Before returning to Paris, a small incident occurred—Maupassant bet Huysmans that he could go twenty times in a row.
Huysmans, of course, didn't believe it.
Paul Alexis, Céard, and others naturally also disbelieved him, so they found a few prostitutes from a brothel in Vienna and brought them to the hotel to verify on the spot.
Maupassant was not one to be ambiguous; he stripped off his trousers and let the others time and count.
Lionel happened to be looking for Maupassant on some business.
After pushing the door open, he saw the fellow shouting angrily:
"Fifth time!"
Then he quietly backed out.
He found Émile Zola, who was still in the dark, and said seriously:
"Monsieur Zola, if we don't return to Paris soon, the 'Seven of Médan' will become the 'Seven of Syphilis'..."
Only then did Zola reluctantly refuse further arrangements, dragging a still-keen Maupassant and the others back to Paris.
As for who won Maupassant and Huysmans' bet that night, Lionel did not inquire, and it became an unsolved mystery in literary history.
————
By mid-November in Paris, a thick coat was necessary to go out.
When Lionel rushed back, he happened to catch the first combined rehearsal of The Chorus production.
Though it wasn't a formal performance, the backstage was filled with an unusual tension and anticipation.
Inside the rehearsal hall, the temporarily erected stage set outlined the gloomy and solemn atmosphere of the "Pond's Bottom Boarding School"—
Towering dark wooden walls, narrow windows, and neatly arranged, simple desks and chairs.
Gas lamps lit the stage brightly, and actors moved in the glow, rehearsing lines and adjusting their positions.
Lionel Sorell stood in the shadows at the side of the stage, arms crossed over his chest, scanning every detail on stage.
Beside him stood Monsieur Émile Perrin, director of the Comedy Theatre.
Director Perrin whispered to Lionel,
"Jean Mounet-Sully is in excellent form; he has captured Mathieu's clumsy kindness and his growing determination."
Lionel nodded.
Jean Mounet-Sully was one of the mainstays of the Comedy Theatre, excelling at portraying complex and profound characters.
At this moment, dressed in a somewhat shabby music teacher's costume, he was rehearsing opposite Léopold-Barre, who played the young Pierre.
Barre was a spirited young actor, only 19 years old, who blended Pierre's rebelliousness and vulnerability just right, creating a unique youthful essence.
In the back corner of the rehearsal hall, there was another solitary figure—Brother Duclos.
He wore a black monk's robe, his hands clasped nervously in his lap, leaning forward, watching the stage almost breathlessly and intently.
He was responsible for overseeing whether this "collaborative" production deviated from their intended path.
Although Monsignor Valette was finally convinced by Lionel, the high-ranking church officials were clearly not entirely at ease.
Tonight was the first "combined rehearsal" with complete music and main characters.
The selected scenes mainly featured Director Rachin demonstrating his "management philosophy" and "sense of responsibility."
This included the moving moment when the choir first encountered resistance during rehearsal, but ultimately, their voices rang out.
Once everything was ready, the stage manager called out:
"Start Act Three, Scene Two, from Director Rachin's entrance into the classroom."
François Jules Edmond Gautier-Luzarche, playing "Director Rachin," took a deep breath and instantly got into character.
He was extremely experienced, especially skilled at playing authoritative roles.
As he walked onto the stage with steady, slightly heavy steps, the atmosphere in the entire rehearsal hall changed.
His portrayal of Director Rachin was not that of a "villain," but rather one endowed with a suffocating "sense of justice."
[On stage, Director Rachin stood at the front of the classroom, his gaze, like a hawk's, sweeping over the boys, one by one, with their heads bowed.
His voice was low and full of authority, not a shout, but possessing an unquestionable penetrative power:
"Silence."
With just two words, the entire hall fell silent.
He slowly paced:
"I heard some sounds... some... irregular sounds. Music? Singing?"
He shook his head slightly, his tone not anger, but deep worry and an almost compassionate denial:
"Children, do you think this is a shortcut to freedom and joy? No, this is the devil's most elaborate trap."
...]
Brother Duclos in the audience involuntarily nodded slightly.
He saw not a tyrant, but a worried shepherd, fearful that his flock might stray.
Gautier-Luzarche's interpretation lent a terrible persuasiveness to the lines—he genuinely believed his strictness was the only way to save these souls.
[Director Rachin: "Look around you! This world is full of temptation and degradation! Your souls are like newborn lambs, utterly fragile. Discipline! Rules! Punishment!
This is not torment I inflict upon you; this is the anvil and fire that forge your souls! It is to give you the ability to resist external defilement, to make you worthy of the future light!"
His eyes even revealed a hint of pain, as if enforcing these punishments was a torment for him as well, but he had to do so for "higher responsibility."
This was an extremely skillful performance, making him seem like a martyr, not a dictator.
...]
Brother Duclos watched entranced.
He was completely immersed in the performance, murmuring to himself:
"That's right... If not for such strict discipline, how could these children, born of humble origins and with unruly habits, have a chance at salvation?
Director Rachin... how much pressure and misunderstanding he endures!"
He even felt his eyes well up slightly, feeling a touch of injustice for this "loyal," "responsible," yet possibly misunderstood priest.
He completely forgot that Director Rachin in the script was more driven by a fascination with control and order, rather than selfless love...
[Teacher Mathieu, played by Mounet-Sully, tried to explain:
"Monsieur Director, music might open their hearts, in a different way..."
Director Rachin interrupted him, his tone mocking, yet also tinged with pity:
"Open their hearts? Monsieur Mathieu, you are too naive. You see innocence; I see souls that need to be disciplined and reshaped.
Tolerance? That is irresponsible towards them! It is a crime against their eternal souls!"
...]
In this exchange, Gautier-Luzarche's Director Rachin consistently maintained a moral and experiential superiority, making Mathieu's persistence seem kind yet naive.
This theatrical interpretation greatly glorified Director Rachin's motives.
Then, came the crucial musical part.
[Despite Director Rachin's express prohibition, Mathieu secretly organized the children to rehearse at night.
The stage lights dimmed, and a soft beam of light fell upon the gathered "children."
Debussy's "Night" prelude quietly began to play, flowing from the piano at one side of the stage.
The children's singing was at first hesitant and out of unison, but with Mathieu's encouragement, it gradually became harmonious, pure, and full of hope.
Pierre, played by Léopold-Barre, stood at the front, his trained voice clear like a mountain stream, penetrating every corner of the rehearsal hall.
This singing possessed a magical power, making the faces of the "children," who had previously been unruly, reveal a focused, calm, and even sacred glow.
As if the music truly cleansed their souls.
...]
Brother Duclos was completely captivated by the performance.
Tears silently slid down his cheeks:
"My goodness... this is truly the voice of angels... Only under such strict management, only in such a serious environment that attempts to counter this 'decadent music,' can such pure, such resistant beauty be born!
This precisely proves the necessity and effectiveness of church management! It is this 'adversity' created by Director Rachin that inspired Mathieu and the children to greater effort and purer results!"
His logic was entirely guided by the performance and music towards a twisted but self-consistent direction: rigor is the soil, and music is the flower blooming in adversity.
He saw not resistance against oppression, but a "miracle" born from an oppressive environment.
This perfectly aligned with the Church's inherent "suffering-purification theory"!
(End of Chapter)
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