Mr. Duen held no teaching position and had no understanding of literature; he only served as the Dean of Sorbonne for many years because his name contained the character "de."
However, with the decline of the aristocracy, he had to act according to the Director's wishes—especially with Director Henri Patin being particularly strong-willed.
After receiving Lionel's novel manuscript, he hurried to the journal editorial office of the Sorbonne Faculty of Arts.
At this time, Sorbonne University was responsible for the editing and publication of three important academic journals: in addition to the monthly "Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts," there was also the annual "Annals of the Sorbonne Faculty of Arts," and the quarterly "Review of Public Education."
This was an important front for Sorbonne to maintain its academic reputation, and thus it was also rich in talent.
Gaston Boissier, a Latin scholar and member of the French Academy, served as editor-in-chief. The editorial board members involved in the review process also included Émile Egger, a classical linguist and Greek expert, Paul Janet, a renowned philosopher and professor of ethics, among others, and of course, Hippolyte Taine.
When Mr. Duen arrived at the office, the main editorial board members, including Gaston Boissier, were all present. They were discussing which works should be published in the "Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts" for early March.
Among the twelve issues of the "Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts" published annually by Sorbonne, the March issue was the most anticipated.
Due to Sorbonne's tradition of holding a "Poetry Society" on the last weekend before Easter, the March issue of the "Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts" was purchased not only by scholars, university students, and literature enthusiasts, but also by nobles and wealthy merchants who enjoyed receiving invitations to the "Poetry Society" and indulging in refined tastes.
Everyone wanted to see the caliber of the young talents from Sorbonne attending the "Poetry Society" that year, and at the same time, they could have some topics to discuss at the "Poetry Society."
If they encountered a young person they admired, these generous art patrons wouldn't mind spending thousands of francs to publish their poetry collections or donating a substantial sum to Sorbonne.
Therefore, the March issue of the "Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts" not only focused on the literary quality of the works but also considered the readers' tastes, requiring special discussion; it usually required a supplement to accommodate everyone's works.
Seeing Mr. Duen enter, Gaston Boissier frowned. He did not like this aristocratic academic bureaucrat, but superficial politeness was necessary: "Good morning, Mr. Duen, what brings you to the editorial department?"
Mr. Duen was the Dean, and his scope of work was unrelated to the journals published by the Faculty of Arts, so his presence here was indeed a first.
Mr. Duen dared not display any aristocratic arrogance in front of these professors. He pulled out Lionel's manuscript and said cautiously, "This is a novel to be submitted to the journal, and I hope it can be published in the March issue."
Several editorial board members laughed. Paul Janet said mockingly, "When did our office mailbox get hung at the Dean's office door? It seems I haven't received any notification."
Émile Egger also retorted without politeness, "Mr. Duen, when did you start teaching students of the Faculty of Arts? I will definitely apply to audit."
Mr. Duen had been in the Faculty of Arts for over ten years and knew full well the professors' sharp tongues, so his expression remained unchanged, and his tone still unwavering: "I apologize; I was not clear just now.
It is the Director; the Director hopes this manuscript can appear in the March issue of the "Bulletin"—of course, if its quality is truly lacking, please also provide suggestions for revision, and I will urge this student to revise it."
This statement made the editorial board members drop their mocking expressions.
They had initially thought that Dean Duen had lost his mind, believing he could interfere with the editing of the Faculty of Arts journal, but they hadn't expected it to be Professor Henri Patin's intention.
Gaston Boissier, being more experienced, knew that Henri Patin's reluctance to appear in person indicated some underlying strangeness, so he asked Mr. Duen to leave the manuscript, and he would discuss it with the others after they had read it.
Mr. Duen bowed his thanks to Gaston Boissier, left the manuscript, and departed.
As the editorial office door closed, Gaston Boissier, under the curious gaze of the others, picked up the manuscript before him and unconsciously read out the title and author's name: "'the old guard,' Lionel Sorel, Second Year, Faculty of Arts."
Hearing this name, the others had not yet reacted, but Professor Hippolyte Taine slammed the table hard: "It's him? It really is him!"
The loud "thud" and Professor Taine's agitated reaction startled everyone, who wondered why his reaction was so strong.
Professor Hippolyte Taine gritted his teeth and said, "Henri specifically asked me about his situation before, and I have already stated my position—Lionel Sorel is a pompous, despicable, and petty man who elevates himself by damaging others' reputations!
His work must never be selected for the "Bulletin"! We must not allow the work of such a person to defile Sorbonne's sacred academic hall for a small sponsorship!"
Now the other editorial board members were even more confused.
"Pompous," "despicable," "elevates himself by damaging others' reputations," "petty man"—were these words appropriate for a student who was only in his early twenties?
Gaston Boissier quickly appeased his old colleague: "My dear Hyppolite, we haven't made a decision yet; there's no need to be so agitated."
Then he thought back carefully and realized he hadn't heard any scandal about this student named Lionel Sorel. In his impression, apart from being poor, Lionel was just an ordinary Sorbonne student.
Émile Egger asked curiously, "What exactly did this student named Lionel do?"
Hippolyte Taine haughtily turned his head, unwilling to offer any further explanation.
It was Paul Janet who, holding his forehead, thought for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed in realization, "So that's it…"
Seeing everyone's gaze focused on him, Paul Janet gave an embarrassed smile: "I remembered an anecdote I heard recently at Madame Fresnel's salon, which seems to be related to Lionel…"
Noticing the glimmer of gossip in everyone's eyes, Paul Janet turned to Hippolyte Taine and asked, "Hyppolite, may I speak?"
Hippolyte Taine knew that without an explanation, he couldn't convince everyone; however, it would be too undignified for him, as the person involved, to explain himself, so he could only nod helplessly.
Paul Janet then felt relieved and began to state the matter in a tone as calm, objective, and devoid of any mockery as possible: "Recently, in the salons of Paris, everyone has been talking about a student at Sorbonne named Lionel who contradicted a professor who was reprimanding him…"
Gaston Boissier looked at him, then at Taine, somewhat puzzled: "Just contradicted him? That doesn't seem too serious, does it?"
Hippolyte Taine snorted, while Paul Janet sighed and continued to add some "details": "…Madame Fresnel said that the professor couldn't endure such humiliation, jumped up, and slapped Lionel twice…"
The others: "…!?" They hadn't expected Taine to have such a violent temper, how terrifying!
Paul Janet's "details" were not yet complete: "…Lionel then jumped up and, while airborne, kicked the professor twice…"
The others: "…!!??" They hadn't expected Taine to be in such good shape, how enviable!
Paul Janet continued to add insult to injury: "…The students all cheered him on. Later, the old professor even took a week off because of it…"
Hippolyte Taine finally couldn't bear his colleagues' strange looks and roared, "I took leave because I had a cold! A cold! A cold! That scoundrel Lionel, he was clearly late that day!
This is revenge! This is slander! We absolutely cannot let someone like him appear in the "Bulletin"!"