from the East and the Baltic countries . . . not just for Pétain! . . . to get through to Switzerland . . . but they stayed right there, camping as best they could . . . piling up in doorways and hallways . . . all kinds! . . . men, women, children . . . soldiers on the run, every branch of service . . . you can imagine if Corpechot was recruiting! he promises them everything, signs them up, slips on an armband! . . . and he's got one more sailor! . . . for what boat? what flotilla? we'll see! . . . Lots of activity in the sky! . . . Mosquitoes and Marauders come! and dive! and go! . . . they could make hash out of us any time they wanted! one little bomb! . . . no, they only seem to be taking pictures . . . "have your picture taken in front, profile and hind view by the R.A.F.!" . . . they had nothing to worry about! . . . not a single Kraut plane in the air! . . . or on the ground! . . . never . . . or the slightest sign of A.A.! . . . their whole Defense was hot air! Goering's paunch! all they're good for is making our life impossible! the whole lot of them! . . . as I was saying—two, three more days . . . and three nights . . . shaking, quaking nights! propellers, more propellers! passing, passing again! whole fleets of "Fortresses!" . . . enough to pulverize the whole country as far as Ulm . . . they graze . . . they knock a roof off . . . two roofs . . . that's all . . . tiles! I guess we weren't worth a bomb . . . Somebody's coming . . .
knock knock!
. . . it's Marion! . . . he's come to see us . . . I remark on the ruckus in the sky . . . he hasn't forgotten us, he's brought us his rolls and some scraps for Bébert . . . we laugh about the state of affairs, how idiotic it's all getting! the stupidity of our waiting around like this! what are we waiting for? . . . and I ask him what's going on at the Castle . . . he gives me the news . . . Brinon won't see anybody any more . . . or Gabold . . . or Rochas either . . . they're putting on airs! . . . they weren't that way a year ago . . . here as always, the airs come too late! like "visions of the future" . . . always too late! . . .
we are always dam' wise after the event!
(talking about England, I might as well trot out my Berlitz) . . . .we talk about the ministers' table . . . Bridoux takes everybody's helping, it seems the others aren't eating any more, or hardly, except Nero, who's still eating well . . . very well! . . . Nero's a kind of Juanovici who's always trailing around after Laval . . . working up his "business," so it seems . . . gossip . . . but Marion does tell me one thing . . . I expected it . . . no, I didn't expect it! . . . Bichelonne is dead . . . died up there at Gebhardt's in Hohenlychen . . . during the operation . . . well, there's nothing to say! . . . he'd wanted to go . . . of course he could have waited "till he got back" like everybody else! . . . perfectly well! . . . they haven't announced his death yet . . . they'll announce it later . . . those are the orders . . . "don't offend the Germans" . . . okay . .

"It seems you have some cyanide, old man?"

Laval has told him . . . must have! . . . probably Bichelonne too before leaving? . . . it's no crime . . . but now they'd all be asking me . . . and I had only two phials left . . . damn!

Now he suggests that instead of staying in our room we go down to the pastry shop, he wants to introduce me to somebody . . . sure! . . . I don't think much of that pastry shop, but I can't say no to Marion . . . we go down, myself, Lili, Bébert . . . To tell the truth . . . no hysteria! . . . we expected the whole place to explode from one minute to the next . . . or go up in smoke! phosphorus or shrapnel! . . . nothing left . . . The Kleindienst pastry shop was right next door . . . this Kleindienst was the doctor's sister . . . you know . . . Dr. Kleindienst, the one who refused me everything . . . the pastry sister didn't refuse, but she hadn't much to offer
. . . that awful ersatz . . . petit-fours that break your teeth . . . toasted coconut and manioc . . . cookies for crocodiles! to drink,
ersatz
coffee, crushed clover . . . if it were even chicory! . . . well, you don't go there for the pastry, but to sit down . . . not very comfortably, but anyway . . . and there are plenty of people! . . . When the crowd is finished looking at the dead and dying at the P.P.F., both showcases . . . and the Castle . . . the flag being raised! the flagpole, the
Milice!
. . . there's nothing left but the Kleindienst . . . to flop down, ten or fifteen to a little yellow table . . . flopped in a ring like that, they look like a wreath around the table . . . what's Marion brought us here for? . . . we were just as comfortable in our room . . . I don't care for this place at all . . . I see enough people . . . Marion isn't crazy, he must have a good reason . . . he tells me why on the stairs . . . he wants me to meet Restif . . . Horace Restif . . . Restif calls himself Palmalade . . . I think . . . or something else . . . they all have these monickers . . . I don't know Restif . . . or his men . . . Marion sees them, he gives them lectures on History and Philosophy . . . Restif and his men are off by themselves in a farmhouse . . . nobody goes to see them . . . they live in isolation . . . a special "team". . . in charge, so it seems, of the great Z-Day executions . . . the minute we get back to France . . . the great "purge". . . the final accounting! . . . the 'Triumph of the Pure," canton by canton! . . . all the people who sold out to England, America, Russia! . . . you can imagine the lists! . . . the "enemies of Europe!". . . grist for the mill and meat for the chopper! They'd counted a hundred and fifty thousand traitors! all to be liquidated in three months! . . . the hounds of London . . . and Brazzaville . . . and Moscow! . . . Then there would be a new Europe! absolutely brand new! a happy, thrice-happy continent! . . . with one tiling and another Restif had proved his mettle! that's what counted! he could give lessons . . . in "special techniques"! . , . he'd been an "activist" in several parties . . . and several police forces . . . he was given credit for Navachine
°
in the Bois de Boulogne . . . the Roselli brothers° in the Métro . . . and plenty more! . . . his own . . . very special technique . . . the carotids! . . . a little trick . . . his man went down! quick from behind . . . with a big razor!
fsst!
not a peep! both carotids! . . . two streams of blood! and that was it! . . . fast and deep! one stroke! clean work! that's what he taught them!
fsst!
. . . both carotids! the modern coup du
Père François!
. . .

His team was separate . . . they lived by themselves, they didn't mix much . . . when two members met in town, they saluted and bounced to attention! . . . one shouted:
Ideal!
and the other came back with
Serv 'em hot!
. . . at their farm they were always training . . . on pigs, or sheep . . . if they didn't come to town much, it was because they didn't care to be seen . . . the one thing they really went for was lectures . . . and not on spicy subjects, the cavortings of the vamps . . . oh, no! real History! real Philosophy! Marion had the enthusiasm, the gift, the extensive culture . . . he was highly esteemed on the Restif farm . . . never a word about the famous "technique"! never a word . . .

Nothing but Philosophy and Mystique and "selected readings . . ." very attentive audiences, never an interruption! the students raise hell in their classrooms at the Collège de France or the Lycée Louis le Grand . . . that's for virgins! . . . virgins young and old . . . carotid specialists are dignified . . . especially Restif's men . . . Restif himself never opened his mouth! he sat in the first row and listened . . . he admired Marion . . . he whispered in his ear . . . he personally didn't care about being admired . . . not in the least! . . . he thought his little trick was practical and expeditious! . . . no more, no less . . . same as I think my style is practical and expeditious! no more, no less! . . . and you can't tell me different! it is simple and expeditious! . . . but nothing more! . . . I don't blow it up into a mountain! if I had something to live on, if I weren't driven, I'd keep it to myself! . . . that's right! . . . I don't care about being admired! . . . I haven't got the temperament of a star! or a starlet! Restif thought his system, his "Père François, special" was superior to any other! . . . but he wasn't stuck up about it! . . . superior to the guillotine; no more, no less! . . . if you mentioned the Rosellis or Navachine to him, he blushed and went away . . . it was you he wanted to listen to . . . your stories, your own story! he and Marion got along fine . . .

So, as I was telling you, we were at the Kleindienst . . . Lili, Bébert, Marion and me . . .
ersatz
pastry . . . at the next table the party "hopefuls". . . the ardent elites of the P.P.F. and the R.N.P., Bucard . . . they were really sounding off! the whole pastry shop could hear them! the total reshaping of Europe! . . . the things they were going to do . . . when they got back! . . . when they got back! the great Purge! . . . France was going to see something! The Message of France! . . . staggering reforms! revolution? you can say that again! . . . Pétain? . . . a disastrous cacochymic paranoiac! . . . throw him out! throw him out! . . . maybe they'd take Bucard, the "hero of the infantry" . . . maybe! . . . or Damand, another "hero of the infantry" . . . maybe! . . . but only as second to Déat! . . . no more! Déat was their man! . . . he had this! . . . he had that! really the only valid idol! a giant of political thought! Doriot? a demagogue and crypto-Commie! . . . cross him off! he'd turn Commie again! . . . couldn't help it! . . . Laval, naturally, was through, he'd been too stupid too long! he'd go back to his Cheteldon! . . . Brinon? Brinon? ditto! . . . a jockey! . . . a jockey and a Jew! . . . no question! . . . and whom would they take on the other side? De Gaulle? . . . ha ha! thinks he's Napoleon! the cadet's dream! . . . cop, lousy provocateur! . . . couldn't hold a candle to Clemenceau! seemed to take pride in his height! and Maginot? even taller! cross off de Gaulle! . . . whose real name was van de Walle! . . . a foreigner, de Gaulle van de Walle! they knew everything at those little tables! and a passion, a warmth that I've never seen since . . . a style, a national fervor . . . a kind of spirit! . . . it's gone! . . . it was only after the Purge that the Defeat became really evident . . . the total Collapse . . . the new myth . . . Bullshit is king . . . the beards are gone too, that Athenian-sheik cut . . . effervescent political youth . . . budding deputies . . . sure they talked a lot of hot air! . . . but what do we see around us now? . . . hordes of natives ashamed to be themselves . . . and still more nauseating "sub-sub-whites! . . . Eurasians, Euroabdullas, 'Eur'" everything under the sun . . . as long as they can get themselves accepted as somebody's toadies! . . .' and drink! . . . and get themselves taken into a herd! degraded, putrid, washed up! . . . disappear under somebody else's skin! . . . not theirs! oh, not theirs! . . . so naturally they get kicked! and kicked some more!

I don't see the sheiks anywhere nowadays . . . any more than you'll see Louis XVI again on the Place de la Concorde . . . The Chinese won't go looking for the emplacement of the guillotine . . .

Let's get back to my pastry shop . . . Restif was there with us, attentive, discreet . . . there was nothing special about him . . . I've known a lot of assassins, I've seen them close up, very close . . . in the place where the bluff falls off, in prison . . . no phony bigmouths . . . the real article, third . . . tenth offenders . . . they had something if you watched them closely day and night . . . in the big house . . . there was something funny about them . . . but Restif, not at all! . . . not the slightest tic . . . but even so! even so! later . . . I saw him flip his wig . . . I'll tell you about it . . . an attack! a real wild beast! but there, talking to us at the Kleindienst, absolutely dignified and normal . . . the others, at the next table, the "hopes" . . . they weren't at all dignified, really effervescent! scandalous! the clash of the "programs"! their reshaping of Europe! . . . what should . . . and shouldn't be done! ferocious sectarians! neo-Bucards! . . . neo P.P.F! . . . neo-Commies! neo-everything! the new men, the superforce that all France was waiting for! . . . the élite of Siegmaringen! their first duty: the pure! inflexible! Fourth Republic! the whole world should sit up and take notice! the Intransigent Fourth Republic! . . . and they'd all appointed themselves ministers! right then and there! they were already in Versailles! proclamation in Versailles! Hitler gets hanged, that goes without saying! and his Goering with him, the enormous porcine traitor who'd sold the sky to the English! . . . all you had to do was look up! . . . Goebbels? impaled! that criminal Quasimodo! he wouldn't tell any more lies! Those were the real fanatics, the gilt-edged malcontents, who had really cruel reasons, ready to sign up! . . . beards, ferocious vocabularies . . . who really had something to complain about! . . . all of them with Article 75 on their ass! . . . you can't do anything serious except with people who are starving . . . take the Chinese! . . . three weeks in Touraine, I'll give them back to you, I'll pick them up with a spoon . . . they'll all be getting complexes . . . the indomitable Chinese! "Should I take Gide standing? . . . or his grandmother lying down?" Marion had had his reasons for taking us down to the Kleindienst . . . Restif couldn't very well show himself in the
Löwen
. . .. there were already enough jokers coming to see me . . . supposedly to consult me . . . and Room 36? . . . and the Raumnitzes right on top of us? Yes, it was better like this . . . We talk about this and that . . . and then all of a sudden: cyanide! I might have expected it! . . . Laval must have blabbed . . . Bichelonne too probably . . . by this time everybody must know, all Siegmaringen . . . that I had tons of it . . . everybody would come around asking! ah, and another piece of news! . . . from the Castle, too! . . . that Laval had appointed me Governor! they didn't know exactly of what . . . but somewhere! which reminded me . . . I had no proof . . . with Bichelonne dead I had no witness . . . Laval could deny it . . . I wouldn't put it past him . . . we laugh . . . even Restif, not easily amused, finds me amusing as Governor . . . I explain: Governor of the Islands! . . .