Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 47 Expectations of Ten Thousand Women
"Ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellency Madame Marcel de Peña—when it comes to unconventional and unrestrained young people in Paris, one cannot help but mention Lionel Sorel, the student at the Sorbonne!"

Lionel Sorel, from the Alps, poor, wearing a coat with worn-out elbows, able to take a public carriage that only lasts five sous a day, living in the stinking 5th district, yet forever indomitable!

Maupassant stood in the center of Madame de Peña’s living room, waving his arms and speaking with dramatic intonation.

Above him was a velvet-covered ceiling with a giant brass chandelier hanging in the center—but the candlelight inside was just for ambiance; the real lighting came from the huge gas crystal chandeliers in the four corners of the room.

The deities in the murals on the walls seem to be whispering to each other; the ancestors of this family are depicted in large and small gold Baroque frames; the long windows are half-closed, and the curtains are made of the finest Chinese red satin, embroidered with phoenix tail flowers, the work of top Suzhou embroiderers.

The salon's hostess, Baroness Marcela de Peña, dressed in a deep blue velvet evening gown adorned with silver tassels, sat in a high-backed chair by the fireplace, holding an ivory-handled feather fan in her right hand, the fan slowly opening and closing.

The corners of her lips always held a subtle, unchanging curve, neither intimate nor distant, as if waiting for a certain sentence to carry enough weight to make her nod.

Baroness Penia was surrounded by four or five young men—some with dejected expressions and vacant eyes; some with burning gazes full of admiration; and others leaning slightly forward, as if ready to listen to her story at any moment.

In another corner of the living room, several ladies sat around the coffee table, some sipping absinthe, others wearing gloves flipping through the newly published copy of Le Figaro. They occasionally whispered about whose daughter had married into a banking family, or whose male servants had recently gotten into a fight at the market…

Maupassant was undoubtedly the center of attention in the room at that moment.

He paced back and forth in the middle of the living room, his face flushed and his voice booming: "...This very Monday morning, while the lazybones of Paris are still huddled in their warm beds, he will stand on the Sorbonne's dock, facing interrogation as cold and merciless as a sword!"

“Oh?” Baroness Penia became interested and suddenly asked, “Last week… no, the week before that, didn’t ‘Poor Lionel’ reconcile with Professor Hippolyte Taine? Why is the Sorbonne still interrogating him?”

Maupassant was taken aback. Which version of "The Legend of the Poor Lionel" was this? He had never heard of it before.
However, being the later "King of Short Stories," Maupassant quickly changed the subject: "It wasn't because of Professor Hippolyte Taine, but... but..."

He tried hard to recall the few fragments he had heard at Mallarmé's salon on Tuesday, but Mallarmé's voice was inherently languid and indistinct, and there was a young man playing the piano in the room, so he could only remember a few keywords.

But a few keywords were enough for Maupassant to elaborate. He quickly sorted out his thoughts, and his voice regained its confidence: "It is Mr. Victor Hugo who wants to 'meet' this audacious young man who dares to challenge the authority of the academicians!"

The appearance of "Victor Hugo" at the salon finally drew the attention of the men who had been staring at the Baroness to Maupassant.

One of them scoffed, “Guy, shouldn’t your novels be published in Le Figaro? Why are they here?”
Mr. Victor Hugo going to the Sorbonne to interrogate a country bumpkin from the Alps? You might as well make up a story about His Majesty Napoleon being resurrected and leading his Praetorian Guard to conquer Berlin!

Maupassant was also annoyed, and he retorted firmly, "No, it is precisely because he was willing to come to the Sorbonne to witness the rise of a poor young man that he is Victor Hugo! Not a snobbish fool!"

The young man, angered by the rebuttal, jumped up from his seat, but was immediately pressed back down by a glance from the Baroness, and could only turn his head away in a huff.

Baroness Peña was clearly very interested in the new story of “the poor Lionel” that Maupassant had brought: “Go on, Guy.”

Encouraged, Maupassant continued to take the fragmented, secondhand information he had heard from Stefan Mallarmé and, with his own bold imagination, embellish it into a new legend for Lionel. In this short play, Lionel leaps onto the table, righteously denouncing the Sorbonne's rigid management system, outdated teaching content, and the prevailing competitive atmosphere throughout the university!

The Sorbonne's principal and the professors present were all impressed by the young man's courage and eloquence.

After Lionel finished his speech, Mr. Victor Hugo firmly grasped his hands and announced to everyone present: "Suppressing and bullying talented young people is a debt owed by the Sorbonne and by France!"

Gentlemen! Please remember this debt. Only by remembering it do we deserve a future!

Maupassant's final words were so powerful and resonant that they stunned everyone in the salon—this kind of maxim, as loud and clear as a bell, was indeed very much like Mr. Hugo's speaking style!
My goodness, Mr. Hugo actually believed that the Sorbonne and France owed Lionel a debt! What a high compliment!

Baroness Penia's eyes were already glistening with tears: "Oh my goodness, I never imagined that 'poor Lionel' could move even Mr. Hugo to tears!"

It is unacceptable for such a talented young person to be trapped in poverty on French soil!

Guy, next time, could you bring 'Poor Lionel' to my salon?

Maupassant then realized he had gone a bit overboard; Baroness Peña seemed more interested in Lionel than in him, so he quickly added, "Your kindness brings glory to all of Paris!"
However, Lionel is currently working on a masterpiece that will be published in the next issue of the Sorbonne Bulletin and is too busy to attend the salon; besides, Lionel has never attended such a grand event before…”

Baroness Penia could only nod regretfully upon hearing this: "A masterpiece? I can't wait..."

Maupassant then wiped a cold sweat from his brow. Seeing that the Baroness was in high spirits, he cautiously and reverently approached her, saying in a humble tone, "My dear Marsela, my novel *Old Tales* will be performed at the Théâtre de Barand on the 19th of this month..."

It would be an honor for me, the theater, all the actors, and the audience if you could deign to attend…

Upon hearing this, the Baroness gave him a half-smile and asked lazily, "How much more sponsorship do you need?"

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The story of "Poor Lionel" and Mr. Hugo quickly spread throughout the salons of Parisian ladies, and even among the gatherings of pure artists.

The masterpiece being created by "Poor Lionel" also became the focus of attention for these ladies—and the March issue of the Sorbonne College Bulletin, which published it, received even more attention.

Professor Gaston Boischer felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the large stack of additional order lists on the table.

(End of this chapter)