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Bureaucracy

CHAPTER VII
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Your husband must surely have some special ideas in his method of putting the scheme into practice." "No, it is all commonplace," she said, with a disdainful curl of her lip.

"Just think of governing France with five or six thousand offices, when what is really needed is that everybody in France should be personally enlisted in the support of the government." Des Lupeaulx seemed satisfied that Rabourdin, to whom in his own mind he had granted remarkable talents, was really a man of mediocrity.
"Are you quite sure of the appointment?
You don't want a bit of feminine advice ?" she said.
"You women are greater adepts than we in refined treachery," he said, nodding.
"Well, then, say /Baudoyer/ to the court and clergy, to divert suspicion and put them to sleep, and then, at the last moment, write /Rabourdin/." "There are some women who say /yes/ as long as they need a man, and /no/ when he has played his part," returned des Lupeaulx, significantly.
"I know they do," she answered, laughing; "but they are very foolish, for in politics everything recommences.

Such proceedings may do with fools, but you are a man of sense.

In my opinion the greatest folly any one can commit is to quarrel with a clever man." "You are mistaken," said des Lupeaulx, "for such a man pardons.

The real danger is with the petty spiteful natures who have nothing to do but study revenge,--I spend my life among them." When all the guests were gone, Rabourdin came into his wife's room, and after asking for her strict attention, he explained his plan and made her see that it did not cut down the revenue but on the contrary increased it; he showed her in what ways the public funds were employed, and how the State could increase tenfold the circulation of money by putting its own, in the proportion of a third, or a quarter, into the expenditures which would be sustained by private or local interests.


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