Without laying down his razor, the general-secretary cast upon his subordinate the glance of a general issuing an order.
"Are we alone ?" he asked.
"Yes, monsieur." "Very good.

March on Rabourdin; forward! steady! Of course you kept a copy of that paper ?" "Yes." "You understand me?
Inde iroe! There must be a general hue and cry raised against him.

Find some way to start a clamor--" "I could get a man to make a caricature, but I haven't five hundred francs to pay for it." "Who would make it ?" "Bixou." "He shall have a thousand and be under-head-clerk to Colleville, who will arrange with them; tell him so." "But he wouldn't believe it on nothing more than my word." "Are you trying to make me compromise myself?
Either do the thing or let it alone; do you hear me ?" "If Monsieur Baudoyer were director--" "Well, he will be.

Go now, and make haste; you have no time to lose.
Go down the back-stairs; I don't want people to know you have just seen me." While Dutocq was returning to the clerks' office and asking himself how he could best incite a clamor against his chief without compromising himself, Bixiou rushed to the Rabourdin office for a word of greeting.
Believing that he had lost his bet the incorrigible joker thought it amusing to pretend that he had won it.
Bixiou [mimicking Phellion's voice].

"Gentlemen, I salute you with a collective how d'ye do, and I appoint Sunday next for the dinner at the Rocher de Cancale.