beautiful friend

Chapter 23

La Roche-Mathieu, who is proficient in politics and unscrupulous, is at home in politics.Among his frustrated fellow MPs, he was considered a standout.La Roche pays attention to appearance, dresses well, and likes to get close to others.With these, he has achieved a lot of success in the social world where good and bad people are mixed and villains succeed.

Now everywhere it was said: "La Rocheur is going to be a Minister!" Even La Rocheter himself was as convinced as the others, if not more convinced, that the Ministerial post was his.

La Roche-Mathieu is one of the main shareholders of the old Walter newspaper.The two are both members of the House of Representatives, and they are also doing financial business together in partnership.

Du Roy spared no effort to support La Roche-Mathieu, and vaguely felt that he would get a lot of benefits from this congressman in the future.He wanted to finish what Forestier had not done, because La Roche-Mathieu had promised Forestier that if one day he became a minister, he would award the reporter a Cross of the Legion of Honor.It seems that this medal will soon be worn on the chest of Madeleine's new husband-in-law.

People feel that nothing has changed.Colleagues at the newspaper began to make fun of Du Roy, which annoyed him.

Some simply called him "Forrestier."

On this day, as soon as Du Roy entered the newspaper office, he heard someone calling him: "Hi, Forestier!"

He pretended not to hear, and glanced at the letter shelf to see if there was a letter.Unexpectedly, the man shouted again, this time louder: "Hey, Forestier!" As soon as the voice fell, there were several uncontrollable laughter immediately.

When Du Roy came to the door of the editorial room, the man who called him stopped him and said: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just wanted to call you. For some reason, I keep messing with you and poor Charlie." No wonder, the articles you wrote are so similar that no one can tell them apart."

Du Roy was so angry that he was speechless for a while.A nameless rage rose in his heart, and he hated the dead Forestier.

Everyone was amazed at the uncanny similarity in thought and style between the current head of politics and his predecessor, Forestier.Even the old man Walter said: "Yes, the article does look like it was written by Forestier, but the content is more original and rich, and the writing is more powerful."

Another time, Du Roy accidentally opened a cabinet in the office and found that there was a Bill bag that Forestier had played with before his death.The sticks of these little balls were wrapped with a black cloth, while the sticks I had used were wrapped with a thin pink ribbon.I remember that Saint-Botin led him to play this kind of game for the first time.All the balls are placed on a wooden board in order of size, next to a small card similar to a museum label, which reads: "Collected by Forestier and his colleagues during his lifetime. Now owned by the Forestier family." Du Roy, or SGDG for short. This item is durable and can be used at any time, including travel."

Du Roy forced himself to be calm and closed the cabinet.Then, in a voice that everyone can hear, say out loud that there are a lot of idiots who like to be jealous of others! "

Having said that, Du Roy's self-esteem and vanity were still hit hard.Whether they are journalists or poets, the usual arrogance and vanity of literati always keep them on guard, making them tense, sensitive and irritable.

"Forestier" kept stinging his eardrums.He was afraid of hearing this name, and his face would turn red when he heard it.

Du Roy felt that the name was a great mockery of him; not only a mockery, but an insult.

It seemed to keep reminding him: "You, like your ex, rely on your wife to help you write articles. Without her, you can't do anything."

Du Roy admitted that without Madeleine, Forestier would certainly have achieved nothing.But as for him, just wait and see.

After get off work, Du Roy returned home, still unable to get rid of this trouble.Everything he touched, be it furniture or bric-a-brac, reminded him of the dead Forestier.At first he didn't pay much attention, but the malicious ridicule of his colleagues gradually made him feel uncomfortable.What he didn't care about in the past has now become a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh.

Whenever Du Roy picked up an object, he seemed to see Charlie's hand resting on it.Everything he sees and uses now has been bought, liked, owned and used by Forestier in the past.Even when he thought of the former closeness between this friend and his wife, he became furious.

Du Roy sometimes baffles himself with this reaction.He could not understand it all the time, and often asked himself: "What the hell is going on here? I don't envy Madeleine at all with those friends. I never worry about what she does, whatever she does." She's in and out as she pleases. But why does she get so mad at the thought of that damned Charlie?"

After a while, he changed his mind: "After all, Forestier is an idiot, which made me suffer too. It was really annoying that Madeleine married him in the first place."

He thought over and over again: "Why did that woman fall in love with this beast on impulse?"

In this way, the resentment in Du Roy's heart deepened day by day.Any insignificant incident, the inadvertent mention of Forestier by Madeleine, a servant, or a maid, would make his heart prick like a needle.

Du Roy, who had a sweet tooth, asked Madeleine one evening: "Why don't we have any sweets at all? You never asked your servants to make them."

The young wife smiled and replied: "That's right, I really didn't expect it. Because Charlie didn't like sweets when he was alive..."

Du Roy suddenly became dizzy and interrupted impatiently: "Enough! You know? That Charlie of yours is about to bore me to death. There is a Charlie on the left, and a Charlie on the right. Charlie likes this, Charlie likes that .He is dead丨You may let him rest in peace丨

Madeleine stared at her husband dumbfounded, wondering why he was so angry.However, she was a sensible person after all, and vaguely guessed what was going on.As soon as the dead were mentioned, du Roy's jealousy set in.

Madeleine felt a little ridiculous, and at the same time a little smug.Therefore, she did not say a word.

Du Roy was also unhappy because he didn't hide his emotions well.After dinner, the couple began to prepare the manuscript to be published the next day.Du Roy felt uncomfortable in the foot warmers the deceased had used.He tried to turn it over, but failed.So he simply kicked it away and asked Madeleine with a smile:
"Does Charlie have cold feet?"

His wife replied with a smile: "Yes. He used to be always afraid of catching a cold. He has never been well." Du Roy said almost cruelly: "He has shown it clearly." Then, he kissed Kissing his wife's hand, he said with a playful smile, "Fortunately, I'm different from him."

But when he was sleeping, the same thought still lingered in his mind.Du Roy asked again: "Does Charlie wear a cotton nightcap every day to sleep, so as not to catch a cold?"

Madeleine seemed to be used to this kind of joke, and replied calmly: "No, he only wears a Madras turban."

Du Roy shrugged and said contemptuously:

"What a fool!"

Since then, Charlie's name has often been on his lips.Whenever he talked about Charlie, he would put on a look of pity and say, "Poor Charlie!"

As long as Du Roy heard someone call him "Forrestier" two or three times in the newspaper office, he would use all kinds of vicious words to take revenge on this dead man under the spring.He would triumphantly enumerate Charlie's flaws and grotesques, and exaggerate and exaggerate them, as if in a desperate contest in his wife's mind with the lingering influence of a formidable rival.

Du Roy kept asking: "I said, Madeleine, do you remember that day, that idiot Forestier wanted to prove to everyone that fat people are stronger than thin people?"

Later, du Roy became interested in the privacy of the dead's bed.This made his wife feel uncomfortable and refused to answer any questions.However, Du Roy is still in pursuit:
"Well, tell me now. He must have been funny then?"

Madeleine bit her lip and said:

"Why are you here again? Let him be quiet for a while."

Du Roy still didn't give up: "No, you have to say it! This guy must be stupid in bed."

Every time he finished speaking, he would make a concluding sentence: "Damn idiot!"

One evening at the end of June, Du Roy was standing by the window smoking a cigarette.The summer heat gave him the urge to go for a walk.

So he asked his wife: "My little Madeleine, would you like to take a walk in the Boulogne Gardens?"

"Okay, of course I want to."

So, they called a carriage and passed the Champs-Elysées to the Boulevard Boulogne.That night, the whole city of Paris was like a steam bath.There was no wind around, and the air inhaled into the body seemed to be steam from an oven, extremely hot.The carriage carried couples of lovers, one after another, driving continuously under the shade of the trees.

Du Roy and Madeleine watched with interest the lovers passing by and embracing each other: the men in dark dresses, the women in light-colored dresses.Under the scorching starry sky, couples of lovers flock to Bois de Boulogne like a flood.All the way, there was no sound except the heavy sound of the carriage as it drove across the ground.The couple in the carriage hugged each other and leaned on the cushions, silent.They are confused in the hallucinations intertwined with various desires, eager to get closer.On a hot night, it seems that everywhere is full of passionate kisses between lovers.The desire and passion that pervade people around makes the air heavier and suffocating.These couples, with the same enthusiasm and impulse, sat in the carriage with uncontrollable passion.The carriage full of tenderness is "tick-tick-tick" walking on the road, spreading a strong atmosphere of love between men and women along the way, which makes it hard to hold back.

Affected by this atmosphere, Du Roy and his wife also held each other's hand gently without saying a word.The passion and the dull air around them made them a little breathless.

When the carriage arrived at the corner of the city wall, the two finally hugged each other.Madeleine was a little embarrassed, and said with shame: "Why are we so unscrupulous like the last time we went to Rouen?"

After the traffic flow entered the Boulogne Gardens, it slowly dispersed.On the lakeside path where young people often go, the distance between the front and back of the carriage gradually increased.The shadows of the trees on both sides of the road are whirling, the green branches and leaves above the head and the gurgling water under the feet inject infinite vitality and vitality into the surrounding air.Looking up at the vast sky, full of stars, seems to make people feel much cooler.Being here, the kiss between lovers can't help adding a bit of hazy and mysterious feeling, making it even more intoxicating. Du Roy hugged his wife tightly, and couldn't help himself: "Oh, my little Madeleine!"

Madeleine said to him: "Remember the woods in your hometown? It's scary! It seems that there are floods everywhere, and you can't see the edge. Look here again, how charming. The breeze blows, and the other side of the woods It's Seffler."

Du Roy argued: "How can it be so scary? There are only some deer, foxes, roe deer and wild boars in that forest, and other than that, there are a few wooden houses of the forest rangers."

No sooner had he said "Forester" (pronounced the same as "Forestier") than Du Roy was startled, as if someone had called him in the depths of the woods.He closed his mouth suddenly and stopped speaking.For a long time, strong jealousy and inexplicable anxiety often plagued him, making his life a mess.And now, he tasted this bitter taste again.

After a while, Du Roy asked Madeleine: "Did you go out for a drive at night with Charlie?"

The wife replied, "Yes, often."

Hearing this, Du Roy just wanted to go home immediately.The figure of Forestier resurfaced in his mind, entangled him tightly.No matter what he thinks or says, he always thinks of this dead rival.

Du Roy said maliciously:
"Tell me, Mad."

"What is it, my dear friend?"

"Did you ever cuckold poor Charlie?"

Madeleine said contemptuously: "Why do you always go on like this?"

However, Du Roy still refused to budge.

"I said, little Mad, you'd better confess. Tell me, did you cuckold him? Do you admit it?"

Madeleine was momentarily speechless.Like all women, when she heard the phrase "cuckold", she felt offended, and felt very bad.

Du Roy continued: "Damn it! If anyone in this world has a cuckold, then he must be Forestier. Haha, yes, absolutely right. Forestier has a cuckold! How funny ! This rustic fool!"

Speaking of this, Du Roy felt that Madeleine beside her smiled, as if recalling something from the past.Then he persisted: "Come, tell me. What does it matter? I'd only be amused if you confessed to me that you had cheated him. Come on, and you'll admit it."

At this moment, Du Roy was extremely excited.He hoped that damned Charlie had suffered such a shameful humiliation.However, deep down there was another kind of longing that forced him to eagerly want to know the answer.

Du Roy said anxiously: "Mad, my little Made, please admit it. Isn't this what he deserves? It would be a shame if you didn't treat him like this." Very wrong. Come on, Maddow, you'd better admit it."

Madeleine let out a fit of laughter.Undoubtedly, at this moment, she found Du Roy's insistence really interesting.

Du Roy took the opportunity to stick to his wife's ear and begged, "Say...Say...Admit it."

Madeleine stepped aside abruptly, and said suddenly: "You are stupid. Who would answer such a question?"

Madeleine's tone was strange, and Du Roy couldn't help shivering.For a moment, he was stunned, short of breath, and sat there not knowing what to do, as if he had suffered a heavy blow mentally.

At this time, the carriage was driving slowly along the path by the lake.The surface of the lake is shimmering, as if the stars in the sky have fallen into the lake.In the night, two swans can be vaguely seen swimming slowly.

Du Roy shouted to the coachman: "Go back!" The carriage turned around and started back.Several carriages were slowly driving towards them, and the headlights in front of the carriages were like a pair of eyes shining in the dark woods.

How strange was Madeleine's answer just now!Du Roy was thinking to himself: "Is this a kind of acquiescence?" Du Roy couldn't help being furious with this kind of ambiguous confession.He really wanted to strangle her, pull her hair, and beat her up.

How nice it would be if she could say to him: "My dear, if I had to deceive Forestier before, it was only because of you."He will hug her tightly, kiss her, and treat her well!
But now, Du Roy could only sit quietly with his arms crossed across his chest.His eyes were on the starry sky, and his mind was in turmoil.Like any man who learns of his wife's betrayal, he only felt a growing hatred and anger in his heart.This is the first time he has experienced the complicated feelings of suspecting his wife's infidelity!He is jealous!Also jealous of the dead Forestier!The jealousy was so strange and intense that it quickly transformed into a hatred of Madeleine.How could Du Roy believe that she would preserve her chastity for him, since she could deceive her former husband?

Gradually, Du Roy regained his senses.He suppressed the pain in his heart and thought: "Women are fickle. You only need to enjoy them, and you must not lose yourself for them."

Du Roy wanted very much to vent his soreness, to say something of contempt and disgust to Madeleine; but at last he restrained himself and said nothing.Just thinking the same thing over and over again: "The world belongs to the strong, must be a strong! must be above all else!"

At this time, the carriage ran faster and passed the city wall very quickly.Du Roy saw a red light reflected in the sky in front of him, like a flame in an iron furnace.There was a humming of countless voices in my ears. The deep voice was close and distant, continuous, like the beating sound of Paris and the breath of Paris.Paris on a summer night is like a tired giant.

Du Roy thought to himself: "Why do I have to look for troubles? Everyone lives for themselves, and success will always belong to the fearless. You can't do anything without the word 'selfish'. It is better to be selfish for fame and fortune. Be selfish for women and love!"

At this time, the Arc de Triomphe standing on the star-shaped square of the city gate jumped into view.It is like a gigantic monster with a hideous face, with its huge legs spread out, as if it is going to walk forward along the avenue in front of it.

After entering the city, the carriage in which Du Roy and Madeleine were riding merged into the vast traffic again.These carriages carried countless couples on their way home.The people in the car hugged each other quietly, eager to get home early to share the joy of fish and water.The people who passed by the Du Roys seemed to be in the midst of joy, joy, and happiness.

Madeleine guessed that her husband must have something on his mind, so she asked softly:

"What are you thinking, dear? You have been silent for half an hour."

Du Roy sneered and said, "I'm thinking about these idiots who cuddle and complain. To be honest, I think people must have other things to do in this world."

Madeleine said thoughtfully: "That's right...but it's okay once in a while."

"Well...well...when people have nothing to do."

After stripping off the poetic and picturesque coat of life, Du Roy thought hard in his heart: "These days, I have always been restless, restless, and tortured. Now thinking about it, I am really confused!" At this moment , the presence of Forestier no longer displeased Du Roy.He felt that the two of them had reconciled as before.

Du Roy wanted to say, "Good evening, man!"

(End of this chapter)