32.
I know the tramway administration well. I had been there often to hand over my receipts or on matters of service. It's normally a very tranquil place, and the employees go about their business peaceably and without much noise.
That wasn't the case when Madame and I arrived. There was a state of consternation. Everyone was keyed up, even the head cashier, who is normally so calm. He was out of his chair, waving his arms around, and saying, "It's unbelievable! What a misadventure! What times we live in!" Then, turning to Madame, he greeted her and said, "Madame, what has befallen is unimaginable. It's like something from the cinema. We cry out at the improbability. I'll tell you what has happened..."
But at that moment Peirrot the little messenger went by. This little man also had an air of panic. He didn't want to stop. I grabbed him by the arm and, despite his resistance, brought him to Madame. She told him to ask for an audience with Monsieur Ledoux for Madame la Marquise de Grand-Air. The name and title made an impression on him. "I'll go," he said, "but I don't know if I'll be able to get you in. Monsieur Ledoux is very busy, like the rest of us."
If I hadn't been preoccupied with the thought of my own stupidity, I would have had a good laugh at Pierrot's air of importance. It was standing at attention in his fancy uniform that he announced, several minutes later, that "by special favour" Monsieur Ledoux would receive Madame la Marquise.
And he announced us. Monsieur Ledoux is the little old gentleman I've already talked about, the one who hired me. He kissed Madame's hand and said, "Excuse me for receiving you so badly, my dear marquise. I'm very troubled ... an extraordinary adventure ... it's no exaggeration to describe it as dramatic ... a tram disappeared ... stolen perhaps. The audacity of these malefactors Ah! the telephone ... I will no doubt get the details. You will will permit me?" He picked up the receiver. It was easy to tell what was being said to him by his own replies, which I'll repeat: "Hello! Yes, it's me ... So, the tram? ... You say, a Chantiers-Porchefontaine ... the driver? ... the fare-collector? ... Lemboîté, Bécassine ... Good! ... They were seen on Rue Duplessis? A Chantiers-Porchefontaine on Rue Duplessis? It's amazing! Who saw? Send for Virginie Patate ... This Lemboîté, this Bécassine, do you think they were acting on behalf ... Eh? ... What? ... At Clagny? Are you certain? ... Ah, I can breathe easily." He put down the receiver, and, with an air ...
33.
... of having been relieved of a weight of one hundred kilos, he explained, "Madame, the malefactors have failed at their criminal scheme. The tram is recovered." "It was never lost," objected Madame. "No one attempted to steal it. My good friend, I'll tell you what happened ..."
Since you know the tale as well as I do I won't repeat Madame's narrative. I'll only say that it was very prettily turned. I doubt any lawyer in the world could have defended us, Father Lemboîté and me, as Madame did. Though I came into the ofice totally embarrassed, bit by bit I lifted my head and found my fault was not so bad. That was probably also the opinion of Monsieur Ledoux, who regarded me with an indulgent air. He said, "Brave girl ... spirit of an old-fashioned servant ... heart of gold!" And that touched me so much that I sobbed into my handkerchief.
"Calm yourself, my child," said Monsieur Ledoux, and patted my hands. He proceeded, "It must be concluded that Lemboîté should be issued a warning. But this was a serious breach of the rules, a public scandal. As laudable as your motives were, I am obliged to be harsh. You are no longer a part of our administration. Hand over your calot, my poor child."
A calot is not much, really: a piece of cloth, a rather ugly hat. For all that, before I let mine go, I could not prevent myself from giving it a good kiss. It represented my tram, my friends at work, my passengers, all the people and things I loved. Monsieur Ledoux again offered me kind words, and he added, turning to Madame, "I regret losing Bécassine not only because of her heart of gold, but because she has been a very useful employee. All of Versailles knows her. They take the tram just to see her. She has become an attraction, a destination, and our receipts show the result. It will be hard to find another fare-collector who is also a phenomenon."
All being settled and concluded, we took our leave. Virginie was waiting in the antechamber. As Monsieur Ledoux no longer needed to interrogate her, she left with us. I didn't say much, still moved by all that had happened. But Virginie, she didn't stop talking. She revealed that she wanted to quit the tramway too, because, without me there, she had no one to talk about agriculture with. Then we could combine our resources, form a partnership, and together buy a small farm to plant potatoes, vitelottes most of all, and we would be very happy and become very rich. Little by little, she made up my mind. I would say yes. But, as we entered Madame's house, Maria handed me a letter that had arrived for me. I opened it, and after having read it I cried, "It's from Monsieur D. Bile ... Good news! It seems I've been mobilized!"
34.
The turbulent day that I have related exhausted Madame. After dinner I went to show her Monsieur D. Bile's letter announcing my mobilization. My dear mistress was asleep in her armchair, and I regretted waking her. "Madame will excuse the disturbance," I said to her. "I would like ask her opinion of my letter, as there are a few things in it I don't understand. It's here, at the end, when M.D. Bile tells me to go Monday to the administration where I'll be employed. He adds, in parentheses:
RALEPEUPPST
I can see that it refers to my administration, but that's all I can figure out."
"Let's look at that letter, Bécassine." Madame read it twice out loud, that mysterious ending. She copied it into her notebook, after which she gave me the paper, saying that the desire for sleep was making her thoughts blurry, and that she'd undoubtedly have a sharper mind in the morning. And we went to bed.
Though fatigued myself, I passed a bad night. As soon as I became drowsy, I saw R, A, L, etc., dancing around me, running over my bed, and I awoke with a start. It wasn't until morning that I got a good sleep.
I was dragged out of sleep by Maria. More grumbly than ever, she made me ashamed to still be in bed. She added that Madame was already up and asking for me. You can imagine I wasn't long in getting dressed. I found Madame hard at work. She had on her writing desk a large sheet of paper with the famous R, A, L, E, etc., written across at, and words nearby, just like small girls do when they work on the puzzles in the Semaine de Suzette.
MADAME -- Bécassine, this note that M. D. Bile has written is a real brain-teaser. I believe I've discovered the sense of the first five letters, but I cannot decypher the rest.
MOI -- And what has Madame learned about the first five?
MADAME -- Look. R A L E P seems to me to say: Réservistes Arthritiques, labourieux et patriotes.
MOI -- Arthritics are sick people, aren't they?
MADAME -- Yes, it's a synonym for rheumatics.
MOI (dashing for the door) -- Then I'm assigned to a hospital. I'll see if my nursing kit is up to date.
MADAME (stopping me) -- Don't hurry away yet. I'm not absolutely certain of my solution. Search for yourself, and talk to some other people.
I searched. I put the letters down as Madame had, and next to them all the words beginning with R, A, etc., that came to mind, but I came up with a bunch of words that signified nothing really. Seeing that I had better give up on working it out myself, I wondered who I could consult.
Comments