Page:Rolland - Two Plays of the French Revolution.djvu/131

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
THE FOURTEENTH OF JULY
125

The Pensioners. He's touching the pike. He has the paper.

Béquart [standing upright]. There! [Looking at the People.] Pigs! [He raises his arms and shouts.] Long live the Nation! [He falls back, struck by a bullet.]

The Pensioners. Pigs! They've killed him! [Two of them go to Béquart's body, and bring it down to the center of the stage, laying it at Vintimille's feet.]

Vintimille [looking at the body with a mixture of irony and sympathy]. Honor? To what end?

The Pensioners. Listen! [Outside is heard the shout of the People accepting the conditions, and the Pensioners repeat:] Accepted!

Vintimille [with indifference]. Inform Monsieur le Gouverneur.

The Pensioners. Monseigneur, he's gone crazy: he's broken all the furniture in his room. He cries like a baby.

Vintimille [with a shrug]. Well, I shall take his place to the end. [To himself, with a touch of ironic bitterness.] I never thought I should one day have the honor of giving up the royalty of France with these four-century-old walls into the hands of the lawyers. A beautiful duty! To think I should come to this! Well, nothing matters; everything passes, and everything ends. Death settles all accounts. Now we'll give them a little comedy—with the grand manner at the last. [Aloud.] Fall in! Form in line! [The garrison falls into rank; the Pensioners on the right,