them, but on the other hand she was unable to close her eyes to Aristide’s ill-advised acts at Plassans.  The visitors to her drawing-room did not scruple to denounce the democratic journalist with extreme severity.  Granoux muttered that he was a brigand, and Roudier would three or four times a week repeat to Felicite:  “Your son is writing some fine articles.  Only yesterday he attacked our friend Vuillet with revolting scurrility.”

The whole room joined in the chorus, and Commander Sicardot spoke of boxing his son-in-law’s ears, while Pierre flatly disowned him.  The poor mother hung her head, restraining her tears.  For an instant she felt an inclination to burst forth, to tell Roudier that her dear child, in spite of his faults, was worth more than he and all the others put together.  But she was tied down, and did not wish to compromise the position they had so laboriously attained.  Seeing the whole town so bitter against Aristide, she despaired of his future, thinking he was hopelessly ruining himself.  On two occasions she spoke to him in secret, imploring him to return to them, and not to irritate the yellow drawing-room any further.  Aristide replied that she did not understand such matters; that she was the one who had committed a great blunder in placing her husband at the service of the marquis.  So she had to abandon her son to his own courses, resolving, however that if Eugene succeeded she would compel him to share the spoils with the poor fellow who was her favourite child.

After the departure of his eldest son, Pierre Rougon pursued his reactionary intrigues.  Nothing seemed to have changed in the opinions of the famous yellow drawing-room.  Every evening the same men came to join in the same propaganda in favour of the establishment of a monarchy, while the master of the house approved and aided them with as much zeal as in the past.  Eugene had left Plassans on May 1.  A few days later, the yellow drawing-room was in raptures.  The gossips were discussing the letter of the President of the Republic to General Oudinot, in which the siege of Rome had been decided upon.  This letter was regarded as a brilliant victory, due to the firm demeanour of the reactionary party.  Since 1848 the Chambers had been discussing the Roman question; but it had been reserved for a Bonaparte to stifle a rising Republic by an act of intervention which France, if free, would never have countenanced.  The marquis declared, however, that one could not better promote the cause of legitimacy, and Vuillet wrote a superb article on the matter.  The enthusiasm became unbounded when, a month later, Commander Sicardot entered the Rougons’ house one evening and announced to the company that the French army was fighting under the walls of Rome.  Then, while everybody was raising exclamations at this news, he went up to Pierre, and shook hands with him in a significant manner.  And when he had taken a seat, he began to sound the praises of the President of the Republic, who, said he, was the only person able to save France from anarchy.