After this common experience Thouron claimed special rights over
Clerambault; and having tried without success to make him buy shares
in his newspaper, he put him on the list of honourary members, without
his knowledge, and thought it very strange that Clerambault was not
delighted when he found it out a few weeks later. Their relations were
slightly cooled by this incident, but Thouron continued to parade the
name of his "distinguished friend" from time to time in his articles.
The latter let this go on, thinking himself fortunate to get off so
easily. He had rather lost sight of him, when he heard one day that
Thouron had been arrested. He was implicated in a rather shabby money
affair which was as usual ascribed to plots of the enemy. The Courts
following the lead of those "higher-up" could not fail to find a
connection between these shady transactions and Thouron's so-called
pacifism. This had showed itself in his paper, in an irregular
incoherent way, subject to attacks of "Exterminism," but none the less
it was all supposed to be part of the great "defeatist" scheme, and
the examination of his correspondence allowed the authorities to drag
in anyone they chose. As he had carefully kept every letter, from men
of all shades of opinion, there were plenty to choose from and they
soon found what they wanted.
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