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Friday, 27 January 1882
Gambetta has fallen — that is to say, he is no longer a minister — but that is nothing, in my view. Only observe what is happening here: the cowardice and bad faith of men. Those devouring Gambetta, the same intransigents, do not believe a word of all these idiotic accusations — dictatorship and so on.Vendredi 27 janvier 1882 Gambetta est tombé, c’est-à-dire qu’il n’est plus ministre, mais cela n’est rien à mon avis. Seulement admirez dans ce qui se passe la lâcheté et la mauvaise foi des hommes. Ceux qui mangent Gambetta, les mêmes intransigeants ne pensent pas un mot de toutes ces accusations idiotes, de dictature etc. etc.
Ah! I shall always be outraged by the infamies committed every day.
Ah ! je serai toujours révoltée par les infamies qui se commettent tous les jours.
As for the fall of the ministry, it is the list ballot1 — everyone knows that; but also this Gambetta who wanted to obtain the Chamber’s recognition of its own imbecility — only let this rabble of nonentities consent to lose their seats...
Quant à la chute du ministère c’est le scrutin de liste, chacun sait cela, mais aussi ce Gambetta qui voulait obtenir de la Chambre la reconnaissance de son imbécilité, seulement que ce tas de nullités consente à perdre ses mandats...
I had a dream that forebodes the blackest things — some great nastiness I shall have to endure.
J’ai fait un rêve qui me présage les choses les plus noires, quelque grande saleté que j’aurai à subir.
Notes
In French in the original: scrutin de liste (voting for a slate of candidates per department, rather than for a single member per constituency). ↩