"Paid!bywhom?"
  "Bythegentlemanwhojustwentout。"
  "Butthisisoutrageous,"criedCerizet。"Iorderedthedinner,andyouallowsomeoneelsetopayforit!"
  "Itwasn’tI,monsieur,"saidthewaiter;"thegentlemanwentandpaidthe’dameducomptoir’;shemusthavethoughtitwasarrangedbetweenyou。Besides,itisnotsouncommonforgentlementohavefriendlydisputesaboutpaying。"
  "That’senough,"saidCerizet,dismissingthewaiter。
  "Won’tthesegentlementaketheircoffee?——itispaidfor,"saidthemanbeforehelefttheroom。
  "Agoodreasonfornottakingit,"repliedCerizet,angrily。"Itisreallyinconceivablethatinahouseofthiskindsuchanegregiousblundershouldbecommitted。Whatdoyouthinkofsuchinsolence?"headded,whenthewaiterhadlefttheroom。
  "Bah!"exclaimedDutocq,takinghishat,"itisaschoolboyproceeding;hewantedtoshowhehadmoney;itiseasytoseeheneverhadanybefore。"
  "No,no!that’snotit,"saidCerizet;"hemeanttomarktherupture。
  ’Iwillnotoweyouevenadinner,’iswhathesaystome。"
  "But,afterall,"saidDutocq,"thisbanquetwasgiventocelebrateyourenthronementasprincipaltenantofthegrandhouse。Well,hehasfailedtogetyouthelease,andIcanunderstandthathisconsciencewasuneasyatlettingyoupayforadinnerwhich,likethosenotesofmine,werean’obligationwithoutcause。’"
  Cerizetmadenoreplytothismaliciousobservation。Theyhadreachedthecounterwherereignedthedamewhohadpermittedtheimproperpayment,and,forthesakeofhisdignity,theusurerthoughtitpropertomakeafuss。Afterwhichthetwomendeparted,andthecopying—clerktookhisemployertoalowcoffee—houseinthePassageduSaumon。ThereCerizetrecoveredhisgood—humor;hewaslikeafishoutofwatersuddenlyreturnedtohisnativeelement;forhehadreachedthatstateofdegradationwhenhefeltillateaseinplacesfrequentedbygoodsociety;anditwaswithasortofsensuouspleasurethathefelthimselfbackinthevulgarplacewheretheywerenoisilyplayingpoolforthebenefitofa"formerconqueroroftheBastille。"
  InthisestablishmentCerizetenjoyedthefameofbeingaskilfulbilliard—player,andhewasnowentreatedtotakepartinagamealreadybegun。Intechnicallanguage,he"boughthisball";thatis,oneoftheplayerssoldhimhisturnandhischances。Dutocqprofitedbythisarrangementtoslipaway,onpretenceofinquiringforasickfriend。
  Presently,inhisshirt—sleeves,withapipebetweenhislips,Cerizetmadeoneofthosemasterlystrokeswhichbringdownthehousewithfranticapplause。Ashewaitedamoment,lookingabouthimtriumphantly,hiseyelightedonaterriblekill—joy。Standingamongthespectatorswithhischinonhiscane,duPortailwassteadilywatchinghim。
  AtingeofredshoweditselfinCerizet’scheeks。Hehesitatedtobowortorecognizetheoldgentleman,amostunlikelypersontomeetinsuchaplace。Notknowinghowtotaketheunpleasantencounter,hewentonplaying;buthishandbetrayedhisuneasiness,andpresentlyanunluckystrokethrewhimoutofthegame。Whilehewasputtingonhiscoatinatolerablyill—humor,duPortailpassed,almostbrushinghim,onhiswaytothedoor。
  "RueMontmartre,atthefartherendofthePassage,"saidtheoldman,inalowtone。
  Whentheymet,Cerizethadthebadtastetotrytoexplainthedisreputablepositioninwhichhehadjustbeendetected。
  "But,"saidduPortail,"inordertoseeyouthere,Ihadtobetheremyself。"
  "True,"returnedCerizet。"IwasrathersurprisedtoseeaquietinhabitantoftheSaint—Sulpicequarterinsuchaplace。"
  "Itmerelyprovestoyou,"saidthelittleoldman,inatonewhichcutshortallexplanation,andallcuriosity,"thatIaminthehabitofgoingprettynearlyeverywhere,andthatmystarleadsmeintothepathofthosepersonswhomIwishtomeet。Iwasthinkingofyouattheverymomentyoucamein。Well,whathaveyoudone?"
  "Nothinggood,"repliedCerizet。"Afterplayingmeadevilishtrickwhichdeprivedmeofamagnificentbitofbusiness,ourmanrejectedyouroverturewithscorn。ThereisnohopewhateverinthatclaimofDutocq’s;forlaPeyradeischock—fullofmoney;hewantedtopaythenotesjustnow,andto—morrowmorninghewillcertainlydoso。"
  "DoesheregardhismarriagetothisDemoiselleCollevilleasasettledthing?"
  "Henotonlyconsidersitsettled,butheistryingnowtomakepeoplebelieveitisalove—match。Herattledoffaperfecttiradetoconvincemethatheisreallyinlove。"
  "Verywell,"saidduPortail,wishing,perhaps,toshowthathecould,onoccasion,usetheslangofalowbilliard—room,"’stopthecharge’"
  (meaning:Donothingmore);"Iwillundertaketobringmonsieurtoreason。Butcomeandseemeto—morrow,andtellmeallaboutthefamilyheintendstoenter。Youhavefailedinthisaffair;butdon’tmindthat;Ishallhaveothersforyou。"
  Sosaying,hesignedtothedriverofanemptycitadine,whichwaspassing,gotintoit,and,withanodtoCerizet,toldthemantodrivetotherueHonore—Chevalier。
  AsCerizetwalkeddowntherueMontmartretoregaintheEstrapadequarter,hepuzzledhisbrainstodivinewhothatlittleoldmanwiththecurtspeech,theimperiousmanner,andatonethatseemedtocastuponallthosewithwhomhespokeaboarding—grapnel,couldbe;aman,too,whocamefromsuchadistancetospendhiseveninginaplacewhere,judgingbyhisclothesalone,hehadnobusinesstobe。
  CerizethadreachedtheMarketwithoutfindinganysolutiontothatproblem,whenhewasroughlyshakenoutofitbyaheavyblowintheback。Turninghastily,hefoundhimselfinpresenceofMadameCardinal,anencounterwithwhom,ataspotwhereshecameeverymorningtogetfishtopeddle,wascertainlynotsurprising。
  SincethateveninginToupillier’sgarret,theworthywoman,inspiteoftheclemencysopromptlyshowntoher,hadjudgeditimprudenttomakeotherthanveryshortapparitionsinherowndomicile,andforthelasttwodaysshehadbeendrowningamongtheliquor—dealers(called"retailersofcomfort")thepangsofherdefeat。Withflamingfaceandthickenedvoiceshenowaddressedherlateaccomplice:——
  "Well,papa,"shesaid,"whathappenedafterIleftyouwiththatlittleoldfellow?"
  "Imadehimunderstandinaveryfewwords,"repliedthebankerofthepoor,"thatitwasallamistakeastome。Inthisaffair,mydearMadameCardinal,youbehavedwithareallyunpardonableheedlessness。
  Howcameyoutoaskmyassistanceinobtainingyourinheritancefromyouruncle,whenwithproperinquiryyoumighthaveknowntherewasanaturaldaughter,inwhosefavorhehadlongdeclaredheshouldmakeawill?Thatlittleoldman,whointerruptedyouinyourfoolishattempttoanticipateyourlegacy,wasnootherthantheguardianofthedaughtertowhomeverythingisleft。"
  "Ha!guardian,indeed!afinething,guardian!"criedtheCardinal。
  "Totalkofawomanofmyage,justbecauseIwantedtoseeifmyuncleownedanythingatall,totalktoMEofthepolice!It’shateful!it’sDISGUSTING!"
  "Come,come!"saidCerizet,"youneedn’tcomplain;yougotoffcheaply。"
  "Well,andyou,whobrokethelocksandsaidyouweregoingtotakethediamonds,undercolorofmarryingmydaughter!Justasifshewouldhaveyou,——alegitimatedaughterlikeher!’Never,mother,’saidshe;’neverwillIgivemyhearttoamanwithsuchanose。’"
  "Soyou’vefoundher,haveyou?"saidCerizet。
  "Notuntillastnight。Shehasleftherblackguardofaplayer,andsheisnow,Iflattermyself,inafineposition,eatingmoney;hashercitadinebythemonth,andismuchrespectedbyabarristerwhowouldmarryheratonce,buthehasgottowaittillhisparentsdie,forthefatherhappenstobemayor,andthegovernmentwouldn’tlikeit。"
  "Whatmayor?"
  "11tharrondissement,——Minard,powerfullyrich,usedtodoabusinessincocoa。"
  "Ah!verygood!verygood!Iknowallabouthim。YousayOlympeislivingwithhisson?"
  "Well,nottosaylivingtogether,forthatwouldmaketalk,thoughheonlyseesherwithgoodmotives。Helivesathomewithhisfather,buthehasboughttheirfurniture,andhasputit,andmydaughter,too,intoalodgingintheChauseed’Antin;stylishquarter,isn’tit?"
  "Itseemstomeprettywellarranged,"saidCerizet;"andasHeaven,itappears,didn’tdestineusforeachother——"
  "No,yes,well,that’showitwas;andIthinkthatgirlisgoingtogivemegreatsatisfaction;andthere’ssomethingIwanttoconsultyouabout。"
  "What?"demandedCerizet。
  "Well,mydaughterbeinginluck,Idon’tthinkIoughttocontinuetocryfishinthestreets;andnowthatmyunclehasdisinheritedme,I
  have,itseemstome,arighttoan’elementaryallowance。’"
  "Youaredreaming,mypoorwoman;yourdaughterisaminor;itisyouwhooughttobefeedingher;thelawdoesn’trequirehertogiveyoualiment。"
  "Thendoyoumean,"saidMadameCardinal,"thatthosewhohavenothingaretogivetothosewhohavemuch?Afinethingsuchalawasthat!
  It’sasbadasguardianswho,fornothingatall,talkaboutcallingthepolice。Yes!I’dliketosee’emcallingthepolicetome!Let’emguillotineme!Itwon’tpreventmysayingthattherichareswindlers;
  yes,swindlers!andthepeopleoughttomakeanotherrevolutiontogettheirrights;andTHEN,mylad,you,andmydaughter,andbarristerMinard,andthatlittleoldguardian,you’llallcomedownunderit——"
  Perceivingthathisex—mother—in—lawwasreachingstageofexaltationthatwasnotunalarming,Cerizethastenedtogetaway,herepithetspursuinghimformorethanahundredfeet;buthecomfortedhimselfbythinkingthathewouldmakeherpayforthemthenexttimeshecametohisbacktoaskfora"convenience。"
  CHAPTERXVIII
  SETASAINTTOCATCHASAINT
  Asheapproachedhisownabode,Cerizet,whowasnothingsolittleascourageous,feltanemotionoffear。Heperceivedaformambushednearthedoor,which,ashecamenearer,detacheditselfasiftomeethim。
  Happily,itwasonlyDutocq。Hecameforhisnotes。Cerizetreturnedtheminsomeill—humor,complainingofthedistrustimpliedinavisitatsuchanhour。Dutocqpaidnoattentiontothissensitiveness,andthenextmorning,veryearly,hepresentedhimselfatlaPeyrade’s。
  LaPeyradepaid,ashehadpromised,onthenail,andtoafewsentinelremarksutteredbyDutocqassoonasthemoneywasinhispocket,heansweredwithmarkedcoldness。Hiswholeexternalappearanceandbehaviorwasthatofaslavewhohasbursthischainandhaspromisedhimselfnottomakeagospeluseofhisliberty。
  Asheconductedhisvisitortothedoor,thelattercamefacetofacewithawomaninservant’sdress,whowasjustabouttoringthebell。
  Thiswomanwas,apparently,knowntoDutocq,forhesaidtoher:——
  "Haha!littlewoman;sowefeelthenecessityofconsultingabarrister?Youareright;atthefamilycouncilveryseriousmatterswerebroughtupagainstyou。"
  "ThankGod,Ifearnoone。Icanwalkwithmyheadup,"saidthepersonthusaddressed。
  "Somuchthebetterforyou,"repliedtheclerkofthejustice—of—
  peace;"butyouwillprobablybesummonedbeforethejudgewhoexaminestheaffair。Atanyrate,youareingoodhandshere;andmyfriendlaPeyradewilladviseyouforthebest。"
  "Monsieurismistaken,"saidthewoman;"itisnotforwhathethinksthatIhavecometoconsultalawyer。"
  "Well,becarefulwhatyousayanddo,mydearwoman,forIwarnyouyouaregoingtobefinelypickedtopieces。Therelationsarefuriousagainstyou,andyoucan’tgettheideaoutoftheirheadsthatyouhavegotagreatdealofmoney。"
  Whilespeakingthus,DutocqkepthiseyeonTheodose,whoborethelookuneasily,andrequestedhisclienttoenter。
  HerefollowsascenewhichhadtakenplacethepreviousafternoonbetweenthiswomanandlaPeyrade。
  LaPeyrade,wemayremember,wasinthehabitofgoingtoearlymassathisparishchurch。Forsomelittletimehehadfelthimselftheobjectofasingularattentionwhichhecouldnotexplainonthepartofthewomanwhomwehavejustseenenteringhisoffice,whodailyattendedthechurchat,asDorinesays,his"specialhour。"Coulditbeforlove?Thatexplanationwasscarcelycompatiblewiththematurityandthesaintly,beatificairofthisperson,who,beneathaplaincap,called"alaJanseniste,"bywhichferventfemalesoulsofthatsectwererecognized,affected,likeanun,tohideherhair。Ontheotherhand,therestofherclothingwasofaneatnessthatwasalmostdainty,andthegoldcrossatherthroat,suspendedbyablackvelvetribbon,excludedtheideaofhumbleandhesitatingmendicity。
  ThemorningofthedayonwhichthedinnerattheRocherdeCancalewastotakeplace,laPeyrade,wearyofaperformancewhichhadendedbypreoccupyinghismind,wentuptothewomanandaskedherpointblankifshehadanyrequesttomakeofhim。
  "Monsieur,"sheanswered,inatoneofsolemnity,"is,Ithink,thecelebratedMonsieurdelaPeyrade,theadvocateofthepoor?"
  "IamlaPeyrade;andIhavehad,itistrue,anopportunitytorenderservicestotheindigentpersonsofthisquarter。"
  "Wouldit,then,beaskingtoomuchofmonsieur’sgoodnessthatheshouldsuffermetoconsulthim?"
  "Thisplace,"repliedlaPeyrade,"isnotwellchosenforsuchconsultation。Whatyouhavetosaytomeseemsimportant,tojudgebythelengthoftimeyouhavebeenhesitatingtospeaktome。Ilivenearhere,rueSaint—Dominiqued’Enfer,andifyouwilltakethetroubletocometomyoffice——"
  "Itwillnotannoymonsieur?"
  "Notintheleast;mybusinessistohearclients。"
  "Atwhathour——lestIdisturbmonsieur——?"
  "Whenyouchoose;Ishallbeathomeallthemorning。"
  "ThenIwillhearanothermass,atwhichIcantakethecommunion。I
  didnotdaretodosoatthismass,forthethoughtofspeakingtomonsieursodistractedmymind。Iwillbeatmonsieur’shousebyeighto’clock,whenIhaveendedmymeditation,ifthathourdoesnotinconveniencehim。"
  "No;butthereisnonecessityforallthisceremony,"repliedlaPeyrade,withsomeimpatience。
  Perhapsalittleprofessionaljealousyinspiredhisill—humor,foritwasevidentthathehadtodowithanantagonistwhowascapableofgivinghimpoints。
  Atthehourappointed,notaminutebeforenoraminuteafter,thepiouswomanrangthebell,andthebarristerhaving,notwithoutsomedifficulty,inducedhertositdown,herequestedhertostatehercase。Shewasthenseizedwiththatdelayinglittlecoughwithwhichweobtainarespitewhenbroughtfacetofacewithadifficultsubject。Atlast,however,shecompelledherselftoapproachtheobjectofhervisit。
  "Itistoaskmonsieur,"shesaid,"ifhewouldbesoverygoodastoinformmewhetheritistruethatacharitablegentleman,nowdeceased,hasbequeathedafundtorewarddomesticservantswhoarefaithfultotheirmasters。"
  "Yes,"repliedlaPeyrade;"thatistosay,MonsieurdeMontyonfounded’prizesforvirtue,’whicharefrequentlygiventozealousandexemplarydomesticservants。Butordinarygoodconductisnotsufficient;theremustbesomeactoractsofgreatdevotion,andtrulyChristianself—abnegation。"
  "Religionenjoinshumilityuponus,"repliedthepiouswoman,"andthereforeIdarenotpraisemyself;butinasmuchasforthelasttwentyyearsIhavelivedintheserviceofanoldmanofthedullestdescription,asavant,whohaswastedhissubstanceoninventions,sothatImyselfhavehadtofeedandclothehim,personshavethoughtthatIamnotaltogetherundeservingofthatprize。"
  "ItiscertainlyundersuchconditionsthattheAcademyselectsitscandidates,"saidlaPeyrade。"Whatisyourmaster’sname?"
  "PerePicot;heisnevercalledotherwiseinourquarter;sometimeshegoesoutintothestreetsasifdressedforthecarnival,andallthelittlechildrencrowdabouthim,callingout:’Howd’yedo,PerePicot!Good—morning,PerePicot!’Butthat’showitis;hetakesnocareofhisdignity;hegoesaboutfullofhisownideas;andthoughI
  killmyselftryingtogivehimappetizingfood,ifyouaskhimwhathehashadforhisdinnerhecan’ttellyou。Yethe’samanfullofability,andhehastaughtgoodpupils。PerhapsmonsieurknowsyoungPhellion,aprofessorintheCollegeofSaint—Louis;hewasoneofhisscholars,andhecomestoseehimveryoften。"
  "Then,"saidlaPeyrade,"yourmasterisamathematician?"
  "Yes,monsieur;mathematicshavebeenhisbane;theyhaveflunghimintoasetofideaswhichdon’tseemtohaveanycommon—senseinthemeversincehehasbeenemployedattheObservatory,nearhere。"
  "Well,"saidlaPeyrade,"youmustbringtestimonyprovingyourlongdevotiontothisoldman,andIwillthendrawupamemorialtotheAcademyandtakethenecessarystepstopresentit。"
  "Howgoodmonsieuris!"saidthepiouswoman,claspingherhands;"andifhewouldalsoletmetellhimofalittledifficulty——"
  "Whatisit?"
  "Theytellme,monsieur,thattogetthisprizepersonsmustbereallyverypoor。"
  "Notexactly;still,theAcademydoesendeavortochoosewhosewhoareinstraitenedcircumstances,andwhohavemadesacrificestooheavyfortheirmeans。"
  "Sacrifices!IthinkImayindeedsayIhavemadesacrifices,forthelittlepropertyIinheritedfrommyparentshasallbeenspentinkeepingtheoldman,andforfifteenyearsIhavehadnowages,which,atthreehundredfrancsayearandcompoundinterest,amountnowtoaprettylittlesum;asmonsieur,Iamsure,willagree。"
  Atthewords"compoundinterest,"whichevidencedacertainamountoffinancialculture,laPeyradelookedatthisAntigonewithincreasedattention。
  "Inshort,"hesaid,"yourdifficultyis——"
  "Monsieurwillnotthinkitstrange,"repliedthesaintlyperson,"thataveryrichuncledyinginEngland,whohadneverdoneanythingforhisfamilyinhislifetime,shouldhaveleftmetwenty—fivethousandfrancs。"
  "Certainly,"saidthebarrister,"there’snothinginthatbutwhatisperfectlynaturalandproper。"
  "But,monsieur,Ihavebeentoldthatthepossessionofthismoneywillpreventthejudgesfromconsideringmyclaimstotheprize。"
  "Possibly;becauseseeingyouinpossessionofalittlecompetence,thesacrificeswhichyouapparentlyintendtocontinueinfavorofyourmasterwillbelessmeritorious。"
  "Ishallneverabandonhim,poor,dearman,inspiteofhisfaults,thoughIknowthatthispoorlittlelegacywhichHeavenhasgivenmeisinthegreatestdangerfromhim。"
  "Howso?"askedlaPeyrade,withsomecuriosity。
  "Eh!monsieur,lethimonlygetwindofthatmoney,andhe’dsnapitupatamouthful;itwouldallgointohisinventionsofperpetualmotionandothermachinesofvariouskindswhichhavealreadyruinedhim,andme,too。"
  "Then,"saidlaPeyrade,"yourdesireisthatthislegacyshouldremaincompletelyunknown,notonlytoyourmasterbuttothejudgesoftheAcademy?"
  "Howclevermonsieuris,andhowwellheunderstandsthings!"shereplied,smiling。
  "Andalso,"continuedthebarrister,"youdon’twanttokeepthatmoneyopenlyinyourpossession?"
  "Forfearmymastershouldfinditoutandgetitawayfromme?
  Exactly。Besides,asmonsieurwillunderstand,Ishouldn’tbesorry,inordertosupplythepoordearmanwithextracomforts,thatthesumshouldbearinterest。"
  "Andthehighestpossibleinterest,"saidthebarrister。
  "Oh!asforthat,monsieur,fiveorsixpercent。"
  "Verygood;thenitisnotonlyaboutthememorialtotheAcademyfortheprizeofvirtue,butalsoaboutaninvestmentofyourlegacythatyouhavesolongbeendesirousofconsultingme?"
  "Monsieurissokind,socharitable,soencouraging!"
  "Thememorial,afterIhavemadeafewinquiries,willbeeasyenough;
  butaninvestment,offeringgoodsecurity,thesecretofwhichyoudesiretokeep,ismuchlessreadilyobtained。"
  "Ah!ifIdaredto——"saidthepiouswoman,humbly。
  "What?"askedlaPeyrade。
  "Monsieurunderstandsme?"
  "I?nottheleastintheworld。"
  "AndyetIprayedearnestlyjustnowthatmonsieurmightbewillingtokeepthismoneyforme。Ishouldfeelsuchconfidenceifitwereinhishands;Iknowhewouldreturnittome,andneverspeakofit。"
  LaPeyradegathered,atthisinstant,thefruitofhiscomedyoflegaldevotiontothenecessitousclasses。Thechoirofporterschantinghispraisestotheskiescouldalonehaveinspiredthisservant—womanwiththeboundlessconfidenceofwhichhefoundhimselftheobject。HisthoughtsrevertedinstantlytoDutocqandhisnotes,andhewasnotfarfromthinkingthatthiswomanhadbeensenttohimbyProvidence。
  Butthemorehewasinclinedtoprofitbythischancetowinhisindependence,themorehefeltthenecessityofseemingtoyieldonlytoherimportunity;consequentlyhisobjectionsweremany。
  Moreover,hehadnogreatbeliefinthecharacterofhisclient,anddidnotcare,asthecommonsayingis,touncoverSaintPetertocoverSaintPaul;inotherwords,tosubstituteforacreditorwho,afterall,washisaccomplice,awomanwhomightatanytimebecomeexactingandinsistinrepaymentinsomepublicmannerthatwouldinjurehisreputation。Hedecided,therefore,toplaythegamewithahighhand。
  "Mygoodwoman,"hesaid,"Iamnotinwantofmoney,andIamnotrichenoughtopayinterestontwenty—fivethousandfrancsforwhichI
  havenouse。AllthatIcandoforyouistoplacethatsum,inmyname,withthenotaryDupuis。Heisareligiousman;youcanseehimeverySundayinthewarden’spewinourchurch。Notaries,youknow,nevergivereceipts,thereforeIcouldnotgiveyouonemyself;Icanonlypromisetoleaveamongmypapers,incaseofdeath,amemorandumwhichwillsecuretherestitutionofthemoneyintoyourhands。Theaffair,yousee,isoneofblindconfidence,andIamveryunwillingtomakeit。IfIdoso,itisonlytoobligeapersonwhosepietyandthecharitableusesheintendstomakeoftheproceedsofherlittlefortuneentitlehertomygood—will。"
  "Ifmonsieurthinksthatthemattercannotbeotherwisearranged——"
  "Thisappearstometheonlypossibleway,"saidlaPeyrade。"Ishallhopetogetyousixpercentinterest,andyoumayrelythatitwillbepaidwiththeutmostregularity。Butremember,sixmonths,orevenayear,mayelapsebeforethenotarywillbeinapositiontorepaythismoney,becausenotariesinvestsuchtrustfundschieflyinmortgageswhichrequireacertaintimetomature。Now,whenyouhaveobtainedtheprizeforvirtue,which,accordingtoallappearance,I
  canreadilydoforyou,therewillbenoreasontohideyourlittlepropertyanylonger,——areasonwhichIfullyunderstand;butyouwillnotbeabletowithdrawitfromthenotary’shandsimmediately;andincaseofanydifficultyarising,Ishouldbeforcedtoexplainthesituation,themannerinwhichyouhaveconcealedyourprosperityfromyourmaster,towhomyouhavebeensupposedtobewhollydevoted。
  This,asyouwillsee,wouldputyouinthepositionoffalselyprofessingvirtue,andwoulddogreatharmtoyourreputationforpiety。"
  "Oh!monsieur,"saidthesaintlywoman,"canitbethatanyonewouldthinkmeapersonwhodidnotspeakthetruth?"
  "Blessyou!mygoodcreature,inbusinessitisnecessarytoforeseeeverything。Moneyembroilsthebestfriends,andleadstoactionstheyneverforesaw。Thereforereflect;youcancomeandseemeagaininafewdays。Itispossiblethatbetweennowandthenyouwillfindsomebetterinvestment;andImyself,whoamdoingatthismomentathingI
  don’taltogetherlike,mayhavefoundotherdifficultieswhichIdonotnowexpect。"
  Thisthreat,adroitlythrownoutasanafterthought,wasintendedtoimmediatelyclinchthematter。
  "Ihavereflectedcarefully,"saidthepiouswoman,"andIfeelsurethatinthehandsofsoreligiousamanasmonsieurIrunnorisks。"
  Takingfromherbosomalittlepocket—book,shepulledouttwenty—fivebanknotes。TherapidmannerinwhichshecountedthemwasarevelationtolaPeyrade。Thewomanwasevidentlyaccustomedtohandlemoney,andasingularideadartedthroughhismind。
  "Canitbethatsheismakingmeareceiverofstolenproperty?No,"
  hesaidaloud,"inordertodrawupthememorialfortheAcademy,I
  must,asItoldyou,makeafewinquiries;andthatwillgivemeoccasiontocalluponyou。AtwhathourcanIseeyoualone?"
  "Atfouro’clock,whenmonsieurgoestotakehiswalkintheLuxembourg。"
  "Andwheredoyoulive?"
  "RueduVal—de—Grace,No。9。"
  "Verygood;atfouro’clock;andif,asIdoubtnot,theresultofmyinquiryisfavorable,Iwilltakeyourmoneythen。Otherwise,iftherearenotgoodgroundsforyourapplicationfortheprizeofvirtuetherewillbenoreasonwhyyoushouldmakeamysteryofyourlegacy。
  YoucouldtheninvestitinsomemorenormalmannerthanthatIhavesuggestedtoyou。"
  "Oh!howcautiousmonsieuris!"shesaid,withevidentdisappointment,havingthoughttheaffairsettled。"Thismoney,Godbethanked!Ihavenotstolen,andmonsieurcanmakewhatinquirieshelikesaboutmeinthequarter。"
  "ItisquiteindispensablethatIshoulddoso,"saidlaPeyrade,dryly,forhedidnotatalllike,underthismaskofsimplicity,thequickintelligencethatpenetratedhisthoughts。"Withoutbeingathief,awomanmayverywellnotbeaSisterofCharity;there’sawidemarginbetweenthetwoextremes。"
  "Asmonsieurchooses,"shereplied;"heisdoingmesogreataservicethatIoughttolethimtakeallprecautions。"
  Then,withapiouslyhumblebow,shewentaway,takinghermoneywithher。
  "Thedevil!"thoughtlaPeyrade;"thatwomanisstrongerthanI;sheswallowsinsultswithgratitudeandwithoutthesignofagrimace!I
  haveneveryetbeenabletomastermyselflikethat。"
  Hebegannowtofearthathehadbeentootimid,andtothinkthathiswould—becreditormightchangehermindbeforehecouldpayherthevisithehadpromised。Buttheharmwasdone,and,althoughconsumedwithanxietylesthehadlostararechance,hewouldhavecutoffalegsoonerthanyieldtohisimpulsetogotoheroneminutebeforethehourhehadfixed。Theinformationheobtainedaboutherinthequarterwasrathercontradictory。Somesaidhisclientwasasaint;
  otherwisedeclaredhertobeaslycreature;but,onthewhole,nothingwassaidagainsthermoralitythatdeterredlaPeyradefromtakingthepieceofluckshehadofferedhim。
  Whenhemetheratfouro’clockhefoundherinthesamemind。
  WiththemoneyinhispockethewenttodinewithCerizetandDutocqattheRocherdeCancale;anditistothevariousemotionshehadpassedthroughduringthedaythatwemustattributethesharpandill—consideredmannerinwhichheconductedhisrupturewithhistwoassociates。Thisbehaviorwasneitherthatofhisnaturaldispositionnorofhisacquiredtemperament;butthemoneythatwasburninginhispocketshadslightlyintoxicatedhim;itsverytouchhadconveyedtohimanexcitementandanimpatienceforemancipationofwhichhewasnotwhollymaster。HeflungCerizetoverinthematteroftheleasewithoutsomuchasconsultingBrigitte;andyet,hehadnothadthefullcourageofhisduplicity;forhehadlaidtothechargeoftheoldwomanarefusalwhichwasmerelytheactofhisownwill,promptedbybitterrecollectionsofhisfruitlessstruggleswiththemanwhohadsolongoppressedhim。
  Inshort,duringthewholeday,laPeyradehadnotshownhimselftheableandinfalliblemanthatwehavehithertoseenhim。Oncebefore,whenhecarriedthefifteenthousandfrancsentrustedtohimbyThuillier,hehadbeenledbyCerizetintoaninsurrectionaryproceedingwhichnecessitatedtheaffairofSauvaignou。Perhaps,onthewhole,itismoredifficulttobestrongundergoodthanunderevilfortune。TheFarneseHercules,calmandinstillrepose,expressesmoreenergeticallytheplenitudeofmuscularpowerthanaviolentandagitatedHerculesrepresentedintheover—excitedenergyofhislabors。