wling, weak Lyonnese accent, while the long form of the lawyer
balanced itself in an almost animal movement of the head and shoulders,
made a singular contrast to the ferocious clearness of the brief. First,
a rapid account of the electoral irregularities. Never had universal
suffrage been treated with such primitive and barbarous contempt. At
Sarlazaccio, where Jansoulet's rival seemed to have a majority, the
ballot-box was destroyed the night before it was counted. The same thing
almost happened at Levia, at Saint-Andre, at Avabessa. And it was the
mayors themselves who committed these crimes, who carried the urns home
with them, broke the seals, tore up the voting papers, under cover
of their municipal authority. There had been no respect for the law.
Everywhere fraud, intrigue, even violence. At Calcatoggio an armed
man sat during the election at the window of a tavern in front of
the _mairie_, holding a blunderbuss, and whenever one of Sebastiani's
electors (Sebastiani was Jansoulet's opponent) showed himself, the man
took aim: "If you come in, I will blow out your brains." And when
one saw the inspectors of police, justices, inspectors of weights and
measures, not afraid to turn into canvassing agents, to frighten or
cajole a population too submissive before all these little tyrannical
local influences, was that not proof of a terrible state of things? Even
priests, saintly pastors, led astray by their zeal for the poor-box and
the restoration of an impoverished building, had preached a mission in
favour of Jansoulet's election. But an influence still more powerful,
though less respectable, had been called into play for the good
cause--the influence of the banditti. "Yes, banditti, gentlemen; I am
not joking." And then came a sketch in outline of Corsican banditti in
general, and of the Piedigriggio family in particular.

The Chamber listened attentively, with a certain uneasiness. For, after
all, it was an official candidate whose doings were thus described, and
these strange doings belonged to that privileged land, cradle of the
imperial family, so closely attached to the fortunes of the dynasty,
that an attack on Corsica seemed to strike at the sovereign. But when
people saw the new minister, successor and enemy of Mora, glad of the
blow to a _protege_ of his predecessor, smile complacently from
the Government bench at Le Merquier's cruel banter, all constraint
disappeared at once, and the ministerial smile repe