beautiful friend

Chapter 13

Mr. Walter therefore appreciates him very much, but at the same time, he still hopes to find another person to be in charge of the work of the social news column.According to him, the social news column is the essence of the entire newspaper.Through it, people can publish news, spread rumors, and exert influence on public opinion and financial conditions.Moreover, the society column must be good at delivering news quietly, by hint rather than by word, when it reports on society dinners.The news in the social column must insinuate, allowing readers to speculate freely; while deliberately using rumors to convince the public of the rumors, while evasively affirming them, the facts are no longer credible.In addition, the social news column must meet the taste of the public, so that every reader can read at least one piece of news they are interested in every day.In this way, the editor must take into account everyone and everything, including all classes and professions, including Paris, the provinces, soldiers, painters, churchmen, students, judges, and even prostitutes.

The person in charge of the social news column and directing the field reporters must have a clear mind, be vigilant at all times, be calm, foresight, adaptable, scheming, and have a keen sense of smell to distinguish the truth of the news at a glance. False, know what to say, what not to say, what news will affect the public, and how to make news reports achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Although Boilena has been in the industry for many years, he is still not sophisticated enough and lacks skills, especially unable to guess the mind of his boss Walter.

Duroy, by contrast, knew this; so his tenure greatly bolstered the editorial ranks of a paper that Nobel de Wallen called "navigating the reefs of state finances and politics."

However, the "real editors" of the "Le Vie de France", that is, the manipulators behind the scenes, are several deputies who have speculated with Walter.In the House of Representatives they were known as the "Walter Gang".These congressmen made a lot of money by partnering with Walter or relying on him, making other colleagues envious.

Forestier, the political editor, is nothing more than the puppet of these industrialists and the executor of the 'will'.Every time he encounters important news, he must write according to their instructions.Moreover, he often took articles home to write, saying that the home was relatively quiet.

In order to make "French Life" have a literary color and Parisian characteristics, the newspaper also invited two well-known writers with different styles, one is Jacques Rival, who is in charge of the current affairs column; the other is the poet Nobel de Wa Lun is in charge of the story column. According to Xinchao, he is also the person in charge of serialized novels.

In addition, the newspaper hired several art, painting, music and drama critics at low salaries, as well as an editor in charge of criminal cases and an editor in charge of the horse racing column, among a large number of literati struggling to make ends meet.In addition, there are two high-class ladies, under the pseudonyms of "Lady in Red" and "Mrs. Plain Hands", they keep sending some articles to the newspaper, introducing anecdotes about high society, discussing fashion, etiquette, elegant life and Philosophy of life, or to reveal the secrets of some famous ladies.

The "French Life", which is "traveling on the reef of national funds and politics", is supported by the above-mentioned parties.

While Duroy was basking in the joy of being appointed editor-in-chief of a social news column, he received a beautifully crafted invitation.It read: "Mr. Walter and Mrs. Walter sincerely invite Mr. Georges Duroy to come to the humble house on the evening of Thursday, No. 20 in January, and share a dinner."

Duroy was overjoyed by the boss's two favors.He kissed and kissed the invitation as if he saw a love letter.Then he decided to seek out Nar to talk about the important issue of funding.

As the editor-in-chief of a social news column, you can usually control a special budget to pay the salaries of field reporters and their manuscript fees. Regardless of whether the article is good or bad, the manuscript fee will be paid as it is, just like a fruit farmer delivering fruit to the store.

At first Duroy had at his disposal twelve hundred francs a month.Still, he felt he could deduct some of that.

After Duroy's repeated requests, the cashier of the finance department finally agreed to advance four hundred francs.After getting the money, the first thought that flashed in Duroy's mind was to pay off the 280 francs owed by Mrs. de Marais, but then he thought, in this way, there are only [-] francs left on hand. This amount of money is obviously difficult to maintain the operation of the column.Therefore, he decided to postpone the repayment of the money.

For the next two days, Duroy was busy setting up the office.In the editorial office of the social news column used by the entire staff, Duroy has a dedicated desk and several wooden boxes for storing letters.He and the aging but still conscientious Boirene occupy the opposite ends of the office.

A long desk in the center of the room for journalists in the field.However, journalists usually use it as a bench and sit on it when they come back, sometimes with their legs dangling from the edge of the table, and sometimes sitting cross-legged in the middle of the table.Most of the time, five or six reporters squatted on the table at the same time and played catch with great interest, just like a Chinese porcelain doll.

Gradually, Duroy also became interested in this kind of game; and under the guidance of Saint-Botin, the technique became more and more proficient.

During this time, Forestier's health went from bad to worse.Since the Antilles high-quality wooden ball he bought last time seemed a little weak to play with, he had to transfer it to Duroy.The young editor-in-chief of social news is full of energy. Whenever he has free time, he throws the wooden ball at the end of the rope and counts softly: "One, two, three, four, five, six...On the day I went to Mrs. Walter's house for a banquet, Du Lowa picked up twenty times for the first time. He thought: "Today must be my lucky day. "Because in the offices of Le Vital, whoever is good at the game of catch gets the upper hand.

In order to make time for a good grooming, Duroy left the newspaper office early.When he was walking in London Street, he suddenly saw in front of him a short woman who looked like Madame de Marais walking hurriedly.Duroy suddenly felt his cheeks burning hot and his heart pounding.So he crossed the road, trying to see her from the side; unexpectedly, the other party also stopped, preparing to cross the road.Only then did Duroy realize that he had identified the wrong person, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Duroy often asked himself: What should he do if he met Madame de Marais unexpectedly one day?Say hello as if nothing happened, or pretend you didn't see it?

"I shall not meet her," he thought.

The weather was very cold, the ditch on the roadside was covered with a thick layer of ice, and the sidewalk looked gray under the illumination of the street lamps, losing its former vitality.

Back home, Duroy thought: "It's time to move now. I can't live in this kind of house anymore." At this moment, he was excited and excited, wishing he could run around on the roof to vent his heart joy.Walking back and forth between the bed and the window, he exclaimed, "Good luck, good luck! I should write a letter to my father."

Duroy often wrote to his father.His parents opened a tavern on a mountain path, on a steep hill overlooking Rouen and the vast Seine valley.Every time, Duroy's letter brought endless joy to the tavern.

Duroy also received frequent letters from his father.The address on the blue envelope, written in my father's trembling hand, always began: "Dear son, everything is fine with your mother and me. Nothing new is happening here. But I want to tell you..."

Duroy kept thinking about what was going on in the small town, how the neighbors were doing, and how the crops were getting.

As Duroy tied his white tie in front of the mirror, he repeated: "I will write to my father tomorrow. If his old man can see that I am a guest in such a luxurious mansion tonight, he will be surprised! I am ashamed to say, He has never tasted such a dinner in his life." Thinking of this, he suddenly saw the dark kitchen behind the lobby of his tavern and the row of yellow-glowing iron pans on the wall.A cat crouched by the fireplace with its head toward the fire, looking like the legendary fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion and the body of a goat.Due to the years of immersion in the soup, the wooden table has a layer of oily sheen.In the center of the table was a pot of steaming soup; between the two plates was a lit candle.Duroy seemed to see two country old men with handicapped hands and feet, drinking thick soup with small sips.Every wrinkle on their faces, every movement, Duroy still remembers vividly; even the conversation they had when they had dinner face to face every night, he could guess clearly.

Duroy thought to himself: "I should go and see them sometime." At this time, he had taken care of himself, so he blew out the candle and went downstairs.

Walking on the road around the city, from time to time, prostitutes stepped forward to hold his arm and strike up a conversation with him.Duroy pulled out his arm and said with disdain: "Go away!" As if their actions had insulted him... Who did they take him for?Can't these sluts even tell what kind of guy he is?Dressed in a black suit and about to go to a rich, prestigious, and prominent family dinner, he felt as if he had become another person, a real high-society gentleman.

Coming to Walter's house again, Duroy looked calm and confident.A few tall candlesticks illuminated the vestibule like daylight.Duroy handed over his stick and coat to the two servants who came up, his movements were very natural.

All the living rooms are brightly lit.Mrs. Walter was receiving her guests in the second and largest drawing-room.She welcomed Duroy with a charming smile.Afterwards, Duroy shook hands with the first two guests, Mr. Ferman and Mr. La Roche-Mathieu; both of them are members of the House of Representatives and the 'behind the scenes editor' of "French Life".Mr. La Roche-Mathieu is very influential in the House of Representatives and has a pivotal position in the newspaper. It is believed that he will definitely be a minister in the future.

Soon, the Forestiers arrived.Madame Forestier was radiant in a red dress.Duroy was surprised to find that she had a very close relationship with the two congressmen. As soon as she came in, she chatted with Mr. La Roche-Mathieu in a low voice by the fireplace for four or five minutes.Forestier looked tired and had lost a lot of weight in the past month; coughing incessantly, he said:
"It seems that I must make up my mind to spend the winter in the south."

Then came Nobel de Valen and Jacques Rival.Not long after, a door at the end of the living room opened.Walter walked in with two tall, sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls on his arm.One of them had a pretty face, the other was ugly.

Although Duroy knew that his boss, Walter, was a father, he was still a little surprised.You know, he had never thought about the boss's two daughters before, because for him, they were like a distant country, out of reach.Moreover, he always thought that they were still young, but he did not expect that they were already adults.Unprepared, he was inevitably a little overwhelmed.

After some introductions, the two girls shook hands with Duroy respectively; then, sitting down at a small table apparently reserved for them, they began to fiddle with a large pile of bobbins in a wicker basket.

Since there were still a few guests who hadn't arrived, everyone could only wait silently.There was silence in the room, with the restrained air that often precedes a dinner party.It is difficult to find a common ideological atmosphere for the guests who have been tired all day in different positions.

Duroy raised his head boredly, and looked towards the wall inadvertently.Mr. Walter standing in the distance saw this and said loudly: "Are you looking at these paintings of mine?" He said the word "my" very emphatically, as if he wanted to show off his wealth. "Let me introduce you." He held up a lamp so that the guests could see it more clearly.

"These are landscape paintings," he said.

In the center of the wall, there are three oil paintings from top to bottom: Chiemé's "Normandy Beach on the Eve of the Storm", Alpini's "Forest" and Chiemé's "Algerian Plain".In the last oil painting, a tall and long-legged camel stood on the horizon, which looked like a strange monument from a distance.

Walter walked to the next wall, and said solemnly as if presiding over a ceremony: "These are masterpieces." There were four oil paintings hanging on the wall: Gervaux's "Hospital Visit", Bastian Le Bager's "The Harvest Woman", Bouguereau's "The Widow" and Jean-Paul Laurent's "Execution".The last painting shows a Vendée priest leaning against the church wall as a group of soldiers in blue uniforms hold their guns to execute him.

When introducing the next oil paintings, Walter showed a smile on his solemn face: "These are works of the imagination." What catches people's eyes is a painting called "Upper and Lower" by Jean Bello: On a moving double-decker tram, a beautiful Parisian girl is walking up the stairs, her head has already appeared on the upper floor, when the man sitting there sees this young and beautiful face, All of them showed a lustful look; while the men standing on the lower floor stared at the young woman's thighs, salivating but also helpless.

Mr. Walter held the lamp up high, and with a sensual smile, said incessantly:

"How is it? Interesting?"

Then, he began to introduce the next painting: Lambert's "Rescue".

A kitten was squatting in the middle of a cleared table, watching with surprise and bewilderment a fly dropped into a glass of water.The kitten stretched out a paw, as if it wanted to pick it up; but it was a little hesitant.Will it save the fly?
Next, Walter introduced Detai's "Lessons": a soldier in the barracks was teaching a poodle to play drums.Walter pointed to the painting and said: "Look, how ingeniously it is conceived!"

Duroy smiled and was full of admiration:
"Good, good! No..."

Suddenly, he stopped talking, because behind him came the voice of Madame de Marais, who had just entered the room.

Holding the lamp, Walter continued to introduce his oil paintings to the guests.

Presented in front of everyone is Maurice Leroy's watercolor painting "Obstacle": two street people stand in the middle of the road and wrestle. The two are very big, just like the legendary Hercules.At this time, a sedan chair just passed by here and was blocked.A woman's delicate face protruded from the sedan chair, and she watched the two people fighting intently, neither anxious nor frightened, but admiring with great interest.

Mr. Walter said: "I still have some paintings hanging in other living rooms, but they are all works of unknown people; compared with these paintings, it is simply incomparable. Therefore, this is my treasure showroom. At present, I am acquiring The works of some young painters. I will put away their paintings first, and then show them after they become famous." Speaking of this, he suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Now is a good time to acquire, and those painters are often hungry. Hungry, penniless..."

But Duroy could neither hear nor see anything, for Madame de Marais was standing behind him.What should he do?If he greeted her in the past, would she ignore him or simply scold him?What will people think if you don't say hello?
Duroy thought to himself: "Let's wait and see what happens." For this reason, he felt distraught and didn't know what to do. He even wanted to pretend that he was ill and leave.

By this time, Walter had finished introducing all the paintings; he put down the lamp, and exchanged a few words with the last female guest.Duroy stood alone in front of the oil paintings, thinking about them non-stop, as if they couldn't get enough of them.

In fact, at this moment, he was disturbed in his heart.What should we do?He could hear the conversation in the hall clearly.At this moment, Madame Forestier called out: "Monsieur Duroy!" and Duroy immediately ran over.It turned out that Mrs. Forestier wanted to introduce a girlfriend to him.The lady was about to give a party and wanted to have an article in the political column of La Vie Française.

Duroy replied in a panic: "No problem, ma'am, no problem..."

At this time, Madame de Marais had quietly come to him, so he dared not leave immediately.

But in an instant he was ecstatic; for he heard Madame de Marais exclaiming:
"Hello, pretty friend, don't you know me?"

Duroy turned immediately, and saw Madame de Marelle standing before him smiling, full of affection and joy, and holding out a hand to Duroy.

Duroy held her hand tremblingly, still feeling a little uneasy, afraid that she was being hypocritical and deliberately teasing him.However, Mrs. de Marais still said calmly: "How are you doing recently? Why don't you always see you?"

Du Luowa, who was not completely calm, said falteringly:

"I've been really busy lately, ma'am. Mr. Walter has arranged a new job for me, and I've been very busy all day long."

"I know that, but you can't forget your friends because you are busy." Madame de Marais said, looking at him intently, with nothing but kindness in her eyes.

At this time, a fat woman walked in.Duroy and Madame de Marais immediately ended their conversation and went away.The lady who came in just now was bare-chested and backless, her face and arms were red, her clothes and headgear were very elegant; she walked with heavy steps, and one could tell that her legs must be thick and strong.

Seeing that everyone was respectful to her, Duroy asked Madame Forestier:

"who is she?"

"The Viscountess de Persmeau, that is, the 'Madame with the White Hands'."

Duroy was so surprised that he almost laughed out loud: "What? 'Madam Sushou'? I thought she was a young and beautiful lady like you! 'Madam Sushou'? That's what she looks like! It's really interesting , it's really interesting!"

At this time, a servant appeared at the door and reported loudly:
"Ma'am, dinner is ready."

(End of this chapter)