The next day after dinner, Lionel, Maupassant, and others did not go to the small island in the middle of the river again, but gathered in the study on the top floor of Mr. Zola's Médan Villa.
Besides a huge oak desk, the most striking feature here was the stone fireplace, which cost 1200 francs to build.
On the wall above the fireplace, Zola's motto was engraved: "Never a day without a line."
When Lionel saw these words, he gave Mr. Zola a thumbs up: "Émile, your diligence makes me ashamed!
I truly hope that one day I can also engrave these words on my fireplace..."
Although he didn't know why Lionel was so focused on this motto, Zola still smiled proudly.
Once everyone was seated, with their wine glasses in hand, cigars or cigarettes lit, several gazes focused on Maupassant.
It was his turn to tell a story.
Maupassant put down his wine glass, stood up, and paced to the center of the study, speaking in an emotional tone: "Friends, Émile's story is tragic and profound.
My story, however, might be a little different. Its protagonist is a prostitute, a plump, oily prostitute who is round all over..."
As soon as Maupassant finished speaking, Zola and Huysmans exchanged knowing glances and chuckled mischievously.
Henri Céard even encouraged him, saying, "Guy, this is what you do best—I'm even more excited about this story."
Only Lionel smiled silently, gently swirling the wine in his glass, quietly awaiting the birth of a world-famous masterpiece.
Maupassant's old face flushed, but he quickly recovered and continued his narration, his tone at times light with irony, at others turning to heavy oppression:
"...Rouen had fallen. The city was filled with the stench of defeat and fear. A stagecoach, permitted to leave the occupied territory and head for Le Havre, became the ark of hope for ten people fleeing hell."
"The passengers on the coach included the wine merchant 'Bird' and his wife, the wealthy merchant Mr. Carré-Lamadon and his wife, Count and Countess Hubert de Bréville, the democrat Cornudet, two nuns...
From every perspective, they were the most respectable people in the region."
As Maupassant narrated, a small society within the carriage was vividly depicted.
These people included the mainstream groups of what was then called French "high society" — wealthy merchants, aristocrats, politicians, and clergy (nuns).
Maupassant's tone suddenly rose: "But, a prostitute, a prostitute who had become plump too early, who was so fat she seemed to ooze oil, and whose very fingers were full, also appeared in the carriage, sitting right next to Cornudet..."
Maupassant meticulously described the prostitute's appearance, from her "breasts so full they seemed to burst from her gown" and "face like a red apple or a blooming peony," to her "large, dark, beautiful eyes" and "small, charming mouth," before finally revealing her nickname: "dumpling!"
Huysmans, listening nearby, almost drooled. He rashly interrupted his friend's narration and asked curiously, "Where did you... meet this beautiful and charming girl? Why haven't I seen her?"
Maupassant gave him an annoyed look: "I made her up... Alright, I'll continue."
Next came a highly contrasting and deeply ironic passage from dumpling—
The upright gentlemen and their wives in the carriage, as well as the two nuns, all expressed their disdain for dumpling;
However, when they were famished and dumpling produced a basket of abundant food from under her skirt, generously inviting them to share the meal, these sanctimonious "respectable people" seemed to forget their earlier attitudes and began to feast without any psychological burden, devouring the entire basket of food.
In Maupassant's vivid description, the simplicity and kindness of dumpling and the hypocrisy and shamelessness of the "respectable people" were fully exposed in this narrative.
However, this was clearly not enough to reveal the ugly side of French "high society."
Maupassant continued to narrate, but his tone grew cold: "...However, the coach was detained in the town of Tôtes by an arrogant Prussian officer.
The reason? It was simple, and utterly shameless—he had taken a fancy to dumpling, hinting that she should 'accompany' him for a night, otherwise no one on the coach would be allowed to leave."
To everyone's surprise—including the "respectable people" in the story, and most of those listening in the study—dumpling angrily refused. Although her status was humble, she possessed her own dignity and patriotism.
The initial "righteous indignation" of the respectable people was quickly replaced by anxiety.
Delaying the journey meant losing money, it meant risk! One day, two days... The relentless persuasion began.
First, the shrewd Madame Loiseau used the national righteousness of "sacrificing the small self" to lobby her;
Then the Countess spoke from experience, implying that chastity was insignificant before a "noble purpose";
Even the two nuns brought out the story of Rahab, the prostitute from the Bible, implying that "sacrificing oneself" for the benefit of "everyone" would be forgiven by God...
Maupassant's voice dropped, filled with anger: "'dumpling' was isolated and helpless. Her anger and persistence crumbled under the combined 'persuasion' of the crowd. She succumbed, for the sake of these 'respectable people'.
The next day, the coach was finally allowed to proceed. The 'respectable people' were relieved and overjoyed. They took out their treasured food and feasted in the carriage, chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened last night.
No one looked at 'dumpling', no one offered her even a small piece of bread. She huddled in the corner, cold and hungry, tears of humiliation silently falling."
Just like Zola yesterday, Maupassant added an even more ironic ending to this story—
"Cornudet hummed 'La Marseillaise'—
'Sacred love for the homeland,
Support and guide our avenging hands,
Liberty, dear Liberty,
Fight with your defenders...'
The other passengers also began to hum along.
dumpling kept crying, and sometimes, in the pauses between two sections of the melody, a sob would escape her."
The story abruptly ended, and the study fell into a dead silence.
There was no applause, only heavy breathing and the sound of the Seine River flowing outside the window.
Maupassant's story brought not tragedy, but a chilling cold.
It thoroughly exposed the selfishness, hypocrisy, and callousness of France's "respectable people," especially their naked exploitation of the weak and their ugly moral superiority.
After a long while, Zola finally let out a long breath: "Guy... this story... is like a dagger plunged into my heart.
It has no heroes, only truth... heartbreaking and infuriating truth. Extraordinary! Well done! Your story is even more brilliant than mine!"
Paul Alexis murmured, "My God... the faces of those people... so terrible, and so real!"
Huysmans, for a moment, forgot to ask where he could find this prostitute, and instead fell into deep shock and contemplation.
Lionel also savored the moment—even though he had read dumpling many, many times, Maupassant's oral rendition, though much simpler compared to the final written version, was far more impactful than reading the text!
He felt somewhat fortunate that he had left this story to Maupassant; only through his narration could it be performed so movingly.
Lionel couldn't help but praise Maupassant: "Guy, the money you spent on pretty girls was not in vain! With this story, you will earn it back a hundred, a thousand times over!"
Maupassant was bewildered; was Lionel praising him or being sarcastic?
But it didn't matter, he said gratefully: "Lionel, without you, there would be no story of 'dumpling'..."
Zola looked at the two of them with interest: "Oh? Guy's story was inspired by you? Lionel, then you'll provide tomorrow night's story!"
— — — —
By the time Lionel returned to 64 Lafitte Street, it was almost midnight.
Under the dim streetlights, a young man stood at the entrance of the apartment building, arguing with the doorman about something.
Seeing Lionel, the doorman quickly said, "Mr. Sorel, you've come at the right time. This vagrant insists on going upstairs to see you!"
Hearing the name "Mr. Sorel," the young man excitedly turned around. Upon seeing Lionel's appearance, he spoke with a trembling voice: "Mr. Lionel Sorel? My God, I've finally found you!
I came from Russia, from Moscow, for a whole half month, just to see you..."