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Beethoven's music was in the category. To see a puppy like Levy-Coeur insulting Beethoven made him blind with anger. It was no longer a question of art, but a question of honor; everything that makes life rare, love, heroism, passionate virtue, the good human longing for self-sacrifice, was at stake. The Godhead itself was imperiled!

Levy-Coeur, with his neck swathed in a high stock, was dressed with a scrupulous care which was strikingly in contrast with his adversary's untidiness.

It was shortly after his return to Paris that he made peace with big old enemy, Levy-Coeur, who had been attacking him for a long time with equal malicious talent and bad faith. Then, having attained the highest success, glutted with honors, satiated, appeased, he had been clever enough secretly to recognize Christophe's superiority, and had made advances to him.

He was one of those young parvenus of the second generation who form an aristocracy of letters, and are the patricians of the Third Republic. His name was Lucien Levy-Coeur.

Absent-minded though he was, Christophe never failed to notice a pretty face, and he had a weakness for the girl. He would think of Levy-Coeur: "Lucky beast!" But then he would add proudly: "But I too have a daughter." And he used to compare the two.

As for Count Bloch, he stayed by Levy-Coeur, and with a rapid glance he took in the condition of the clothes and linen of the three men of the opposing camp, and, hardly opening his lips, passed abrupt humorous comment on them with, his friend, and both of them stood calm and correct.

One of your admirers. He is a good musician and plays the piano quite nicely. It is no good discussing you in his presence: he is mad about you. The other day he all but came to blows about you with Lucien Levy-Coeur." "Oh! Bless him for that!" said Christophe. "Yes, I know you are unjust to poor Lucien. And yet he too loves your work." "Ah! don't tell me that! I should hate myself."

He never paid back. Worse than that, he was barefaced enough to consider poor the works of men who thought his good. Unavowedly they were rancorous, and engaged themselves on the next opportunity to pay him back in kind. Among his other indiscretions Christophe was foolish enough to declare war on Lucien Levy-Coeur.

Before he found Olivier he had not been far from taking Lucien Levy-Coeur as the type of the modern French mind, Levy-Coeur who was no more than the caricature of it. And now through Olivier he saw that there might be in Paris minds just as free, more free indeed than that of Lucien Levy-Coeur, men who remained as pure and stoical as any in Europe.

He provoked him into argument: and, however insignificant the subject of it might be, Christophe always brought into it a sudden heat and bitterness which surprised their hearers. It was as though Christophe were seizing every opportunity of battering at Lucien Levy-Coeur, head down: but he could never reach him.