An Officer and a Spy

death.’
    ‘Oh, come, come, Dreyfus!’ I say, sitting down opposite him. ‘If your brother could survive four years on Devil’s Island, he can withstand a few more months in prison! And I’m sure it won’t be much longer than that. The government will have to let him go in time for the Universal Exhibition, otherwise there’ll be a boycott. They can’t possibly allow him to die in gaol.’
    ‘He’s asked to see the children for the first time since his arrest. Can you imagine the effect that will have on them – to see their father in such a state? He wouldn’t subject them to that ordeal unless it was to say goodbye.’
    ‘Are you sure his health is so poor? Has he been examined by a doctor?’
    ‘The government has sent a specialist to Rennes. He says Alfred is suffering from malnutrition and malarial fever, and possible tuberculosis of the spinal marrow. His opinion is that he won’t last long in captivity.’ He looks at me miserably. ‘For that reason – I’ve come to tell you – I’m sorry to say it – we’ve decided to accept the offer of a pardon.’
    A pause. I wish I could keep the coldness out of my voice. ‘I see. There is an offer on the table, then?’
    ‘The Prime Minister is worried about the country becoming permanently divided.’
    ‘I’m sure he is.’
    ‘I know this is a blow to you, Picquart. I can see that it places you in an awkward position . . .’
    ‘Yes, well how could it not?’ I burst out. ‘To accept a pardon is an admission of guilt!’
    ‘Technically, yes. But Jaurès has drafted a statement for Alfred to issue the moment he emerges from prison.’ He pulls a creased sheet of paper from his inside pocket and hands it over.
The government of the Republic grants me my freedom. It means nothing to me without my honour. Beginning today, I shall persist in working towards an overturning of the frightful judicial error whose victim I continue to be . . .
    There is more, but I have read enough. I give it back. ‘Well, these are very noble words,’ I say bitterly. ‘Naturally they would be – one can always rely on Jaurès for noble words. But the reality is the army has won. And the very least they’ll insist on in return is an amnesty for those who organised the conspiracy against your brother.’ And against me , I want to add. ‘It will make it impossible for me to pursue my legal claim against the General Staff.’
    ‘In the short term, perhaps. But in the long run, with a different political climate, I have no doubt we can win a full exoneration in the courts.’
    ‘I wish I shared your faith in our legal system.’
    Mathieu stuffs the statement back in his pocket and stands. There is defiance in the way he plants his legs apart. ‘I’m sorry you feel as you do, Picquart. I understand that for the sake of your cause you’d prefer to have my brother die a martyr, if that is what it takes. But his family wants him back alive. He isn’t reconciled to this decision himself, to be honest with you. I think it would make a difference if I could tell him he had your agreement.’
    ‘ My agreement? Why should that matter to him?’
    ‘Nevertheless, I believe it does. What message may I give him from you?’
    He stands there, implacable.
    ‘What do the others say?’
    ‘Zola, Clemenceau and Labori are opposed. Reinach, Lazare, Basch and the rest say yes, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.’
    ‘Tell him I am opposed as well.’
    Mathieu nods curtly, as if he expected nothing else, and turns to leave.
    ‘But tell him that I understand.’
    Dreyfus is released on Wednesday 20 September 1899, although the news is not made public for another day, to enable him to travel without being accosted by members of the public. I learn about his freedom from the newspapers like everyone else. Wearing a dark blue suit and a soft black hat for disguise, he is driven away by automobile from the prison in Rennes at dusk by officers of the Sûreté and taken to join Mathieu at the railway station in Nantes, where the brothers catch the southbound sleeper. At a family house in Provence he is reunited with his wife and children. Afterwards he moves to Switzerland. He doesn’t return to Paris. He fears assassination.
    As for me, I scratch a living and, with Labori’s help, pursue various newspapers for libel. In December I refuse to accept the government’s offer of a general amnesty for all those involved in the affair, even though I am told I will be