meaning of this word to the peasant's
mind, he execrated it with a hatred that had accumulated in the souls of
his forefathers throughout ten centuries; and he turned all his
relatives, and those of his wife, brothers-in-law, cousins,
grand-nephews (a horde of them), against Foureau.

Gorju, Vaucorbeil, and Petit kept working for the overthrow of the
mayor; and, the ground being thus cleared, Bouvard and Pecuchet, without
any doubt, were likely to succeed.

They drew lots to know which would present himself. The drawing decided
nothing, and they went to consult the doctor on the subject.

He had news for them: Flacardoux, editor of _Le Calvados_, had announced
his candidature. The two friends had a keen sense of having been
deceived. Each felt the other's disappointment more than his own. But
politics had an exciting influence on them. When the election-day
arrived they went to inspect the urns. Flacardoux had carried it!

M. de Faverges had fallen back on the National Guard, without obtaining
the epaulet of commander. The people of Chavignolles contrived to get
Beljambe nominated.

This favouritism on the part of the public, so whimsical and unforeseen,
dismayed Heurtaux. He had neglected his duties, confining himself to
inspecting the military operations now and then, and giving utterance to
a few remarks. No matter! He considered it a monstrous thing that an
innkeeper should be preferred to one who had been formerly a captain in
the Imperial service, and he said, after the invasion of the Chamber on
the 15th of May: "If the military grades give themselves away like that
in the capital, I shall be no longer astonished at what may happen."

The reaction began.

People believed in Louis Blanc's pineapple soup, in Flocon's bed of
gold, and Ledru-Rollin's royal orgies; and as the province pretends to
know everything that happens in Paris, the inhabitants of Chavignolles
had no doubt about these inventions, and gave credence to the most
absurd reports.

M. de Faverges one evening came to look for the cure, in order to tell
him that the Count de Chambord had arrived in Normandy.

Joinville, according to Foureau, had made preparations with his sailors
to put down "these socialists of yours." Heurtaux declared that Louis
Napoleon would shortly be consul.

The factories had stopped. Poor people wandered in large groups about
the country.

One Sunday (it was in the early days of June) a gendarme suddenly
started