Pagina 51 de 3800

"What? Revolution and regicide a grand thing?... Well, after

that... But won't you come to this other table?" repeated Anna

Pavlovna.

"Rousseau's Contrat Social," said the vicomte with a tolerant

smile.

"I am not speaking of regicide, I am speaking about ideas."

"Yes: ideas of robbery, murder, and regicide," again interjected

an ironical voice.

"Those were extremes, no doubt, but they are not what is most

important. What is important are the rights of man, emancipation

from prejudices, and equality of citizenship, and all these ideas

Napoleon has retained in full force."

"Liberty and equality," said the vicomte contemptuously, as if at

last deciding seriously to prove to this youth how foolish his

words were, "high-sounding words which have long been

discredited. Who does not love liberty and equality? Even our

Saviour preached liberty and equality. Have people since the

Revolution become happier? On the contrary. We wanted liberty,

but Buonaparte has destroyed it."