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Welding Metallurgy 2ed. Edition Sindo Kou Digital
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Author(s): Sindo Kou
ISBN(s): 9780471434917, 0471434914
Edition: 2ed.
File Details: PDF, 8.74 MB
Year: 2003
Language: english
WELDING
METALLURGY
SECOND EDITION
WELDING
METALLURGY
SECOND EDITION

Sindo Kou
Professor and Chair
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Wisconsin

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

Copyright © 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kou, Sindo.
Welding metallurgy / Sindo Kou.–2nd ed.
p. cm.
“A Wiley-Interscience publication.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-471-43491-4
1. Welding. 2. Metallurgy. 3. Alloys. I. Title.
TS227 .K649 2002
671.5¢2–dc21
2002014327

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
 To Warren F. Savage
for his outstanding contributions to welding metallurgy
CONTENTS

Preface xiii

I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Fusion Welding Processes 3

1.1 Overview 3
1.2 Oxyacetylene Welding 7
1.3 Shielded Metal Arc Welding 11
1.4 Gas–Tungsten Arc Welding 13
1.5 Plasma Arc Welding 16
1.6 Gas–Metal Arc Welding 19
1.7 Flux-Core Arc Welding 22
1.8 Submerged Arc Welding 22
1.9 Electroslag Welding 24
1.10 Electron Beam Welding 27
1.11 Laser Beam Welding 29
References 33
Further Reading 34
Problems 34

2 Heat Flow in Welding 37

2.1 Heat Source 37
2.2 Analysis of Heat Flow in Welding 47
2.3 Effect of Welding Parameters 53
2.4 Weld Thermal Simulator 58
References 60
Further Reading 62
Problems 62

3 Chemical Reactions in Welding 65

3.1 Overview 65
3.2 Gas–Metal Reactions 68
3.3 Slag–Metal Reactions 82
References 92
vii
viii CONTENTS

Further Reading 95
Problems 95

4 Fluid Flow and Metal Evaporation in Welding 97

4.1 Fluid Flow in Arcs 97
4.2 Fluid Flow in Weld Pools 103
4.3 Metal Evaporation 114
4.4 Active Flux GTAW 116
References 117
Further Reading 119
Problems 120

5 Residual Stresses, Distortion, and Fatigue 122

5.1 Residual Stresses 122
5.2 Distortion 126
5.3 Fatigue 131
5.4 Case Studies 137
References 140
Further Reading 141
Problems 141

II THE FUSION ZONE 143

6 Basic Solidification Concepts 145

6.1 Solute Redistribution during Solidification 145
6.2 Solidification Modes and Constitutional Supercooling 155
6.3 Microsegregation and Banding 160
6.4 Effect of Cooling Rate 163
6.5 Solidification Path 166
References 167
Further Reading 168
Problems 169

7 Weld Metal Solidification I: Grain Structure 170

7.1 Epitaxial Growth at Fusion Boundary 170
7.2 Nonepitaxial Growth at Fusion Boundary 172
7.3 Competitive Growth in Bulk Fusion Zone 174
7.4 Effect of Welding Parameters on Grain Structure 174
7.5 Weld Metal Nucleation Mechanisms 178
7.6 Grain Structure Control 187
 CONTENTS ix

References 195
Further Reading 197
Problems 197

8 Weld Metal Solidification II: Microstructure within Grains 199

8.1 Solidification Modes 199
8.2 Dendrite and Cell Spacing 204
8.3 Effect of Welding Parameters 206
8.4 Refining Microstructure within Grains 209
References 213
Further Reading 213
Problems 214

9 Post-Solidification Phase Transformations 216

9.1 Ferrite-to-Austenite Transformation in Austenitic Stainless
Steel Welds 216
9.2 Austenite-to-Ferrite Transformation in Low-Carbon,
Low-Alloy Steel Welds 232
References 239
Further Reading 241
Problems 241

10 Weld Metal Chemical Inhomogeneities 243

10.1 Microsegregation 243
10.2 Banding 249
10.3 Inclusions and Gas Porosity 250
10.4 Inhomogeneities Near Fusion Boundary 252
10.5 Macrosegregation in Bulk Weld Metal 255
References 260
Further Reading 261
Problems 261

11 Weld Metal Solidification Cracking 263

11.1 Characteristics, Cause, and Testing 263
11.2 Metallurgical Factors 268
11.3 Mechanical Factors 284
11.4 Reducing Solidification Cracking 285
11.5 Case Study: Failure of a Large Exhaust Fan 295
References 296
Further Reading 299
Problems 299
x CONTENTS

III THE PARTIALLY MELTED ZONE 301

12 Formation of the Partially Melted Zone 303

12.1 Evidence of Liquation 303
12.2 Liquation Mechanisms 304
12.3 Directional Solidification of Liquated Material 314
12.4 Grain Boundary Segregation 314
12.5 Grain Boundary Solidification Modes 316
12.6 Partially Melted Zone in Cast Irons 318
References 318
Problems 319

13 Difficulties Associated with the Partially Melted Zone 321

13.1 Liquation Cracking 321
13.2 Loss of Strength and Ductility 328
13.3 Hydrogen Cracking 328
13.4 Remedies 330
References 336
Problems 338

IV THE HEAT-AFFECTED ZONE 341

14 Work-Hardened Materials 343

14.1 Background 343
14.2 Recrystallization and Grain Growth in Welding 347
14.3 Effect of Welding Parameters and Process 349
References 351
Further Reading 352
Problems 352

15 Precipitation-Hardening Materials I: Aluminum Alloys 353

15.1 Background 353
15.2 Al–Cu–Mg and Al–Mg–Si Alloys 359
15.3 Al–Zn–Mg Alloys 367
15.4 Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys 370
References 371
Further Reading 372
Problems 372

16 Precipitation-Hardening Materials II: Nickel-Base Alloys 375

16.1 Background 375
 CONTENTS xi

16.2 Reversion of Precipitate and Loss of Strength 379

16.3 Postweld Heat Treatment Cracking 384
References 390
Further Reading 392
Problems 392

17 Transformation-Hardening Materials: Carbon and

Alloy Steels 393
17.1 Phase Diagram and CCT Diagrams 393
17.2 Carbon Steels 396
17.3 Low-Alloy Steels 404
17.4 Hydrogen Cracking 410
17.5 Reheat Cracking 418
17.6 Lamellar Tearing 422
17.7 Case Studies 425
References 427
Further Reading 429
Problems 430

18 Corrosion-Resistant Materials: Stainless Steels 431

18.1 Classification of Stainless Steels 431
18.2 Austenitic Stainless Steels 433
18.3 Ferritic Stainless Steels 446
18.4 Martensitic Stainless Steels 449
18.5 Case Study: Failure of a Pipe 451
References 452
Further Reading 453
Problems 454

Index 455
PREFACE

Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 1987, there has been
much new progress made in welding metallurgy. The purpose for the second
edition is to update and improve the first edition. Examples of improvements
include (1) much sharper photomicrographs and line drawings; (2) integration
of the phase diagram, thermal cycles, and kinetics with the microstructure to
explain microstructural development and defect formation in welds; and (3)
additional exercise problems. Specific revisions are as follows.
In Chapter 1 the illustrations for all welding processes have been re-
drawn to show both the overall process and the welding area. In Chapter
2 the heat source efficiency has been updated and the melting efficiency
added. Chapter 3 has been revised extensively, with the dissolution of
atomic nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen in the molten metal considered and
electrochemical reactions added. Chapter 4 has also been revised extensively,
with the arc added, and with flow visualization, arc plasma dragging, and
turbulence included in weld pool convection. Shot peening is added to
Chapter 5.
Chapter 6 has been revised extensively, with solute redistribution and
microsegregation expanded and the solidification path added. Chapter 7 now
includes nonepitaxial growth at the fusion boundary and formation of non-
dendritic equiaxed grains. In Chapter 8 solidification modes are explained with
more illustrations. Chapter 9 has been expanded significantly to add ferrite
formation mechanisms, new ferrite prediction methods, the effect of cooling
rate, and factors affecting the austenite–ferrite transformation. Chapter 10
now includes the effect of both solid-state diffusion and dendrite tip under-
cooling on microsegregation. Chapter 11 has been revised extensively to
include the effect of eutectic reactions, liquid distribution, and ductility of
the solidifying metal on solidification cracking and the calculation of fraction
of liquid in multicomponent alloys.
Chapter 12 has been rewritten completely to include six different liquation
mechanisms in the partially melted zone (PMZ), the direction and modes of
grain boundary (GB) solidification, and the resultant GB segregation. Chapter
13 has been revised extensively to include the mechanism of PMZ cracking
and the effect of the weld-metal composition on cracking.
Chapter 15 now includes the heat-affected zone (HAZ) in aluminum–
lithium–copper welds and friction stir welds and Chapter 16 the HAZ of
Inconel 718. Chapter 17 now includes the effect of multiple-pass welding on
xiii
xiv PREFACE

reheat cracking and Chapter 18 the grain boundary chromium depletion in a

sensitized austenitic stainless steel.
The author thanks the National Science Foundation and NASA for
supporting his welding research, from which this book draws frequently.
He also thanks the American Welding Society and ASM International for per-
missions to use numerous copyrighted materials. Finally, he thanks C. Huang,
G. Cao, C. Limmaneevichitr, H. D. Lu, K. W. Keehn, and T. Tantanawat for pro-
viding technical material, requesting permissions, and proofreading.

Sindo Kou

Madison, Wisconsin
 Welding Metallurgy, Second Edition. Sindo Kou
Copyright ¶ 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBN: 0-471-43491-4

PART I
Introduction
 Welding Metallurgy, Second Edition. Sindo Kou
Copyright ¶ 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBN: 0-471-43491-4

1 Fusion Welding Processes

Fusion welding processes will be described in this chapter, including gas

welding, arc welding, and high-energy beam welding. The advantages and dis-
advantages of each process will be discussed.

1.1 OVERVIEW

1.1.1 Fusion Welding Processes

Fusion welding is a joining process that uses fusion of the base metal to make
the weld. The three major types of fusion welding processes are as follows:

1. Gas welding:
Oxyacetylene welding (OAW)
2. Arc welding:
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)
Gas–tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
Plasma arc welding (PAW)
Gas–metal arc welding (GMAW)
Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW)
Submerged arc welding (SAW)
Electroslag welding (ESW)
3. High-energy beam welding:
Electron beam welding (EBW)
Laser beam welding (LBW)

Since there is no arc involved in the electroslag welding process, it is not

exactly an arc welding process. For convenience of discussion, it is grouped
with arc welding processes.

1.1.2 Power Density of Heat Source

Consider directing a 1.5-kW hair drier very closely to a 304 stainless steel sheet
1.6 mm (1/16 in.) thick. Obviously, the power spreads out over an area of roughly
3
4 FUSION WELDING PROCESSES

50 mm (2 in.) diameter, and the sheet just heats up gradually but will not melt.
With GTAW at 1.5 kW, however, the arc concentrates on a small area of about
6 mm (1/4 in.) diameter and can easily produce a weld pool. This example clearly
demonstrates the importance of the power density of the heat source in
welding.
The heat sources for the gas, arc, and high-energy beam welding processes
are a gas flame, an electric arc, and a high-energy beam, respectively. The
power density increases from a gas flame to an electric arc and a high-energy
beam. As shown in Figure 1.1, as the power density of the heat source
increases, the heat input to the workpiece that is required for welding
decreases. The portion of the workpiece material exposed to a gas flame heats
up so slowly that, before any melting occurs, a large amount of heat is already
conducted away into the bulk of the workpiece. Excessive heating can cause
damage to the workpiece, including weakening and distortion. On the con-
trary, the same material exposed to a sharply focused electron or laser beam
can melt or even vaporize to form a deep keyhole instantaneously, and before
much heat is conducted away into the bulk of the workpiece, welding is com-
pleted (1).
Therefore, the advantages of increasing the power density of the heat
source are deeper weld penetration, higher welding speeds, and better weld
quality with less damage to the workpiece, as indicated in Figure 1.1. Figure
1.2 shows that the weld strength (of aluminum alloys) increases as the heat
input per unit length of the weld per unit thickness of the workpiece decreases
(2). Figure 1.3a shows that angular distortion is much smaller in EBW than in

Increasing
damage to
workpiece
Heat input to workpiece

gas
welding

arc
welding

Increasing
penetration,
welding speed,
weld quality,
high energy equipment cost
beam welding

Power density of heat source

Figure 1.1 Variation of heat input to the workpiece with power density of the heat
source.
 OVERVIEW 5

60

2219

Strength, ksi
50
5083 7039

40

30
6061
5 10 50 100 500
Heat input, kJ/in./in.
Figure 1.2 Variation of weld strength with heat input per unit length of weld per unit
thickness of workpiece. Reprinted from Mendez and Eagar (2).

8
Productivity, inch of weld/s
0.04 0.4 4 40 400 7
Distortion angle α degree

107 10
6 Laser
Capital equipment, dollars

Power density, W/m 2

electron
beam
t
4 105 105
W

α
GTA

2 Arc
103 103
EBW Flame
0
0 20 40 0.1 1 10 100
(a) Weld thickness t, mm (b) Productivity, cm/s
Figure 1.3 Comparisons between welding processes: (a) angular distortion; (b) capital
equipment cost. Reprinted from Mendez and Eagar (2).

GTAW (2). Unfortunately, as shown in Figure 1.3b, the costs of laser and elec-
tron beam welding machines are very high (2).

1.1.3 Welding Processes and Materials

Table 1.1 summarizes the fusion welding processes recommended for carbon
steels, low-alloy steels, stainless steels, cast irons, nickel-base alloys, and
 TABLE 1.1 Overview of Welding Processesa

6
Material Thicknessb SMAW SAW GMAW FCAW GTAW PAW ESW OFW EBW LBW
Carbon S ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
steels I ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Low-alloy S ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
steels I ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Stainless S ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
steels I ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Cast iron I ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Nickel S ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
and alloys I ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
Aluminum S ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
and alloys I ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕
M ✕ ✕ ✕
T ✕ ✕
a
Process code: SMAW, shielded metal arc welding; SAW, submerged arc welding; GMAW, gas–metal arc welding; FCAW, flux-cored arc welding; GTAW,
gas–tungsten arc welding; PAW, plasma arc welding; ESW, electroslag welding; OFW, oxyfuel gas welding; EBW, electron beam welding; LBW, laser beam
welding.
b
Abbreviations: S, sheet, up to 3 mm (1/8 in.); I, intermediate, 3–6 mm (1/8–1/4 in.); M, medium, 6–19 mm (1/4–3/4 in.); T, thick, 19 mm (3/4 in.) and up; X,
recommended.
Source: Welding Handbook (3).
 OXYACETYLENE WELDING 7

(a) butt joint

t (b) lap joint
e join
ed g (e) corner joint (c) T-joint
(d)

Figure 1.4 Five basic types of weld joint designs.

aluminum alloys (3). For one example, GMAW can be used for all the materi-
als of almost all thickness ranges while GTAW is mostly for thinner workpieces.
For another example, any arc welding process that requires the use of a flux,
such as SMAW, SAW, FCAW, and ESW, is not applicable to aluminum alloys.

1.1.4 Types of Joints and Welding Positions

Figure 1.4 shows the basic weld joint designs in fusion welding: the butt, lap,
T-, edge, and corner joints. Figure 1.5 shows the transverse cross section of
some typical weld joint variations. The surface of the weld is called the face,
the two junctions between the face and the workpiece surface are called the
toes, and the portion of the weld beyond the workpiece surface is called the
reinforcement. Figure 1.6 shows four welding positions.

1.2 OXYACETYLENE WELDING

1.2.1 The Process

Gas welding is a welding process that melts and joins metals by heating them
with a flame caused by the reaction between a fuel gas and oxygen. Oxy-
acetylene welding (OAW), shown in Figure 1.7, is the most commonly used
gas welding process because of its high flame temperature. A flux may be used
to deoxidize and cleanse the weld metal. The flux melts, solidifies, and forms
a slag skin on the resultant weld metal. Figure 1.8 shows three different types
of flames in oxyacetylene welding: neutral, reducing, and oxidizing (4), which
are described next.

1.2.2 Three Types of Flames

A. Neutral Flame This refers to the case where oxygen (O2) and acetylene
(C2H2) are mixed in equal amounts and burned at the tip of the welding torch.
A short inner cone and a longer outer envelope characterize a neutral flame
8 FUSION WELDING PROCESSES

Reinforcement Toe
(a) Toe (d)
Toe

Butt joint; T-joint;

square weld fillet weld

(b) Reinforcement (e)

Toe Toe
Toe

Root
Butt joint; T-joint;
single-V-groove weld single bevel weld

(c) Toe

Toe

Lap joint;
fillet weld

Figure 1.5 Typical weld joint variations.

(Figure 1.8a). The inner cone is the area where the primary combustion takes
place through the chemical reaction between O2 and C2H2, as shown in Figure
1.9. The heat of this reaction accounts for about two-thirds of the total heat
generated. The products of the primary combustion, CO and H2, react with O2
from the surrounding air and form CO2 and H2O. This is the secondary com-
bustion, which accounts for about one-third of the total heat generated. The
area where this secondary combustion takes place is called the outer enve-
lope. It is also called the protection envelope since CO and H2 here consume
the O2 entering from the surrounding air, thereby protecting the weld metal
from oxidation. For most metals, a neutral flame is used.

B. Reducing Flame When excess acetylene is used, the resulting flame is

called a reducing [Link] combustion of acetylene is [Link] a result,
a greenish acetylene feather between the inert cone and the outer envelope
characterizes a reducing flame (Figure 1.8b). This flame is reducing in nature
and is desirable for welding aluminum alloys because aluminum oxidizes
easily. It is also good for welding high-carbon steels (also called carburizing
flame in this case) because excess oxygen can oxidize carbon and form CO gas
porosity in the weld metal.
 OXYACETYLENE WELDING 9

(a) flat (b) horizontal

(c) vertical (d) overhead

Figure 1.6 Four welding positions.

Flow meter Regulator

Oxygen

Welding
direction
Valve
O2

Gas torch
C2H2
Acetylene
(a)

Workpiece

Oxygen/acetylene
mixture
Filler rod

Protection
envelope Primary
combustion
Metal
droplet Slag
Weld
(b) metal
Base metal Weld pool
Figure 1.7 Oxyacetylene welding: (a) overall process; (b) welding area enlarged.
10 FUSION WELDING PROCESSES

Neutral Flame
inner cone

(a)

inner cone Reducing Flame

(b)

acetylene feather

inner cone Oxidizing Flame

(c)

Figure 1.8 Three types of flames in oxyacetylene welding. Modified from Welding
Journal (4). Courtesy of American Welding Society.

Gas C2H2 + O2
Primary combustion in inner
cone (2/3 total heat) :
Torch 2C2H2 + 2O2 (from cylinder)
4CO + 2H2
inner Secondary combustion in outer
2800 - 3500 oC cone envelope (1/3 total heat) :
Flame 2500 oC outer 4CO + 2O2 (from air) 4CO2
envelope
2H2 + O2 (from air) 2H2O
1000 oC
Figure 1.9 Chemical reactions and temperature distribution in a neutral oxyacetylene
flame.

C. Oxidizing Flame When excess oxygen is used, the flame becomes oxi-
dizing because of the presence of unconsumed oxygen. A short white inner
cone characterizes an oxidizing flame (Figure 1.8c). This flame is preferred
when welding brass because copper oxide covers the weld pool and thus pre-
vents zinc from evaporating from the weld pool.

1.2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages

The main advantage of the oxyacetylene welding process is that the equip-
ment is simple, portable, and inexpensive. Therefore, it is convenient for main-
tenance and repair applications. However, due to its limited power density, the
 SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING 11

welding speed is very low and the total heat input per unit length of the weld
is rather high, resulting in large heat-affected zones and severe distortion. The
oxyacetylene welding process is not recommended for welding reactive metals
such as titanium and zirconium because of its limited protection power.

1.3 SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING

1.3.1 The Process

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is a process that melts and joins metals
by heating them with an arc established between a sticklike covered electrode
and the metals, as shown in Figure 1.10. It is often called stick welding.
The electrode holder is connected through a welding cable to one terminal
of the power source and the workpiece is connected through a second cable
to the other terminal of the power source (Figure 1.10a).
The core of the covered electrode, the core wire, conducts the electric
current to the arc and provides filler metal for the joint. For electrical contact,
the top 1.5 cm of the core wire is bare and held by the electrode holder. The
electrode holder is essentially a metal clamp with an electrically insulated
outside shell for the welder to hold safely.
The heat of the arc causes both the core wire and the flux covering at the
electrode tip to melt off as droplets (Figure 1.10b). The molten metal collects
in the weld pool and solidifies into the weld metal. The lighter molten flux, on
the other hand, floats on the pool surface and solidifies into a slag layer at the
top of the weld metal.

1.3.2 Functions of Electrode Covering

The covering of the electrode contains various chemicals and even metal
powder in order to perform one or more of the functions described below.

A. Protection It provides a gaseous shield to protect the molten metal from

air. For a cellulose-type electrode, the covering contains cellulose, (C6H10O5)x.
A large volume of gas mixture of H2, CO, H2O, and CO2 is produced when
cellulose in the electrode covering is heated and decomposes. For a limestone-
(CaCO3
) type electrode, on the other hand, CO2 gas and CaO slag form when
the limestone decomposes. The limestone-type electrode is a low-hydrogen-
type electrode because it produces a gaseous shield low in hydrogen. It is often
used for welding metals that are susceptible to hydrogen cracking, such as
high-strength steels.

B. Deoxidation It provides deoxidizers and fluxing agents to deoxidize and

cleanse the weld metal. The solid slag formed also protects the already solid-
ified but still hot weld metal from oxidation.
12 FUSION WELDING PROCESSES

(a)
Electrode Power
holder Source

Welding Cable 1
direction Stick
electrode
Cable 2
Workpiece

Core wire
(b)
Flux covering
Metal Gaseous shield
droplet
Flux Arc
droplet Slag
Weld
metal

Base metal Weld pool

Figure 1.10 Shielded metal arc welding: (a) overall process; (b) welding area enlarged.

C. Arc Stabilization It provides arc stabilizers to help maintain a stable

arc. The arc is an ionic gas (a plasma) that conducts the electric current.
Arc stabilizers are compounds that decompose readily into ions in the arc,
such as potassium oxalate and lithium carbonate. They increase the electrical
conductivity of the arc and help the arc conduct the electric current more
smoothly.

D. Metal Addition It provides alloying elements and/or metal powder to

the weld pool. The former helps control the composition of the weld metal
while the latter helps increase the deposition rate.

1.3.3 Advantages and Disadvantages

The welding equipment is relatively simple, portable, and inexpensive as com-
pared to other arc welding processes. For this reason, SMAW is often used for
maintenance, repair, and field construction. However, the gas shield in SMAW
is not clean enough for reactive metals such as aluminum and titanium. The
deposition rate is limited by the fact that the electrode covering tends to over-
heat and fall off when excessively high welding currents are used. The limited
length of the electrode (about 35 cm) requires electrode changing, and this
further reduces the overall production rate.
Another Random Scribd Document
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food or a puff of tobacco-smoke. What a stupid blockhead!
I had a great desire to know what they could be saying to each
other when they were alone,—the two of them. Last night, for more
than twenty minutes, I listened at the door of the salon. I heard
Monsieur crumpling a newspaper. Madame, seated at her little desk,
was casting up her accounts.
"What did I give you yesterday?" Madame asked.
"Two francs," answered Monsieur.
"You are sure?"
"Why, yes, my pet."
"Well, I am short thirty-eight sous."
"It was not I who took them."
"No, it was the cat."
Of the other matter they said not a word.

In the kitchen Joseph does not like to have us talk about the little
Claire. When Marianne or I broach the subject, he immediately
changes it, or else takes no part in the conversation. It annoys him.
I do not know why, but the idea has come to me—and it is burying
itself deeper and deeper in my mind—that it was Joseph who did it.
I have no proofs, no clues to warrant my suspicion,—no other clues
than his eyes, no other proofs than the slight movement of surprise
that escaped him when, on my return from the grocer's, I suddenly,
in the harness-room, threw in his face for the first time the name of
the little Claire murdered and outraged. And yet this purely intuitive
suspicion has grown, first into a possibility, and then into a certainty.
Undoubtedly I am mistaken. I try to convince myself that Joseph is a
"pearl." I say to myself over and over again that my imagination
takes mad flights, obedient to the influence of the romantic
perversity that is in me. But all in vain; the impression remains, in
spite of myself, never leaves me for a moment, and is assuming the
tormenting and grimacing form of a fixed idea. And I have an
irresistible desire to ask Joseph:
"Say, Joseph, was it you who outraged the little Claire in the woods?
Was it you, old pig?"
The crime was committed on a Saturday. I remember that Joseph, at
about that date, went to the forest of Raillon to get some heath
mould. He was absent all day, and did not return to the Priory with
his load till late in the evening. Of that I am sure. And—an
extraordinary coincidence—I remember certain restless movements,
certain troubled looks, that he had that evening, when he came
back. I took no notice of them then. Why should I have done so?
But to-day these facial details come back to me forcibly. But was it
on the Saturday of the crime that Joseph went to the forest of
Raillon? I seek in vain to fix the date of his absence. And then, had
he really the restless movements, the accusing looks, that I attribute
to him, and which denounce him to me? Is it not I who am bent
upon suggesting to myself the unusual strangeness of those
movements and those looks? Am I not determined, without reason
and against all probability, that it shall be Joseph—a pearl—who did
it? It irritates me, and at the same time confirms me in my
apprehensions, that I cannot reconstruct before my eyes the tragedy
of the forest. If only the judicial examination had revealed fresh
tracks of a cart on the dead leaves and on the heather in the
neighborhood? But no; the examination revealed nothing of the
kind; it revealed the outrage and murder of a little girl, and that is
all. Well, it is precisely that which so excites me. This cleverness of
the assassin in leaving not the slightest trace of his crime behind
him, this diabolical invisibility,—I feel in it and see in it the presence
of Joseph. Enervated, I make bold suddenly, after a silence, to ask
him this question:
"Joseph, what day was it that you went to the forest of Raillon to get
heath mould? Do you remember?"
Without haste, without a start, Joseph puts down the newspaper
that he was reading. Now his soul is steeled against surprises.
"Why do you ask?" he says.
"Because I want to know."
Joseph looks at me with his heavy, searching gaze. Then, without
affectation, he seems to be ransacking his memory in search of
recollections that are already old. And he answers:
"Indeed, I do not remember exactly; I think, though, that it was on
a Saturday."
"The Saturday when the body of the little Claire was found in the
woods?" I go on, giving to this inquiry, too quickly uttered, an
aggressive tone.
Joseph does not take his eyes from mine. His look has become so
sharp and so terrible that, in spite of my customary effrontery, I am
obliged to turn away my head.
"Possibly," he says again; "indeed, I really think that it was that
Saturday."
And he adds:
"Oh! these confounded women! You would do much better to think
of something else. If you read the newspaper, you would see that
they have been killing Jews again in Algeria. That at least is
something worth while."
Apart from his look, he is calm, natural, almost good-natured. His
gestures are easy; his voice no longer trembles. I become silent, and
Joseph, picking up the newspaper that he had laid on the table,
begins to read again, in the most tranquil fashion in the world.
For my part, I have begun to dream again. Now that I am about it, I
should like to find in Joseph's life some act of real ferocity. His
hatred of the Jews, his continual threats to torture, kill, and burn
them,—all this, perhaps, is nothing but swagger, and political
swagger at that. I am looking for something more precise and
formal, some unmistakable evidence of Joseph's criminal
temperament. And I find nothing but vague and moral impressions,
hypotheses to which my desire or my fear that they may be
undeniable realities gives an importance and a significance which
undoubtedly they do not possess. My desire or my fear? I do not
know which of these two sentiments it is that moves me.
But yes. Here is a fact, a real fact, a horrible fact, a revealing fact. I
do not invent it; I do not exaggerate it; I did not dream it; it is
exactly as I state it. It is one of Joseph's duties to kill the chickens,
rabbits, and ducks. He kills the ducks by the old Norman method of
burying a pin in their head. He could kill them with a blow, without
giving them pain. But he loves to prolong their suffering by skilful
refinements of torture. He loves to feel their flesh quiver and their
heart beat in his hands; he loves to follow, to count, to hold in his
hands, their suffering, their convulsions, their death. Once I saw
Joseph kill a duck. He held it between his knees. With one hand he
grasped it by the neck, with the other he buried a pin in its head;
and then he turned and turned the pin in the head, with a slow and
regular movement. One would have thought he was grinding coffee.
And, as he turned the pin, Joseph said, with savage joy:
"It is necessary to make it suffer. The more it suffers, the better its
blood will taste."
The animal had freed its wings from Joseph's knees; they were
beating, beating. Its neck, in spite of Joseph's grasp, twisted into a
frightful spiral, and beneath its feathers its flesh heaved. Then
Joseph threw the animal upon the stone floor of the kitchen, and,
with elbows on his knees and chin in his joined palms, he began to
follow, with a look of hideous satisfaction, its bounds, its
convulsions, the mad scratching of its yellow claws upon the floor.
"Stop then, Joseph," I cried. "Kill it at once; it is horrible to make
animals suffer."
And Joseph answered:
"That amuses me. I like to see that."
I recall this memory; I evoke all its sinister details; I hear all the
words that were spoken. And I have a desire, a still more violent
desire, to cry to Joseph:
"It was you who outraged the little Claire in the woods. Yes, yes; I
am sure of it now; it was you, you, you, old pig."
There is no longer any doubt of it; Joseph must be a tremendous
scoundrel. And this opinion that I have of his moral personality,
instead of driving me from him, far from placing a wall of horror
between us, causes me, not to love him perhaps, but to take an
enormous interest in him. It is queer, but I have always had a
weakness for scoundrels. There is something unexpected about
them that lashes the blood,—a special odor that intoxicates you,—
something strong and bitter that attracts you sexually. However
infamous scoundrels may be, they are never as infamous as the
respectable people. What annoys me about Joseph is that he has the
reputation, and, to one who does not know his eyes, the manners,
of an honest man. I should like him better if he were a frank and
impudent scoundrel. It is true that he would lose that halo of
mystery, that prestige of the unknown, which moves and troubles
and attracts me—yes, really, attracts me—toward this old monster.
Now I am calmer, because I am certain, and because nothing
henceforth can remove the certainty from my mind, that it was he
who outraged the little Claire in the woods.

For some time I have noticed that I have made a considerable

impression upon Joseph's heart. His bad reception of me is at an
end; his silence toward me is no longer hostile or contemptuous,
and there is something approaching tenderness in his nudges. His
looks have no more hatred in them,—did they ever have any,
however?—and, if they are still so terrible at times, it is because he
is seeking to know me better, always better, and wishes to try me.
Like most peasants, he is extremely distrustful, and avoids trusting
himself to others, for he thinks that they are planning to "take him
in." He must be in possession of numerous secrets, but he hides
them jealously, under a severe, scowling, and brutal mask, as one
locks treasures in a strong-box equipped with solid bars and
mysterious bolts. However, his distrust of me is lessening. He is
charming toward me, in his way. He does all that he can to show his
friendship for me, and to please me. He relieves me of my most
painful duties; takes upon himself the heavy work that is given me
to do; and all without roguishness, without any underlying gallantry,
without seeking to provoke my gratitude, without trying to get any
profit from it whatsoever. On my side, I keep his affairs in order,
mend his stockings and his pantaloons, patch his shirts, and arrange
his closet with much more care and coquetry than I do Madame's.
And he says to me, with a look of satisfaction:
"That is very well, Célestine. You are a good woman,—an orderly
woman. Order, you see, means fortune. And, when one is pretty
besides,—when one is a beautiful woman, there is nothing better."
Hitherto we have talked together only for brief moments. At night, in
the kitchen, with Marianne, the conversation has to be general. No
intimacy is permissible between us two. And, when I see him alone,
nothing is more difficult than to make him talk. He refuses all long
conversations, fearing, undoubtedly, to compromise himself. A word
here, a word there, amiable or crusty, and that is all. But his eyes
speak, though his lips are silent. And they prowl around me, and
they envelop me, and they descend into me, into my very depths, in
order to turn my soul inside out and see what is in it.
For the first time we had a long talk yesterday. It was at night. The
masters had gone to bed; Marianne had gone to her room earlier
than usual. Not feeling disposed to read or write, it was tiresome for
me to remain alone. Still obsessed by the image of the little Claire, I
went to find Joseph in the harness-room, where, seated at a little
white-wood table, he was sorting seeds by the light of a dark
lantern. His friend, the sacristan, was there, standing near him,
holding under his two arms packages of little pamphlets, red, green,
blue, tricolor. With big round eyes surpassing the arch of the
eyebrows, flattened skull, and wrinkled, yellow, and cross-grained
skin, he looked like a toad. He had also the bounding heaviness of a
toad. Under the table the two dogs, rolled into a ball, were sleeping,
with their heads buried in their shaggy skins.
"Ah! it is you, Célestine?" exclaimed Joseph.
The sacristan tried to hide his pamphlets, but Joseph reassured him.
"We can talk before Mademoiselle. She is an orderly woman."
And he gave him directions.
"So, old man, it is understood, isn't it? At Bazoches, at Courtain, at
Fleur-sur-Tille. And let them be distributed to-morrow, in the day-
time. And try to get subscriptions. And let me tell you again; go
everywhere, into all the houses,—even the houses of republicans.
Perhaps they will show you the door, but that makes no difference.
Keep right on. If you win one of these dirty pigs, it is always so
much gained. And then, remember that you get five francs for every
republican."
The sacristan nodded his head approvingly. Having tucked the
pamphlets under his arms, he started off, Joseph accompanying him
as far as the iron fence. When the latter returned, he noticed my
curious face, my inquisitive eyes.
"Yes," he said, carelessly, "some songs, and some pictures, and
some pamphlets against the Jews, which are being distributed for
propagandism. I have made an arrangement with the priests; I work
for them. It is in the line of my own ideas, surely; but I must say
also that I am well paid."
He sat down again at the little table where he was sorting his seeds.
The two dogs, awakened, took a turn about the room, and went to
lie down again farther off.
"Yes, yes," he repeated, "I get good pay. Oh! the priests have money
enough."
And, as if fearing that he had said too much, he added:
"I tell you this, Célestine, because you are a good woman and an
orderly woman, and because I have confidence in you. It is between
ourselves, you know."
After a silence:
"What a good idea it was of yours to come out here to-night!" he
thanked me; "it is very nice of you; it flatters me."
Never had I seen him so amiable, so talkative. I bent over the little
table very near him, and, stirring the sorted seeds in the plate, I
answered coquettishly:
"It is true, too; you went away directly after dinner; we had no time
to gossip. Shall I help you sort your seeds?"
"Thank you, Célestine, I have finished."
He scratched his head.
"Sacristi!" he exclaimed, with annoyance, "I ought to go and see to
my garden-frames. The field-mice do not leave me a salad, the
vermin! But then, no, indeed, I must talk with you, Célestine."
Joseph rose, closed the door, which had been left half open, and led
me to the back of the harness-room. For a minute I was frightened.
The little Claire, whom I had forgotten, appeared before my eyes on
the forest heath, frightfully pale and bleeding. But there was nothing
wicked in Joseph's looks; they were timid, rather. We could scarcely
see each other in this dark room, lighted by the dull and hazy
gleams of the lantern. Up to this point Joseph's voice had trembled.
Now it suddenly took on assurance, almost gravity.
"For some days I have been wanting to confide this to you,
Célestine," he began; "well, here it is. I have a feeling of friendship
for you. You are a good woman, an orderly woman. Now I know you
very well."
I thought it my duty to assume an archly mischievous smile, and I
replied:
"You must admit that it has taken you some time. And why were you
so disagreeable with me? You never spoke to me; you were always
rough with me. You remember the scenes that you made me when I
went through the paths that you had just raked? Oh! how crusty you
were!"
Joseph began to laugh, and shrugged his shoulders:
"Oh! yes; why, you know, one cannot get acquainted with people at
the very start. And women especially,—it takes the devil to know
them. And you came from Paris! Now I know you very well."
"Since you know me so well, Joseph, tell me, then, what I am."
With set lips and serious eyes, he said:
"What you are, Célestine? You are like me."
"I am like you, I?"
"Oh! not in your features, of course. But you and I, in the very
depths of the soul, are the same thing. Yes, yes, I know what I say."
Again there was a moment of silence. Then he resumed, in a voice
that was less stern:
"I have a feeling of friendship for you, Célestine. And then...."
"And then?..."
"I have some money, too,—a little money."
"Ah?"
"Yes, a little money. Why, one does not serve forty years in good
houses without saving something. Is it not so?"
"Surely," I answered, more and more astonished by Joseph's words
and manner. "And you have much money?"
"Oh! only a little."
"How much? Let me see."
Joseph gave a slight chuckle.
"You may know well that it is not here. It is in a place where it is
making little ones."
"Yes, but how much?"
Then in a low voice, almost a whisper:
"Perhaps fifteen thousand francs; perhaps more."
"My! but you are well fixed, you are!"
"Oh! perhaps less, too. One cannot tell."
Suddenly the two dogs lifted their heads simultaneously, bounded to
the door, and began to bark. I made a movement of fright.
"That's nothing," said Joseph, reassuringly, giving each of them a
kick in the side; "simply people passing in the road. Why, it is Rose,
going home. I know her step."
And, in fact, a few seconds later I heard a sound of dragging steps
in the road, and then a more distant sound of a closing gate. The
dogs became silent again.
I had sat down on a stool in a corner of the harness-room. Joseph,
with his hands in his pockets, walked back and forth in the narrow
room, his elbows hitting against the pine wainscoting from which
leather straps were hanging. We did not speak, I being horribly
embarrassed and regretting that I had come, and Joseph being
plainly tormented by what he had still to say to me.
After some minutes he made up his mind.
"There is another thing that I must confide to you, Célestine. I am
from Cherbourg. And Cherbourg is a tough town, full of sailors and
soldiers, of jolly lascars who do not deny themselves pleasure;
business is good there. Well, I know a fine opportunity just now at
Cherbourg. It is a matter of a little café near the water. A little café
in a first-rate location. The army is drinking a great deal these days;
all the patriots are in the street; they shout and bawl and get thirsty.
Now is the time to get it. One could make hundreds and thousands,
I promise you. Only, you see, there must be a woman there,—an
orderly woman, a pretty woman, well equipped, and not afraid of
slang and smut. The sailors and soldiers are good-natured and gay
and full of fun. They get drunk on the slightest provocation, and
they are fond of women, and spend much for them. What do you
think about it, Célestine?"
"I?" I exclaimed, stupefied.
"Yes; just suppose the case. Would you like it?"
"I?"
I did not know what he was coming at. I trembled from surprise to
surprise. Utterly upset, I could think of no answer to make. He
insisted:
"You, of course. And who, then, do you expect to come to the little
café? You are a good woman; you are orderly; you are not one of
those affected creatures who do not know even how to take a joke;
and you are patriotic! And then you are pretty, very nice to look at;
you have eyes to drive the whole Cherbourg garrison crazy. Just the
cheese! Now that I know you well, now that I know all that you can
do, this idea keeps continually running through my head."
"Well? And you?"
"I, too, of course! We would marry, like good friends."
"Then," cried I, with sudden indignation, "you want me to prostitute
myself to make money for you?"
Joseph shrugged his shoulders, and said tranquilly:
"All depends on the intention, Célestine. That is understood, is it
not?"
Then he came to me, took my hands, pressed them so tightly that I
screamed with pain, and stammered:
"I dream of you, Célestine; I dream of you in the little café. I am
crazy over you."
And, as I stood in amazement, a little frightened by this confession,
and without a gesture or a word, he continued:
"And then, perhaps there are more than fifteen thousand francs.
Perhaps more than eighteen thousand francs. One never knows how
many little ones this money makes. And then, things ... things ...
jewels ... you would be tremendously happy in the little café."
He held my waist clasped in the powerful vise of his arms. And I felt
his whole body against me, trembling with desire. If he had wished,
he could have taken me and stifled me without the slightest
resistance on my part. And he continued to unfold his dream:
"A little café, very pretty, very clean, very shining. And then, at the
bar, before a large mirror, a beautiful woman, dressed in the
costume of Alsace-Lorraine, with a beautiful silk waist and broad
velvet ribbons. Hey, Célestine? Think of that! I will talk with you
about it again one of these days; I will talk with you about it again."
I found nothing to say,—nothing, nothing, nothing. I was stupefied
by this thing, of which I had never dreamed; but I was also without
hatred, without horror, of this man's cynicism. Clasping me with the
same hands that had clasped, stifled, strangled, murdered the little
Claire in the woods, Joseph repeated:
"I will talk with you about it again. I am old; I am ugly. Possibly. But
to fix a woman, Célestine,—mark this well,—there is nobody like me.
I will talk with you about it again."
To fix a woman! How he fills one with forebodings! Is it a threat? Is
it a promise?

To-day Joseph has resumed his customary silence. One would think
nothing had happened last night between us. He goes, he comes, he
works, he eats, he reads his paper, just as usual. I look at him, and I
should like to detest him. I wish that his ugliness would fill me with
such immense disgust as to separate me from him forever. Well, no.
Ah! how queer it is! This man sends shivers through me, and I feel
no disgust. And it is a frightful thing that I feel no disgust, since it
was he who killed and outraged the little Claire in the woods.

X
November 3.
Nothing gives me so much pleasure as to find in the newspapers the
name of a person in whose house I have served. This pleasure I felt
this morning more keenly than ever before, in learning from the
"Petit Journal" that Victor Charrigaud has just published a new book,
which has met with much approval and of which everybody speaks
in admiration. This book is entitled, "From Five to Seven," and is a
howling success. It is, says the article, a series of brilliant and
cutting society studies, which, beneath their light exterior, hide a
profound philosophy. Yes, rely upon it! At the same time that they
praise Victor Charrigaud for his talent, they also compliment him
highly on his elegance, on his distinguished social position, on his
salon. Ah! let us say a word of his salon. For eight months I was the
Charrigauds' chambermaid, and I really believe that I have never
met such boors. God knows, however!
Everybody is familiar with the name Victor Charrigaud. He has
already published a series of books that have made a sensation.
"Their Little Garters," "How They Sleep," "The Sentimental Bigoudis,"
"Humming-Birds and Parrots," are among the most celebrated. He is
a man of infinite wit, a writer of infinite talent; unhappily, success
and wealth have come to him too quickly. His beginnings aroused
the greatest hopes. Everybody was struck with his great faculty of
observation, with his powerful gift of satire, with his implacable and
just irony that penetrated so deeply humanity's ridiculous side. A
well-informed and free mind, to which social conventions were
nothing but falsehood and servility, a generous and clear-sighted
soul, which, instead of bending under the humiliating level of
prejudice, bravely directed its impulses toward a pure and elevated
social ideal. At least so Victor Charrigaud was described to me by
one of his friends, a painter, who was stuck on me, and whom I
used sometimes to go to see, and from whom I got the opinions just
expressed and the details that are to follow regarding the literature
and the life of this illustrious man.
Among the ridiculous things that Charrigaud had lashed so severely,
there was none that he had treated so harshly as snobbishness. In
his lively conversation, well supported by facts, even more than in
his books, he branded its moral cowardice and its intellectual
barrenness with a bitter precision in the picturesque, a
comprehensive and merciless philosophy, and sharp, profound,
terrible words, which, taken up by some and passed on by others,
were repeated at the four corners of Paris, and at once became
classics, in a way. A complete and astonishing psychology of
snobbishness is contained in the impressions, the traits, the concise
profiles, the strangely-outlined and life-like silhouettes, of which this
prodigal and never-wearying originality was an ever-flowing source.
It seems, then, that, if any one should have escaped that sort of
moral influenza which rages so violently in the salons, it was Victor
Charrigaud, better protected than anybody else against contagion by
that admirable antiseptic—irony. But man is nothing but surprise,
contradiction, incoherence, and folly.
Scarcely had he felt the first caresses of success, when the snob that
was in him—and that was the reason why he was able to paint the
snob with such force of expression—revealed itself, exploded, one
might say, like an engine that has just received an electric shock. He
began by dropping those friends that had become embarrassing or
compromising, keeping only those who, some by their recognized
talent, others by their position in the press, could be useful to him,
and bolster his young fame by their persistent puffery. At the same
time he made dress and fashion a subject of most careful
consideration. He was seen in frock coats of an audacious
Philippism, wearing collars and cravats of the style of 1830 much
exaggerated, velvet waistcoats of irresistible cut, and showy jewels;
and he took from metal cases, inlaid with too precious stones,
cigarettes sumptuously rolled in gilt paper. But, heavy of limb and
awkward of movement, he retained, in spite of everything, the
unwieldy gait of the Auvergne peasants, his compatriots. Too new in
a too sudden elegance in which he did not feel at home, in vain did
he study himself and the most perfect models of Parisian style; he
could not acquire that ease, that supple, delicate, and upright line
which he saw in the young swells at the clubs, at the race-courses,
at the theatres, and at the restaurants, and which he envied them
with a most violent hatred. It astonished him, for, after all, he
patronized only the most select furnishing houses, the most famous
tailors, memorable shirt-makers, and what shoemakers! what
shoemakers! Examining himself in the glass, he threw insults at
himself, in his despair.
"In vain do I cover myself with velvets, silks, and satin; I always look
like a boor. There is always something that is not natural."
As for Madame Charrigaud, who previously had dressed very simply
and with discreet taste, she, too, sported showy and stunning
costumes, with hair too red, jewels too big, silks too rich, giving her
the air of a laundry queen, the majesty of a Mardi-Gras empress.
They made a great deal of sport of her, sometimes cruelly. Old
comrades, at once humiliated and delighted by so much luxury and
so much bad taste, avenged themselves by saying jestingly of this
poor Victor Charrigaud:
"Really, for an ironist, he has no luck."
Thanks to fortunate manoeuvres, incessant diplomacy, and more
incessant platitudes, they were received into what they called—they
too—real society, in the houses of Jewish bankers, Venezuelan
dukes, and vagrant arch-dukes, and in the houses of very old ladies,
crazed over literature, panderism, and the Academy. They thought of
nothing but cultivating and developing these new relations, and of
acquiring others more desirable and more difficult of attainment,—
others, others, and always others.
One day, to free himself from an obligation which he had stupidly
assumed by accepting an invitation to the house of a friend who was
not a conspicuous personage, but whom he was not yet ready to
drop, Charrigaud wrote him the following letter:

My Dear Old Friend:

We are disconsolate. Excuse us for not keeping our promise for
Monday. But we have just received, for that very day, an
invitation to dine at the Rothschilds. It is the first. You
understand that we cannot refuse. It would be disastrous.
Fortunately, I know your heart. Far from being angry with us, I
am sure that you will share our joy and our pride.

Another day he was telling of the purchase that he had just made of
a villa at Deauville:
"I really don't know for whom these people took us. They
undoubtedly took us for journalists, for Bohemians. But I quickly let
them see that I had a notary."
Gradually he eliminated all that remained of the friends of his youth,
—those friends whose simple presence in his house was a constant
and disagreeable reminder of the past, and a confession of that
stain, of that social inferiority,—literature and labor. And he contrived
also to extinguish the flames that sometimes kindled in his brain,
and to finally stifle that cursed wit whose sudden revival on certain
occasions it frightened him to feel, supposing it to be dead forever.
Then, it was no longer enough for him to be received in the houses
of others; he desired, in turn, to receive others in his own house. His
occupancy of a residence of some pretension, which he had just
bought in Auteuil, was made the pretext for a dinner.
I entered their service at the time when the Charrigauds had at last
resolved to give this dinner. Not one of those private dinners, gay
and without pose, such as they had been in the habit of giving, and
which for some years had made their house so charming, but a
really elegant, really solemn dinner, a stiff and chilly dinner, a select
dinner, to which should be ceremoniously invited, together with
some correct celebrities of literature and art, some society
personalities, not too difficult to reach, not too regularly established,
but sufficiently decorative to shed a little of their brilliancy upon their
hosts.
"For the difficult thing," said Victor Charrigaud, "is not to dine in the
city, but to give a dinner at home."
After thinking over the plan for a long time, Victor Charrigaud made
this proposition:
"Well, I have it. I think that at first we can have only divorced
women—with their lovers. We must begin somewhere. There are
some who are very suitable, and whom the most Catholic
newspapers speak of with admiration. Later, when our connections
shall have become more extensive, and at the same time more
select,—why, we can let the divorced people slide."
"You are right," approved Mme. Charrigaud. "For the moment, the
important thing is to get the best people among those who are
divorced. Say what you will, the time has come when a divorce gives
a person a certain position."
"It has at least the merit of abolishing adultery," chuckled
Charrigaud. "Adultery is now very old-fashioned. Nobody but friend
Bourget now believes in adultery,—Christian adultery,—and in
English furniture."
To which Mme. Charrigaud replied, in a tone of nervous vexation:
"How you tire me, with your maliciously wicked remarks! You will
see, you will see that, because of them, we shall never be able to
establish a desirable salon."
And she added:
"If you really wish to become a man of society, you must learn first
either to be an imbecile or to hold your tongue."
They made, unmade, and remade a list of guests, which, after
laborious combinations, was finally settled upon as follows:
The Countess Fergus, divorced, and her friend, the economist and
deputy, Joseph Brigard.
The Baroness Henri Gogsthein, divorced, and her friend, the poet,
Théo Crampp.
The Baroness Otto Butzinghen, and her friend, the Viscount
Lahyrais, clubman, sportsman, gambler, and trickster.
Mme. de Rambure, divorced, and her friend, Mme. Tiercelet, suing
for divorce.
Sir Harry Kimberly, symbolist musician, and his young friend, Lucien
Sartorys, as beautiful as a woman, as supple as a peau de Suède
glove, as slender and blonde as a cigar.
The two academicians, Joseph Dupont de la Brie, collector of
obscene coins, and Isidore Durand de la Marne, author of gallant
memoirs in private and severe student of Chinese at the Institute.
The portrait-painter, Jacques Rigaud.
The psychological novelist, Maurice Fernancourt.
The society reporter, Poult d'Essoy.
The invitations were sent out, and, thanks to the mediation of
influential persons, all were accepted.
The Countess Fergus alone hesitated:
"The Charrigauds?" said she. "Is theirs really a proper house? Has he
not been engaged in all sorts of pursuits on Montmartre, in the past?
Do they not say that he sold obscene photographs, for which he had
posed, with an artificial bust? And are there not some disagreeable
stories afloat regarding her? Did she not have some rather vulgar
experiences before her marriage? Is it not said that she has been a
model,—that she has posed for the altogether? What a horror! A
woman who stripped before men who are not even her lovers?"
Finally she accepted the invitation, on being assured that Mme.
Charrigaud had posed only for the head, that Charrigaud, who was
very vindictive, would be quite capable of disgracing her in one of
his books, and that Kimberly would come to this dinner. Oh! if
Kimberly had promised to come! Kimberly, such a perfect gentleman,
and so delicate and so charming, really charming!
The Charrigauds were informed of these negotiations and these
scruples. Far from taking offence, they congratulated themselves
that they had successfully conducted the former and overcome the
latter. It was now a matter only of watching themselves, and, as
Mme. Charrigaud said, of behaving themselves like real society
people. This dinner, so marvelously prepared and planned, so
skilfully negotiated, was really their first manifestation in the new
avatar of their elegant destiny, of their social ambitions. It must,
then, be an astonishing affair.
For a week beforehand everything was topsy-turvy in the house. It
was necessary that the apartments should be made to look like new,
and that there should be no hitch. They tried various lighting
arrangements and table decorations, that they might not be
embarrassed at the last moment. Over these matters M. and Mme.
Charrigaud quarreled like porters, for they had not the same ideas,
and their æsthetic views differed on all points, she inclining to
sentimental arrangements, he preferring the severe and "artistic."
"It is idiotic," cried Charrigaud. "They will think that they are in a
grisette's apartments. Ah! what a laughing-stock we shall be!"
"You had better not talk," replied Mme. Charrigaud, her nervousness
reaching the point of paroxysm. "You are still what you used to be, a
dirty tavern bum. And besides, I have enough of it; my back is
broken with it."
"Well, that's it; let us have a divorce, my little wolf, let us have a
divorce. By that means we at least shall complete the series, and
cast no reflection on our guests."
They perceived also that there would not be enough silverware,
glassware, and plates. They must rent some, and also rent some
chairs, for they had only fifteen, and even these were not perfect.
Finally, the menu was ordered of one of the grand caterers of the
Boulevard.
"Let everything be ultra-stylish," ordered Mme. Charrigaud, "and let
no one be able to recognize the dishes that are served. Shrimp hash,
goose-liver cutlets, game that looks like ham, ham that looks like
cake, truffles in whipped cream, and mashed potatoes in branches,
—cherries in squares and peaches twisted into spirals. In short, have
everything as stylish as possible."
"Rest easy," declared the caterer. "I know so well how to disguise
things that I defy anybody to know what he is eating. It is a
specialty of the house."
At last the great day arrived.
Monsieur rose early,—anxious, nervous, agitated. Madame, who had
been unable to sleep all night, and weary from the errands of the
day before and the preparations of all sorts, could not keep still. Five
or six times, with wrinkled brow, out of breath, trembling and so
weary that, as she said, she felt her belly in her heels, she made a
final examination of the house, upset and rearranged bric-à-brac and
furniture without reason, and went from one room to another
without knowing why and as if she were mad. She trembled lest the
cooks might not come, lest the florist might fail them, and lest the
guests might not be placed at table in accordance with strict
etiquette. Monsieur followed her everywhere, clad only in pink silk
drawers, approving here, criticising there.
"Now that I think about it again," said he, "what a queer idea that
was of yours to order centauries for the table decoration! I assure
you that blue becomes black in the light. And then, after all,
centauries are nothing but simple corn-flowers. It will look as if we
had been to the fields to gather corn-flowers."
"Oh! corn-flowers! how provoking you are!"
"Yes, indeed, corn-flowers. And the corn-flower, as Kimberly said
very truly the other evening at the Rothschilds, is not a society
flower. Why not also corn poppies?"
"Let me alone," answered Madame. "You drive me crazy with all
your stupid observations. A nice time to offer them, indeed!"
But Monsieur was obstinate:
"All right, all right; you will see, you will see. Provided, my God, that
everything goes off tolerably well, without too many accidents,
without too many delays. I did not know that to be society people
was so difficult, so fatiguing, and so complicated a matter. Perhaps
we ought to have remained simple boors."
And Madame growled:
"Oh! for that matter, I see clearly that nothing will change you. You
scarcely do honor to a woman."
As they thought me pretty, and very elegant to look at, my masters
had allotted to me also an important role in this comedy. First I was
to preside over the cloak-room, and then to aid, or rather
superintend, the four butlers, four tall lascars, with immense side-
whiskers, selected from several employment-bureaus to serve this
extraordinary dinner.
At first all went well. Nevertheless, there was a moment of alarm. At
quarter before nine the Countess Fergus had not yet arrived.
Suppose she had changed her mind, and resolved at the last
moment not to come? What a humiliation! What a disaster! The
Charrigauds were in a state of consternation. Joseph Brigard
reassured them. It was the day when the countess had to preside
over her admirable "Society for the Collection of Cigar-Stumps for
the Army and Navy." The sessions sometimes did not end till very
late.
"What a charming woman!" said Mme. Charrigaud, ecstatically, as if
this eulogy had the magic power to hasten the coming of "this dirty
countess," whom, at the bottom of her soul, she cursed.
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