Lionel had recently been writing The Peculiar Adventures of Benjamin Bouton every day until the early hours of the morning, so when he was abruptly woken by a clamor of footsteps, loud slogans, and stirring music, his inner rage was palpable.
He grabbed the old pocket watch from his bedside table, saw it was only 10 AM, and angrily jumped out of bed, pulling open the curtains to look down.
It turned out to be daily French life:
Lafitte Street was completely filled by a long procession: old veterans wearing old military caps, university students waving tricolor flags, workers holding high banners that read "Reclaim Alsace!", and a few women dressed in black, who were revered and positioned at the very front like icons.
A band was also in the procession, playing "Song of the Second Lieutenant," its melody tragic, somber, and spirited, accompanying the parade as it slowly moved forward.
At this point, Lionel also clearly heard their slogans:
"Down with Germany!"
"Alsace and Lorraine belong to us!"
"Humiliated France will rise again!"
"Never forget! Never forgive!"
"Long live the Republic! Long live revenge!"
...
Only then did Lionel recall that it was already nearing May, and the signing date of the Treaty of Frankfurt was approaching.
In this humiliating treaty that stripped France of its power, Alsace and Lorraine were ceded to Prussia, and war reparations amounted to a staggering 5 billion francs.
This was an indelible shame in the hearts of French people of that era.
The women dressed in black at the very front of the procession were likely exiles from Alsace and Lorraine, or war widows.
Although Lionel didn't feel the same surge of emotion as ordinary French people upon hearing these slogans, having learned "The Last Lesson" since childhood, it still struck a particular chord with him.
Alphonse Daudet's "The Last Lesson" was initially introduced to France as a model of patriotism; however, after the popularization of the internet, people mocked Daudet for distorting facts, pointing out that Alsace and Lorraine clearly spoke German.
But the actual situation was far more complex than simple labeling.
Although Alsatians spoke German, it was a German dialect largely unintelligible to standard German speakers.
The middle and upper classes primarily spoke French daily, while the lower classes more readily identified with French systems and laws.
Lorraine, on the other hand, was a bilingual region; its western part spoke French, while the ceded northeastern part spoke another German dialect.
Both parts, regardless, tended to prefer remaining with France.
Therefore, after the signing of the Treaty of Frankfurt, approximately 100,000 to 150,000 people from the two regions successively chose to "exile" themselves to France, with the elite—civil servants, teachers, merchants, intellectuals—being almost entirely depleted.
Although Germany annexed the two regions, it felt like a bone stuck in its throat, taking a long time to digest them.
From 1874 onwards, Alsace-Lorraine held 15 parliamentary seats in the German Imperial Diet, and for many consecutive years, local voters consistently elected deputies who explicitly supported "returning to France," known as the "Disobedient Faction."
Thus, Daudet's "The Last Lesson" actually had a strong basis in public opinion at the time; "Monsieur Hamel" was just one of thousands of ordinary French teachers in the area.
It was simply that the people of these two regions weren't urgent or enthusiastic about learning French when they were part of France, which is why "Little Franz" in the novel initially arrived late and lackadaisically.
Conversely, after being ceded to Germany, various secret French language classes flourished in both regions, and the public's enthusiasm for learning French was unprecedented.
"What a hassle..."
Lionel could only conclude this in the end; after all, with his peaceful sleep disturbed, no one's mood would be particularly good.
Leaving the bedroom and entering the living room, he found Petty sitting gloomily at the dining table, with a large basket on the table containing only a few baguettes.
Upon seeing Lionel, Petty pouted with a wronged expression:
"Young master, the market isn't open today. I only managed to buy a few loaves of bread."
If large-scale parades passed through, several markets in Paris would typically close for the day to prevent looting or opportunistic crime.
Petty usually went to the Saint-Georges Market near the Opéra and Old Opéra Street, where numerous vendors gathered, to buy ingredients; it was less than a twenty-minute walk round trip.
Any further markets would require a public carriage, and Petty's basket would likely be emptied by petty thieves before she even got home, so Lionel strictly forbade her from venturing far.
Lionel had grown accustomed to eating Petty's cooking every day, so he frowned upon hearing this:
"What else do we have at home?"
Petty counted on her fingers:
"There are a few slices of bacon, a string of sausages, two bunches of parsley, a bag of potatoes, and..."
Lionel quickly interrupted:
"Alright, alright, let's go out for a meal today—hopefully, the restaurants are open."
Hearing Lionel say this, Alice's head popped out from the bedroom:
"Which one are we going to?"
Since she spent most of her time cooped up in the apartment, Alice particularly cherished every opportunity to go out, especially the previous trip to Jersey, which had been an eye-opener for her and remained in her thoughts.
Petty's eyes were also sparkling, not because she craved restaurant food, but because these dishes always gave her some culinary inspiration.
Without further ado, the three of them changed into their outdoor clothes and, following "Houbichon's Food Guide" in Le Petit Journal, found a restaurant called "Magourit" at the intersection of Opéra Street and Boulevard Montmartre.
This restaurant was famous for its affordable fish dishes, especially its "Magourit-style sea bass," which was renowned throughout Paris and reportedly exceptionally delicious.
After enjoying the delicious meal for 9 francs, Lionel took the two to the nearby Le Bon Marché department store, bought a set of clothes for each of them, and after purchasing some daily necessities, they returned home laden with goods.
A single outing cost 200 francs just like that, which pained both Alice and Petty.
But Lionel didn't care—the swindler had been apprehended, and the 5,000 francs from their home would likely be recovered to some extent; even if not all of it could be retrieved, he figured 3,000 francs at least would be.
The remaining 2,000 francs would be considered a lesson learned.
His biggest financial crisis had finally been resolved.
At the same time, he held 5,000 francs in cash and novel commissions from two periodicals, Le Petit Parisien and La Vie Moderne, with weekly serialization fees of no less than 700 francs.
Looking across Paris, he was comfortably in the high-income bracket, earning almost more than most professors at the Sorbonne.
So, Lionel felt it necessary to indulge a little.
Lionel also didn't have dinner at home; that afternoon, he went to the Orby Trading Company in the 2nd arrondissement to find Sophie Deneuve.
The swindler's apprehension was partly thanks to Sophie, so he had to treat her to a lavish dinner—
Certainly not at "Seine Sunset," but rather at "Chartier Bouillon," a place famous for its broth, pork hock, beef stew, and mushroom chicken livers, which also offered free bread and wine.
This time, Sophie didn't make excuses about her mother waiting for her at home but meekly accepted Lionel's invitation.
Under the warm restaurant lights, Sophie's already fair complexion appeared exceptionally delicate, like the finest unglazed porcelain, touched with just a hint of blush.
After they finished a glass of after-dinner wine, Sophie suddenly asked Lionel:
"So... is this our last meeting?"
Lionel paused, surprised: "Huh?"
Sophie lowered her head:
"The swindler has been caught... you don't need to 'report progress' to me anymore, do you? I actually already saw it in Le Petit Parisien..."
Lionel put down his wine glass:
"Uh... besides the swindler, don't we have a lot of other things to talk about?"
Sophie looked up, her gaze intense:
"I also read your novel in the newspaper... it's very well written.
You'll become a great writer someday, won't you?
Like Mr. Zola, Mr. Flaubert, Mr. Eugène Sue?"
Lionel became somewhat "shy" at the question, replying awkwardly:
"It's not that easy..."
Seeing him like this, Sophie let out a soft laugh, then composed herself, her tone calm:
"Thank you for dinner tonight, it was delicious. It's getting late..."
Lionel suddenly understood, looking into Sophie's eyes:
"May I walk you home?"
After a long moment...
"Yes."
Outside the window, the lamps shone like warm suns, illuminating a quiet, long street.
This, too, was daily French life.
Apologies, I had something today and was a bit late.
(End of Chapter)
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