The Death of a Nobody

ked in the middle of his class. He possessed an average height and build, neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin. His speech lacked wit, yet not considered too dull as well, thereby neither attracting the affections of young ladies nor repelling them. In short, he belonged to that class of characters easily forgotten when discussed years later.

If Vardon had any exceptional talent, it was his remarkable skill at playing hide-and-seek. At the age of five, while playing the game with his pals, he concealed himself so perfectly that he remained undiscovered even as night fell. His family grew too anxious and nearly alerted the police.

This talent of his was also carried over into adulthood. Initially, within the National Convention, he cautiously positioned himself among the lowest row of seats, always a discreet member of the Plain. When it came to voting on the fate of the king, through careful observation and calculation, he successfully hid within the majority''s ranks. By the end of ninety-three, he went into hiding in the camp of the Montagnards, authoring dozens of flawlessly worded letters of flattery to figures like Andre Quenet.

However, in the Thermidor, he once again relied on his keen sense of smell to hide himself near individuals like Fouché and Tallien. In order to curry favour with the latter, he even personally oversaw the funeral ceremony for Quenet and others, with quicklime. A few days later, he composed lengthy letters enumerating the countless crimes of Quenet and others, ensuring a tighter cover for his hiding place.②

Unlike many clever heads during the Thermidor, Vardon, with his unassuming nature, managed to escape the early purge of the Directory. After the Brumaire, he simply made slight modifications to the humble and respectful words of praise he had written to Quenet, blending them among the documents on Napoleon''s desk. Consequently, he achieved his desire to hide among the entourage of the First Co