第10章

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：——