Comissaire Simonet, although nearly seventy, was even more enthusiastic about the plan than Javert (I will leave the reader to imagine his reasons) and together they managed to persuade the Prefect. So, as the weeks wore on, an air of smugness began to settle over the Rue Pontoise post like a mist.. Not only did they have the best Comissaire, the most talented Inspector and their own personal superiority to the men working in other patches, they now had The Plan. The younger officers took to regarding with superior pity those of their counterparts not of Pontoise ('Pontaise' as they jokingly called it). They dropped cryptic hints about the 'very important and exciting political task' they were engaged in that 'any man would give his right arm to be involved in - not that anyone could do it, y'know!' Even Javert - usually restrained when it came to such childish displays - had been pulling much the same act on his rival, Inspector Daguerre of Place de Chatelet. In fact, Javert begun to be uncharacteristically cheerful (although he did not deign to disclose why), a fact which helped to contribute to a sort of carnival air at 14 Rue Pontoise. There was a sort of Christmas Eve expectancy over proceedings and Rougemont found himself enjoying his job more and more
Which was fortunate, as he was now required to spend more time working as ' Joseph Rougemont of the Paris Prefacture' rather than as 'Joseph-Marie Nouis, law student'. His friends, principally Grantaire, complained of never seeing him, but there was simply so much to be organised that he had to satisfy them with vague mutters of 'protests from the parents . . Must work . . Delvincourt's on my arse' Despite this, Javert obviously still expected his detailed weekly report on revolutionary student life to be just as detailed and weekly as ever.
One afternoon as Joseph was leaving the police post to meet Grantaire and the others at the Corinth, Javert stopped him and handed him a letter.
Javert now habitually referred to the operation as bagatelle so Rougemont did not bat an eyelid at his. He had found he was becoming more used to the Inspector's highly individual diction now anyway.
"You're to do precisely what it says on the first note - don't open the second one - there's nothing very complex involved. You're to go and see Count Vito Montenotte. He lives the top end of Rivoli - you know where I mean? You're to go todat if possible. Anyway, it's all in the letter - slightly irregular procedure, but on a job like this that's to be expected."
"Is the letter from M Gisquet, Sir?"
Rougemont asked but by that time Javert had wandered back into his office muttering darkly about Bernadot the stove fitter.
Upon reflection, Rougemont decided that the letter was indeed from M Gisquet. The handwriting was completely different from either Simonet's thick scrawl or Javert's angular and ornate hand - it was soft, almost womanish, but purposeful. And since he was too lowly to have ever encountered and example of the prefect's hand before beginning 'Bagatelle' that is what he assumed it to be.
'Well,' he thought to himself 'I am going up in the world!' He had noticed that both Javert and Pontellier had started to treat him with a new respect also, which was cheering (although Jolivet was just as prissy as ever)
Arriving in the Corinth he found his friends in a hubbub of tipsy excitement grouped around a copy of Revue Des Deux Mondes.
"No! It can't be Bossuet - you lie!" cried a disbelieving Courfeyrac
"I solemnly swear that is what it says Armand!"
"Oh give it here!". Combeferre snatched the paper and began to read aloud; "The celebrated Vito Montenotte and the incomparably Olympia look set to present the Parisian theatre-going public with a new spectacular - the likes of which they have never known before. After their fruitful recent collaboration on the comic 'Widow of Brest' the composer and his muse are embarking upon a more daring project. Montenotte's new opera is to be based upon the legend of Dr Faustus and Mlle Olympia is to play Helen of Troy - a role in which, it is rumoured, she will be required to pass across the stage naked"
Combeferre then proceeded to read, in a silly voice, the rest of the article which concerned the outrage of some fuddy-duddy clergyman or the other on the subject.
Noticing that Joseph had arrived he turned to him and said, "Well, what do you make of that my friend?"
"Oh," said Rougemont in a tone of lordly indifference, "I already knew."
"How?" asked Combeferre, slack jawed.
"Oh, I have ways" he replied smugly. Perhaps a little too smugly but he couldn't help himself. If you couldn't indulge in a guilty pleasure now and then why go on living?
"You are such a windbag Joseph!" exclaimed Grantaire. "' 'I have ways!' just listen to him - y'would think he was Vidocq the way he talks! You only know because you read the paper this morning."
"Did not - I've know for weeks" Not a word of a lie there.
"How - did a gypsy read your fortune?" Grantaire laughed.
'Oh, you don't know the half of it' thought Rougemont with a smirk.
"How could you possibly know - tell me how!"
"I know her." said Rougemont without being able to stop himself, "I know Olympia"
He knew that this was entirely the wrong thing to say, but it was also a lot more impressive that saying 'I know a man who lived next door to a woman who knows her'
Most of the people in the room looked incredulous, Grantaire merely smiled a wolfish, ironic smile and said, very calmly,
"Prove it."
"What?"
"Prove you know Olympia. I bet you can't do it. In fact, I bet you a case of claret that you can't do it"
"Fine, I accept the bet - I'm quite partial to claret" said Rougemont with equal coolness.
Courfeyrac and Combeferre looked at him, clearly impressed by his display of sang-froid.
And, because he was an artist when it came to braggadocio, Rougemont added gaily,
"I can get you all tickets too - front row at the Opéra"
"Just so long as the orange-sellers there charge less than at the bloody Varietés," said Bossuet, grumbling to hide his pleasure, " Utterly outrageous the prices they charge!"
" When you've all finished" came the rather exasperated voice of Enjolras. "Before you all started being nonsensical we were discussing a meeting with that group from the Barriere du Maine - "
"You can't honestly tell us that you're not excited by the prospect of a naked Olympia" said Grantaire with a wink.
"I can honestly tell you that I am not excited by the prospect of a naked Olympia. I think you're all being completely ridiculous."
"Does that mean you wont want a ticket for the opening night?" said Rougemont with a faux-innocent look.
" I think I can guarantee that I'll have better things to do. Moving on - "
"To the Bouillabaisse!" Sighed Grantaire as Enjolras was interrupted once again by the arrival of their meal.