Martainville's staunch friendship injured Lucien.Political parties show scanty gratitude to outpost sentinels,and leave leaders of forlorn hopes to their fate;'tis a rule of warfare which holds equally good in matters political,to keep with the main body of the army if you mean to succeed.The spite of the small Liberal papers fastened at once on the opportunity of coupling the two names,and flung them into each other's arms.Their friendship,real or imaginary,brought down upon them both a series of articles written by pens dipped in gall.Felicien Vernou was furious with jealousy of Lucien's social success;and believed,like all his old associates,in the poet's approaching elevation.
The fiction of Lucien's treason was embellished with every kind of aggravating circumstance;he was called Judas the Less,Martainville being Judas the Great,for Martainville was supposed (rightly or wrongly)to have given up the Bridge of Pecq to the foreign invaders.
Lucien said jestingly to des Lupeaulx that he himself,surely,had given up the Asses'Bridge.
Lucien's luxurious life,hollow though it was,and founded on expectations,had estranged his friends.They could not forgive him for the carriage which he had put down--for them he was still rolling about in it--nor yet for the splendors of the Rue de Vendome which he had left.All of them felt instinctively that nothing was beyond the reach of this young and handsome poet,with intellect enough and to spare;they themselves had trained him in corruption;and,therefore,they left no stone unturned to ruin him.
Some few days before Coralie's first appearance at the Gymnase,Lucien and Hector Merlin went arm-in-arm to the Vaudeville.Merlin was scolding his friend for giving a helping hand to Nathan in Florine's affair.
"You then and there made two mortal enemies of Lousteau and Nathan,"he said."I gave you good advice,and you took no notice of it.You gave praise,you did them a good turn--you will be well punished for your kindness.Florine and Coralie will never live in peace on the same stage;both will wish to be first.You can only defend Coralie in our papers;and Nathan not only has a pull as a dramatic author,he can control the dramatic criticism in the Liberal newspapers.He has been a journalist a little longer than you!"The words responded to Lucien's inward misgivings.Neither Nathan nor Gaillard was treating him with the frankness which he had a right to expect,but so new a convert could hardly complain.Gaillard utterly confounded Lucien by saying roundly that newcomers must give proofs of their sincerity for some time before their party could trust them.
There was more jealousy than he had imagined in the inner circles of Royalist and Ministerial journalism.The jealousy of curs fighting for a bone is apt to appear in the human species when there is a loaf to divide;there is the same growling and showing of teeth,the same characteristics come out.
In every possible way these writers of articles tried to injure each other with those in power;they brought reciprocal accusations of lukewarm zeal;they invented the most treacherous ways of getting rid of a rival.There had been none of this internecine warfare among the Liberals;they were too far from power,too hopelessly out of favor;and Lucien,amid the inextricable tangle of ambitions,had neither the courage to draw sword and cut the knot,or the patience to unravel it.
He could not be the Beaumarchais,the Aretino,the Freron of his epoch;he was not made of such stuff;he thought of nothing but his one desire,the patent of nobility;for he saw clearly that for him such a restoration meant a wealthy marriage,and,the title once secured,chance and his good looks would do the rest.This was all his plan,and Etienne Lousteau,who had confided so much to him,knew his secret,knew how to deal a deathblow to the poet of Angouleme.That very night,as Lucien and Merlin went to the Vaudeville,Etienne had laid a terrible trap,into which an inexperienced boy could not but fall.
"Here is our handsome Lucien,"said Finot,drawing des Lupeaulx in the direction of the poet,and shaking hands with feline amiability."Icannot think of another example of such rapid success,"continued Finot,looking from des Lupeaulx to Lucien."There are two sorts of success in Paris:there is a fortune in solid cash,which any one can amass,and there is the intangible fortune of connections,position,or a footing in certain circles inaccessible for certain persons,however rich they may be.Now my friend here--""Our friend,"interposed des Lupeaulx,smiling blandly.
"Our friend,"repeated Finot,patting Lucien's hand,"has made a brilliant success from this point of view.Truth to tell,Lucien has more in him,more gift,more wit than the rest of us that envy him,and he is enchantingly handsome besides;his old friends cannot forgive him for his success--they call it luck.""Luck of that sort never comes to fools or incapables,"said des Lupeaulx."Can you call Bonaparte's fortune luck,eh?There were a score of applicants for the command of the army in Italy,just as there are a hundred young men at this moment who would like to have an entrance to Mlle.des Touches'house;people are coupling her name with yours already in society,my dear boy,"said des Lupeaulx,clapping Lucien on the shoulder."Ah!you are in high favor.Mme.
d'Espard,Mme.de Bargeton,and Mme.de Montcornet are wild about you.
You are going to Mme.Firmiani's party to-night,are you not,and to the Duchesse de Grandlieu's rout to-morrow?""Yes,"said Lucien.
