CHAPTERX
HOWBRIGITTEWASWON
Thedayafterthisconferenceatthe"ChevalRouge，"laPeyradewenttodinewiththeThuilliers，andonthecommonplacepretextofavisittopay，Thuilliercarriedoffhiswife，leavingTheodosealonewithBrigitte。NeitherThuillier，norhissister，norTheodose，werethedupesofthiscomedy；buttheoldbeauoftheEmpireconsideredthemanoeuvreapieceofdiplomacy。
"Youngman，donottakeadvantageofmysister’sinnocence；respectit，"saidThuilliersolemnly，ashedeparted。
"Mademoiselle，"saidTheodose，drawinghischairclosertothesofawhereBrigittesatknitting，"haveyouthoughtofinducingthebusinessmenofthearrondissementtosupportThuillier’sinterests？"
"HowcanI？"sheasked。
"Why！youareincloserelationswithBarbetandMetivier。"
"Ah！youareright！Faith！youarenoblunderer！"shesaidafterapause。
"Whenweloveourfriends，weservethem，"hereplied，sententiously。
TocaptureBrigittewouldbelikecarryingtheredoubtoftheMoskowa，theculminatingstrategicpoint。Butitwasnecessarytopossessthatoldmaidasthedevilwassupposedinthemiddleagestopossessmen，andinawaytomakeanyawakeningimpossibleforher。ForthelastthreedayslaPeyradehadbeenmeasuringhimselfforthetask；hehadcarefullyreconnoitredthegroundtoseealldifficulty。Flattery，thatalmostinfalliblemeansinablehands，wouldcertainlymiscarrywithawomanwhoforyearshadknownshehadnobeauty。Butamanofstrongwillfindsnothingimpregnable；theLamarquescouldneverhavefailedtotakeCapri。Therefore，nothingmustbeomittedfromthememorablescenewhichwasnowtotakeplace；allthingsaboutithadtheirownimportance，——inflectionsofthevoice，pauses，glances，loweredeyes。
"But，"rejoinedBrigitte，"youhavealreadyprovedtousyouraffection。"
"Yourbrotherhastoldyou——？"
"No，hemerelytoldmethatyouhadsomethingtotellme。"
"Yes，mademoiselle，Ihave；foryouarethemanofthefamily。Inreflectingonthismatter，Ifindmanydangersformyself，suchasamanonlyrisksforhisnearestanddearest。Itinvolvesafortune；
thirtytofortythousandfrancsayear，andnottheslightestspeculation——apieceoflandedproperty。ThehopeofhelpingThuilliertowinsuchafortuneenticedmefromthefirst。’Itfascinatesme，’I
saidtohim——for，unlessamanisanabsolutefool，hecan’thelpaskinghimself：’Whyshouldhecaretodousallthisgood？’SoItoldhimfranklythatinworkingforhisinterests，IflatteredmyselfI
wasworkingformyown，asI’llexplaintoyoulater。Ifhewishestobedeputy，twothingsareabsolutelynecessary：tocomplywiththelawastoproperty，andtowinforhisnamesomesortofpubliccelebrity。
IfImyselfpushmydevotiontothepointofhelpinghimtowriteabookonpublicfinanciering——oranythingelse，nomatterwhat——whichwouldgivehimthatcelebrity，Ioughtalsotothinkoftheothermatter，hisproperty——itwouldbeabsurdtoexpectyoutogivehimthishouse——"
"Formybrother？Why，I’dputitinhisnameto—morrow，"criedBrigitte。"Youdon’tknowme。"
"Idon’tknowyouthoroughly，"saidlaPeyrade，"butIdoknowthingsaboutyouwhichnowmakemeregretthatIdidnottellyouthewholeaffairfromitsorigin；ImeanfromthemomentwhenIconceivedtheplantowhichThuillierwillowehisnomination。Hewillbehunteddownbyenvyandjealousy，andthetaskofupholdinghimwillbeahardone；wemust，however，getthebetterofhisrivalsandtakethewindoutoftheirsails。"
"Butthisaffair，"saidBrigitte，"whatarethedifficulties？"
"Mademoiselle，thedifficultiesliewithinmyownconscience。
Assuredly，Icouldnotserveyouinthismatterwithoutfirstconsultingmyconfessor。Fromaworldlypointofview——oh！theaffairisperfectlylegal，andIam——you’llunderstandme？——abarristerinscribedonthepanel，thatis，memberofabarcontrolledbythestrictestrules。Iamthereforeincapableofproposinganenterprisewhichmightgiveoccasionforblame。Inthefirstplace，Imyselfdon’tmakeapennybyit。"
Brigittewasonthorns；herfacewasflaming；shebrokeherwool，mendedit，brokeitagain，anddidnotknowwhichwaytolook。
"Onecan’tget，"shesaid，"inthesedays，fortythousandfrancsayearfromlandedpropertyunlessitisworthonemillioneighthundredthousand。"
"Well，Iwillundertakethatyoushallseeapieceofpropertyandestimateyourselfitsprobablerevenue，whichIcanmakeThuilliertheownerofforfiftythousandfrancsdown。"
"Oh！ifyoucanmakeusobtainthat！"criedBrigitte，workeduptothehighestexcitementbythespurofhernaturalcupidity。"Goon，mydearMonsieurTheodose，and——"
Shestoppedshort。
"Well，mademoiselle？"
"Youwill，perhaps，havedoneyourselfaservice。"
"Ah！ifThuillierhastoldyoumysecret，Imustleavethishouse。"
Brigittelookedup。
"DidhetellyouthatIloveCeleste？"
"No，onmywordofhonor！"criedBrigitte，"butImyselfwasjustabouttospeakofher。"
"Andofferhertome？Oh！mayGodforgiveus！Icanonlywinherofherself，herparents，byafreechoice——No，no，allIaskofyouisyourgood—will，yourprotection。Promiseme，asThuillierhas，inreturnformyservicesyourinfluence，yourfriendship；tellmethatyouwilltreatmeasason。Ifyouwilldothat，Iwillabidebyyourdecisioninthismatter；Icantrustit；Ineednotspeaktomyconfessor。Forthelasttwoyears，eversinceIhaveseenmuchofthisfamily，towhomIwouldfaingivemypowersanddevotemyutmostenergy——for，Ishallsucceed！surelyIshall！——Ihaveobservedthatyourintegrity，yourhonoristhatoftheoldentime，yourjudgmentrighteousandinflexible。Also，youhaveaknowledgeofbusiness；andthesequalitiescombinedareprecioushelpstoaman。Withamother—
in—law，asImaysay，ofyourpowers，Ishouldfindmyhomeliferelievedofacrowdofcaresanddetailsastoproperty，whichhinderaman’sadvanceinapoliticalcareerifheisforcedtoattendtothem。IadmiredyoudeeplyonSundayevening。Ah！youwerefine！Howyoudidmanagematters！Intenminutesthatdining—roomwascleared！
And，withoutgoingoutsideofyourownapartment，youhadeverythingathandfortherefreshments，forthesupper！’There，’Isaidtomyself，asIwatchedyou，’isatrue"maitresse—femme"——amasterlywoman！’"
Brigitte’snostrilsdilated；shebreathedinthewordsoftheyounglawyer。Hegaveheraside—longglancetoenjoyhistriumph；hehadtouchedtherightchordinherbreast。
Atthismomenthewasstanding，buthenowresumedhisseatbesideher，andsaid：——
"Nowhereisouraffair，dearaunt——foryouwillbeasortofaunt——"
"Hush！younaughtyfellow！"saidBrigitte，"andgoon。"
"I’lltellyouthematterroughly——andremark，ifyouplease，thatI
compromisemyselfintellingittoyou；forthesesecretsareentrustedtomeasalawyer。ThereforeunderstandthatyouandIarebothcommittingacrime，sotospeak，ofleze—confidence！AnotaryofPariswasinpartnershipwithanarchitect；theyboughtlandandbuiltuponit；atthepresentmoment，propertyhascomedownwitharush；
theyfindthemselvesembarrassed——butallthatdoesn’tconcernus。
Amongthehousesbuiltbythisillegalpartnership——fornotaries，youknow，aresworntohavenothingtodowithenterprises——isaverygoodonewhich，notbeingfinished，mustbesoldatagreatsacrifice；sogreatthattheynowaskonlyonehundredthousandfrancsforit，althoughthecostofthelandandthebuildingwasatleastfourhundredthousand。Asthewholeinteriorisstillunfinished，thevalueofwhatisstilltodoiseasilyappraised；itwillprobablynotbemorethanfiftythousandfrancs。Now，owingtoitsexcellentposition，thishouse，whenfinished，willcertainlybringinarental，overandabovethetaxes，offortythousandfrancsayear。Itisbuiltoffreestone，thecornersandcopingsofcutgranite；thefacadeiscoveredwithhandsomecarvings，onwhichtheyspentmorethantwentythousandfrancs；thewindowsareplateglasswithanewstyleoffasteningcalled’cremona。’"
"Well，whereisthedifficulty？"
"Justhere：thenotarywantstoreservetohimselfthisbitofthecakeheisforcedtosurrender；heis，underthenameofafriend，thecreditorwhorequeststhesaleofthepropertybytheassigneeofthebankruptcy。Thecasehasnotbeenbroughtintocourt；forlegalproceedingscostsomuchmoney。Thesaleistobemadebyvoluntaryagreement。Now，thisnotaryhasappliedtooneofmyclientstolendhimhisnameforthispurchase。Myclient，apoordevil，saystome：
’There’safortunetomadeoutofthathousebyfoolingthenotary。’"
"Andtheydothatsortofthinginbusiness！"saidBrigitte，quickly。
"Ifthatweretheonlydifficulty，"continuedTheodose，"itwouldbe，asafriendofminesaidtohispupil，whowascomplainingofthelengthoftimeittooktoproducemasterpiecesinpainting：’Mydearyoungfellow，ifitwerenotso，ourvaletswouldbepaintingpictures。’But，mademoiselle，ifwenowgetthebetterofthisnotary，whocertainlydeservesit，forhehascompromisedanumberofprivatefortunes，yet，asheisaveryshrewdman（thoughanotary），itmightperhapsbeverydifficulttodoitasecondtime，andhere’stherub：
Whenapieceoflandedpropertyisboughtataforcedsale，ifthosewhohavelentmoneyonthatpropertyseethatislikelytobesoldsolowasnottocoverthesumloaneduponit，theyhavetheright，untiltheexpirationofacertaintime，tobiditin；thatis，tooffermoreandkeepthepropertyintheirownhands。Ifthistrickstercan’tbehoodwinkedastothesalebeingabonafideoneuntilthetimewhenhisrighttobuyitexpires，someotherschememustberesortedto。
Now，isthisbusinessstrictlylegal？AmIjustifiedindoingitforthebenefitofafamilyIseektoenter？ThatisthequestionIhavebeenrevolvinginmymindforthelastthreedays。"
Brigitte，wemustacknowledge，hesitated，andTheodosethenbroughtforwardhislastcard：——
"Takethenighttothinkofit，"hesaid，"to—morrowwewilltalkitover。"
"Myyoungfriend，"saidBrigitte，lookingatthelawyerwithanalmostlovingair，"thefirstthingtobedoneistoseethehouse。Whereisit？"
"NeartheMadeleine。ThatwillbetheheartofParisintenyears。Allthatpropertyhasbeendesirablesince1819；thebankerDuTillet’sfortunewasderivedfrompropertyaboutthere。ThefamousfailureofMaitreRoquin，whichcarriedterrortoallParis，anddidsuchharmtotheconfidencegiventothenotariat，wasalsocausedbyit；theywentintoheavyspeculationsonthatlandtoosoon；theyshouldhavewaiteduntilnow。"
"Irememberaboutthat，"saidBrigitte。
"Thehousemightbefinishedbytheendoftheyear，"continuedTheodose，"andtherentalscouldbeginnextspring。"
"Couldwegothereto—morrow？"
"Dearaunt，Iamatyourorders。"
"Ahca！"shecried，"don’tcallmethatbeforepeople。Astothisaffair，"shecontinued，"Ican’thaveanyopinionuntilIhaveseenthehouse。"
"Ithassixstoreys；ninewindowsonthefront；afinecourtyard，fourshops，anditstandsonacorner。Ah！thatnotaryknowswhatheisaboutinwishingtoholdontosuchpiecesofproperty！Butletpoliticaleventsinterfere，anddowngotheFunds！IfIwereyou，I
shouldselloutallthatyouandMadameThuillierhaveontheGrandLivreandbuythisfinepieceofrealestateforThuillier，andI’drecoverthefortuneofthatpoor，piouscreaturebysavingsfromitsproceeds。CantheFundsgohigherthantheyareto—day？Onehundredandtwenty—two！itisfabulous；Ishouldmakehastetosell。"
Brigittelickedherlips；sheperceivedthemeansofkeepingherownpropertyintact，andofenrichingherbrotherbythisuseofMadameThuillier’sfortune。
"Mybrotherisright，"shesaidtoTheodose；"youcertainlyarearareman；you’llgetonintheworld。"
"Andhe’llwalkbeforeme，"respondedTheodosewithanaivetethattouchedtheoldmaid。
"Youwillliveinthefamily，"shesaid。
"Theremaybeobstaclestothat，"heremarked。"MadameThuillierisveryqueerattimes；shedoesn’tlikeme。"
"Ha！I’llsettlethat，"criedBrigitte。"Doyouattendtothataffairandcarryitthroughifitisfeasible，andleaveyourinterestsinmyhands。"
"Thuillier，memberofthemunicipalcouncil，ownerofanestatewitharentaloffortythousandfrancsayear，withthecrossoftheLegionofhonorandtheauthorofapoliticalwork，grave，serious，important，willbedeputyattheforthcominggeneralelection。But，betweenourselves，littleaunt，onecouldn’tdevoteone’sselfsoutterlyexceptforafather—in—law。"
"Youareright。"
"ThoughIhavenofortuneIshallhavedoubledyours；andifthisaffairgoesthroughdiscreetly，otherswillturnup。"
"UntilIhaveseenthehouse，"saidMademoiselleThuillieragain，"I
candecideonnothing。"
"Wellthen，sendforacarriageto—morrowandletusgothere。Iwillgetaticketearlyinthemorningtoviewthepremises。"
"To—morrow，then，aboutmid—day，"respondedBrigitte，holdingoutherhandtoTheodosethathemightshakeit，butinsteadofthathelaiduponitthemostrespectfulandthemosttenderkissthatBrigittehadeverinherlifereceived。
"Adieu，mychild，"shesaid，ashereachedthedoor。
Sherangthebellhurriedlyandwhentheservantcame：——
"Josephine，"shecried，"goatoncetoMadameColleville，andaskhertocomeoverandspeaktome。"
FifteenminuteslaterFlavieenteredthesalon，whereBrigittewaswalkingupanddown，inastateofextremeagitation。
"Mydear，"shecriedonseeingFlavie，"youcandomeagreatservice，whichconcernsourdearCeleste。YouknowTullia，don’tyou？——adanseuseattheopera；mybrotherwasalwaysdinningherintomyearsatonetime。"
"Yes，Iknowher；butsheisnolongeradanseuse；sheisMadamelaComtesseduBruel。HerhusbandispeerofFrance！"
"Doesshestilllikeyou？"
"Weneverseeeachothernow。"
"Well，IknowthatChaffaroux，therichcontractor，isheruncle，"
saidBrigitte。"Heisoldandwealthy。Goandseeyourformerfriend，andgethertogiveyoualineofintroductiontohim，sayinghewoulddoheraneminentfavorifhewouldgiveapieceoffriendlyadvicetothebearerofthenote，andthenyouandIwilltakeittohimto—morrowaboutoneo’clock。ButtellTulliashemustrequestheruncletokeepsecretaboutit。Go，mydear。Celeste，ourdearchild，willbeamillionaire！Ican’tsaymore；butshe’llhave，fromme，ahusbandwhowillputheronapinnacle。"
"Doyouwantmetotellyouthefirstlettersofhisname？"
"Yes。"
"T。P。，——TheodosedelaPeyrade。Youareright。That’samanwhomay，ifsupportedbyawomanlikeyou，becomeaminister。"
"ItisGodhimselfwhohasplacedhiminourhouse！"criedtheoldmaid。
AtthismomentMonsieurandMadameThuillierreturnedhome。
Fivedayslater，inthemonthofApril，theordinancewhichconvokedtheelectorstoappointamemberofthemunicipalcouncilonthe20thofthesamemonthwasinsertedinthe"Moniteur，"andplacardedaboutParis。Forseveralweekstheministry，calledthatofMarch1st，hadbeeninpower。Brigittewasinacharminghumor。ShehadbeenconvincedofthetruthofalllaPeyrade’sassertions。Thehouse，visitedfromgarrettocellarbyoldChaffaroux，wasadmittedbyhimtobeanadmirableconstruction；poorGrindot，thearchitect，whowasinterestedwiththenotaryandClaparonintheaffair，thoughttheoldmanwasemployedintheinterestsofthecontractor；theoldfellowhimselfthoughthewasactingintheinterestsofhisniece，andhegaveitashisopinionthatthirtythousandfrancswouldfinishthehouse。Thus，inthecourseofoneweeklaPeyradebecameBrigitte’sgod；andsheprovedtohimbythemostnaivelynefariousargumentsthatfortuneshouldbeseizedwhenitoffereditself。
"Well，ifthereISanysininthebusiness，"shesaidtohiminthemiddleofthegarden，"youcanconfessit。"
"Thedevil！"criedThuillier，"amanoweshimselftohisrelatives，andyouareoneofusnow。"
"ThenIdecidetodoit，"repliedlaPeyrade，inavoiceofemotion；
"butonconditionsthatImustnowdistinctlystate。Iwillnot，inmarryingCeleste，beaccusedofgreedandmercenarymotives。Ifyoulayremorseuponme，atleastyoumustconsentthatIshallremainasIamforthepresent。DonotsettleuponCeleste，myoldThuillier，thefuturepossessionofthepropertyIamabouttoobtainforyou——"
"Youareright。"
"Don’trobyourself；andletmydearlittleaunthereactinthesamewayinrelationtothemarriagecontract。PuttheremainderofthecapitalinMadameThuillier’sname，ontheGrandLivre，andshecandowhatshelikeswithit。Weshallalllivetogetherasonefamily，andI’llundertaketomakemyownfortune，nowthatIamfreefromanxietyaboutthefuture。"
"Thatsuitsme，"saidThuillier；"that’sthetalkofanhonestman。"
"Letmekissyouontheforehead，myson，"saidtheoldmaid；"but，inasmuchasCelestecannotbeallowedtogowithouta’dot，’weshallgivehersixtythousandfrancs。"
"Forherdress，"saidlaPeyrade。
"Weareallthreepersonsofhonor，"criedThuillier。"Itisnowsettled，isn’tit？Youaretomanagethepurchaseofthehouse；wearetowritetogether，youandI，mypoliticalwork；andyou’llbestiryourselftogetmethedecoration？"
"Youwillhavethatassoonasyouaremadeamunicipalcouncilloronthe1stofMay。Only，mygoodfriend，Imustbegyou，andyou，too，dearaunt，tokeepthemostprofoundsecrecyaboutmeinthisaffair；
anddonotlistentothecalumnieswhichallthemenIamabouttotrickwillspreadaboutme。Ishallbecome，you’llsee，avagabond，aswindler，adangerousman，aJesuit，anambitiousfortune—hunter。Canyouhearthoseaccusationsagainstmewithcomposure？"
"Fearnothing，"repliedBrigitte。
CHAPTERXI
THEREIGNOFTHEODOSE
FromthatdayforthThuillierbecameadear，goodfriend。"Mydear，goodfriend，"wasthenamegiventohimbyTheodose，withvoiceinflectionsofvarietiesoftendernesswhichastonishedFlavie。But"littleaunt，"anamethatflatteredBrigittedeeply，wasonlygiveninfamilysecrecy，andoccasionallybeforeFlavie。TheactivityofTheodoseandDutocq，Cerizet，Barbet，Metivier，Minard，Phellion，Colleville，andothersoftheThuilliercirclewasextreme。Greatandsmall，theyallputtheirhandstothework。Cadenetprocuredthirtyvotesinhissection。Onthe30thofAprilThuillierwasproclaimedmemberoftheCouncil—generalofthedepartmentoftheSeinebyanimposingmajority；infact，heonlyneededsixtymorevotestomakehiselectionunanimous。May1stThuillierjoinedthemunicipalbodyandwenttotheTuileriestocongratulatetheKingonhisfete—day，andreturnedhomeradiant。HehadgonewhereMinardwent！
Tendayslaterayellowposterannouncedthesaleofthehouse，afterduepublication；thepricenamedbeingseventy—fivethousandfrancs；
thefinalpurchasetotakeplaceaboutthelastofJuly。OnthispointCerizetandClaparonhadanagreementbywhichCerizetpledgedthesumoffifteenthousandfrancs（inwordsonly，beitunderstood）toClaparonincasethelattercoulddeceivethenotaryandkeephimquietuntilthetimeexpiredduringwhichhemightwithdrawthepropertybybiddingitin。MademoiselleThuillier，notifiedbyTheodose，agreedentirelytothissecretclause，understandingperfectlythenecessityofpayingtheculpritsguiltyofthetreachery。ThemoneywastopassthroughlaPeyrade’shands。Claparonmethisaccomplice，thenotary，onthePlacedel’Observatoirebymidnight。Thisyoungman，thesuccessorofLeopoldHannequin，wasoneofthosewhorunafterfortuneinsteadoffollowingitleisurely。Henowsawanotherfuturebeforehim，andhemanagedhispresentaffairsinordertobefreetotakeholdofit。Inthismidnightinterview，heofferedClaparontenthousandfrancstosecurehimselfinthisdirtybusiness，——asumwhichwasonlytobepaidonreceipt，throughClaparon，ofacounter—deedfromthenominalpurchaseroftheproperty。Thenotarywasawarethatthatsumwasall—importanttoClaparontoextricatehimfrompresentdifficulties，andhefeltsecureofhim。
"Whobutyou，inallParis，wouldgivemesuchafeeforsuchanaffair？"Claparonsaidtohim，withafalseshowofnaivete。"Youcansleepinpeace；myostensiblepurchaserisoneofthosemenofhonorwhoaretoostupidtohaveideasofyourkind；heisaretiredgovernmentemployee；givehimthemoneytomakethepurchaseandhe’llsignthecounter—deedatonce。"
WhenthenotaryhadmadeClaparonclearlyunderstandthathecouldnotgetmorethanthetenthousandfrancsfromhim，Cerizetofferedthelattertwelvethousanddown，andaskedTheodoseforfifteenthousand，intendingtokeepthebalanceforhimself。Allthesescenesbetweenthefourmenwereseasonedwiththefinestspeechesaboutfeelings，integrity，andthehonorthatmenowedtooneanotherindoingbusiness。Whilethesesubmarineperformancesweregoingon，apparentlyintheinterestsofThuillier，towhomTheodoserelatedthemwiththedeepestmanifestationsofdisgustatbeingimplicatedtherein，thepairweremeditatingthegreatpoliticalworkwhich"mydeargoodfriend"wastopublish。Thusthenewmunicipalcouncillornaturallyacquiredaconvictionthathecouldneverdoorbeanythingwithoutthehelpofthismanofgenius；whosemindsoamazedhim，andwhoseabilitywasnowsoimportanttohim，thateverydayhebecamemoreandmoreconvincedofthenecessityofmarryinghimtoCeleste，andoftakingtheyoungcoupletolivewithhim。Infact，afterMaythe1st，Theodosehadalreadydinedfourtimesaweekwith"mydear，goodfriend。"
ThiswastheperiodwhenTheodosereignedwithoutadissentingvoiceinthebosomofthathousehold，andallthefriendsofthefamilyapprovedofhim——forthefollowingreason：ThePhellions，hearinghispraisessungbyBrigitteandThuillier，fearedtodispleasethetwopowersandchorussedtheirwords，evenwhensuchperpetuallaudationseemedtothemexaggerated。ThesamemaybesaidoftheMinards。
MoreoverlaPeyrade’sbehavior，as"friendofthefamily"wasperfect。
Hedisarmeddistrustbythemannerinwhichheeffacedhimself；hewastherelikeanewpieceoffurniture；andhecontrivedtomakeboththePhellionsandMinardsbelievethatBrigitteandThuillierhadweighedhim，andfoundhimtoolightinthescalestobeanythingmoreinthefamilythanayoungmanwhoseserviceswereusefultothem。
"Hemaythink，"saidThuillieronedaytoMinard，"thatmysisterwillputhiminherwill；hedoesn’tknowher。"
Thisspeech，inspiredbyTheodosehimself，calmedtheuneasinessofMinard"pere。"
"Heisdevotedtous，"saidBrigittetoMadamePhellion；"buthecertainlyowesusagreatdealofgratitude。Wehavegivenhimhislodgingrent—free，andhedineswithusalmosteveryday。"
Thisspeechoftheoldmaid，alsoinstigatedbyTheodose，wentfromeartoearamongthefamilieswhofrequentedtheThuilliersalon，anddissipatedallfears。TheyoungmancalledattentiontotheremarksofThuillierandhissisterwiththeservilityofaparasite；whenheplayedwhisthejustifiedtheblundersofhisdear，goodfriend，andhekeptuponhiscountenanceasmile，fixedandbenign，likethatofMadameThuillier，readytobestowuponallthebourgeoissillinessesofthebrotherandsister。
Heobtained，whathewantedaboveall，thecontemptofhistrueantagonists；andheuseditasacloaktohidehisrealpower。Forfourconsecutivemonthshisfaceworeatorpidexpression，likethatofasnakeasitgulpsanddigestsitsprey。ButattimeshewouldrushintothegardenwithCollevilleorFlavie，tolaughandlayoffhismask，andresthimself；orgetfreshstrengthbygivingwaybeforehisfuturemother—in—lawtofitsofnervouspassionwhicheitherterrifiedordeeplytouchedher。
"Don’tyoupityme？"hecriedtohertheeveningbeforethepreparatorysaleofthehouse，whenThuillierwastomakethepurchaseatseventy—fivethousandfrancs。"Thinkofamanlikeme，forcedtocreeplikeacat，tochokedowneverypointedword，toswallowmyowngall，andsubmittoyourrebuffs！"
"Myfriend！mychild！"Flaviereplied，undecidedinmindhowtotakehim。
ThesewordsareathermometerwhichwillshowthetemperatureatwhichthisclevermanipulatormaintainedhisintriguewithFlavie。Hekeptherfloatingbetweenherheartandhermoralsense，betweenreligioussentimentsandthismysteriouspassion。
DuringthistimeFelixPhellionwasgiving，withadevotionandconstancyworthyofallpraise，regularlessonstoyoungColleville。
Hespentmuchofhistimeupontheselessons，feelingthathewasthusworkingforhisfuturefamily。Toacknowledgethisservice，hewasinvited，byadviceofTheodosetoFlavie，todineattheCollevilles’
everyThursday，wherelaPeyradealwaysmethim。Flaviewasusuallymakingeitherapurseorslippersoracigar—caseforthehappyyoungman，whowouldsay，deprecatingly：——
"Iamonlytoowellrewarded，madame，bythehappinessIfeelinbeingusefultoyou。"
"Wearenotrich，monsieur，"repliedColleville，"but，Godblessme！
wearenotungrateful。"
OldPhellionwouldrubhishandsashelistenedtohisson’saccountoftheseevenings，beholdinghisdearandnobleFelixalreadyweddedtoCeleste。
ButCeleste，themoreshelovedFelix，themoregraveandseriousshebecamewithhim；partlybecausehermothersharplylecturedher，sayingtoheroneevening：——