第16章

"CharlesCrochard’sfirstobjectonbeingliberatedwasvengeanceonToupillier，andhisfirststepwastodenouncehimtothepoliceasreceiverofthestolenproperty。Takeninhandbythelaw，Toupillierdefendedhimselfwithsuchsingulargood—humor，beingabletoshowthatnoproofwhateverexistedagainsthim，thattheexaminingjudgelethimoff。Helosthisplace，however，asgiverofholywater，obtaining，withgreatdifficulty，permissiontobegatthedoorofthechurch。Formypart，Iwascertainofhisguilt；andImanagedtohavetheclosestwatchkeptuponhim；thoughIreliedfarmoreuponmyself。

Beingamanofmeansandleisure，Istuck，asyoumaysay，totheskinofmythief，anddid，inordertounmaskhim，oneofthecleverestthingsofmycareer。HewaslivingatthattimeintherueduCoeur—

Volant。Isucceededinbecomingthetenantoftheroomadjoininghis；

andonenight，throughagimletholeIhaddrilledinthepartition，I

sawmymantakethecaseofdiamondsfromaverycleverlycontrivedhiding—place。Hesatforanhourgazingatthemandfondlingthem；hemadethemsparkleinthelight，hepressedthempassionatelytohislips。Themanactuallylovedthosediamondsforthemselves，andhadneverthoughtofturningthemtomoney。"

"Iunderstand，"saidCerizet，——"amanialikethatofCardillac，thejeweller，whichhasnowbeendramatized。"

"Thatisjustit，"returnedduPortail；"thepoorwretchwasinlovewiththatcasket；sothatwhen，shortlyafter，IenteredhisroomandtoldhimIknewall，heproposedtometoleavehimthelifeuseofwhathecalledtheconsolationofhisoldage，pledginghimselftomakeMademoiselledelaPeyradehissoleheir，revealingtomeatthesametimetheexistenceofahoardofgold（towhichhewasaddingeveryday），andalsothepossessionofahouseandaninvestmentintheFunds。"

"Ifhemadethatproposalingoodfaith，"saidCerizet，"itwasadesirableone。Theinterestofthecapitalsunkinthediamondswasmorethanreturnedbythatfromtheotherproperty。"

"Younowsee，mydearsir，"saidduPortail，"thatIwasnotmistakenintrustinghim。Allmyprecautionswerewelltaken；IexactedthatheshouldoccupyaroominthehouseIlivedin，whereIcouldkeepacloseeyeuponhim。Iassistedhiminmakingthathiding—place，thesecretofwhichyoudiscoveredsocleverly；butwhatyoudidnotfindoutwasthatintouchingthespringthatopenedtheironsafeyourangabellinmyapartment，whichwarnedmeofanyattemptthatwasmadetoremoveourtreasure。"

"PoorMadameCardinal！"criedCerizet，good—humoredly，"howfarshewasfromsuspectingit！"

"Nowhere’sthesituation，"resumedduPortail。"OnaccountoftheinterestIfeelinthenephewofmyoldfriend，andalso，onaccountoftherelationship，thismarriageseemstomeextremelydesirable；inshort，IuniteTheodosetohiscousinandher’dot。’Asitispossiblethat，consideringthementalstateofhisfuturewife，Theodosemayobjecttosharingmyviews，Ihavenotthoughtitwisetomakethisproposaldirectlytohimself。Youhavesuddenlyturnedupuponmypath；Iknowalreadythatyouarecleverandwily，andthatknowledgeinducesmetoputthislittlematrimonialnegotiationintoyourhands。

Now，Ithink，youunderstandthematterthoroughly；speaktohimofafinegirl，withonelittledrawback，but，ontheotherhand，acomfortablefortune。Donotnamehertohim；andcomehereandletmeknowhowtheproposalhasbeentaken。"

"Yourconfidencedelightsmeasmuchasithonorsme，"repliedCerizet，"andIwilljustifyitthebestIcan。"

"Wemustnotexpecttoomuch，"saidduPortail。"Refusalwillbethefirstimpulseofamanwhohasanaffaironhandelsewhere；butweneednotconsiderourselvesbeaten。IshallnoteasilygiveupaplanwhichIknowtobejust，evenifIpushmyzealsofarastoputlaPeyradeunderlockandkeyinClichy。Iamresolvednottotakenoforhisanswertoaproposalofwhich，intheend，hecannotfailtoseethepropriety。Therefore，inanycase，buyupthosenotesfromMonsieurDutocq。"

"Atpar？"askedCerizet。

"Yes，atpar，ifyoucannotdobetter；wearenotgoingtohaggleoverafewthousandfrancs；only，whenthistransactionisarranged，MonsieurDutocqmustpledgeuseitherhisassistance，or，attheveryleast，hisneutrality。Afterwhatyouhavesaidoftheothermarriage，itisunnecessaryformetowarnyouthatthereisnotamomenttoloseinputtingourironsintothefire。"

"TwodayshenceIhaveanappointmentwithlaPeyrade，"saidCerizet。

"Wehavealittlematterofbusinessofourowntosettle。Don’tyouthinkitwouldbebesttowaittillthen，whenIcanintroducetheproposalincidentally？Incaseofresistance，IthinkthatarrangementwouldbestconducetoOURdignity。"

"Sobeit，"saidduPortail；"itisn’tmuchofadelay。Remember，monsieur，thatifyousucceedyouhave，inplaceofamanabletobringyoutoasternaccountforyourIMPRUDENTASSISTANCEtoMadameCardinal，agreatlyobligedperson，whowillbereadyatalltimestoserveyou，andwhoseinfluenceisgreaterthanisgenerallysupposed。"

Afterthesefriendlywords，thepairseparatedwithathoroughlygoodunderstanding，andwellsatisfiedwitheachother。

CHAPTERXVII

INWHICHTHELAMBDEVOURSTHEWOLF

Theeveningbeforethedayalreadyagreedupon，TheodosereceivedfromCerizetthefollowingnote：——

"To—morrow，leaseornolease，RocherdeCancale，half—pastsixo’clock。"

AsforDutocq，Cerizetsawhimeveryday，forhewasstillhiscopyingclerk；hethereforegavehimhisinvitationbywordofmouth；buttheattentivereadermustremarkadifferenceinthehournamed："Quarter—

past—six，RocherdeCancale，"saidCerizet。Itwasevident，therefore，thathewantedthatfifteenminuteswithDutocqbeforethearrivaloflaPeyrade。

TheseminutestheusurerproposedtoemployinjockeyingDutocqinthepurchaseofthenotes；hefanciedthatifthepropositiontobuythemweresuddenlyputbeforehimwithouttheslightestpreparationitmightbemorereadilyreceived。Bynotleavingthesellertimetobethinkhimself，perhapshemightleadhimtoloosenhisgrasp，andthenotesonceboughtbelowpar，hecouldconsiderathisleisurewhethertopocketthedifferenceorcurryfavorwithduPortailforthediscounthehadobtained。Letussay，moreover，thatapartfromself—interest，Cerizetwouldstillhaveendeavoredtoscrapealittleprofitoutofhisfriend；’twasaninstinctandaneedofhisnature。

HehadasgreatahorrorforstraightcoursesastheloversofEnglishgardensshowinthelinesoftheirpaths。

Dutocq，havingstillaportionofthecostofhispracticetopayoff，wasforcedtoliveverysparingly，sothatadinnerattheRocherdeCancalewassomethingofaneventintheeconomyofhisstraitenedexistence。Hearrived，therefore，withthatpunctualitywhichtestifiestoaninterestintheoccasion，andpreciselyataquarterpastsixheenteredtheprivateroomoftherestaurantwhereCerizetawaitedhim。

"Itisqueer，"hesaid；"herewearereturnedtopreciselythesituationinwhichwebeganourbusinessrelationshipwithlaPeyrade，——except，tobesure，thatthispresentplaceofmeetingofthethreeemperorsismorecomfortable；IprefertheTilsitoftherueMontgorgeuiltotheTilsitoftheChevalRouge。"

"Faith！"saidCerizet，"Idon’tknowthattheresultsjustifythechange，for，tobefrank，wherearetheprofitstoUSintheschemeofourtriumvirate？"

"But，"saidDutocq，"itwasabargainwithalongtimelimit。Itcan’tbesaidthatlaPeyradehaslostmuchtimeingettinginstalled——

forgivethepun——attheThuilleries。Thescamphasmadehiswayprettyfast，youmustownthat。"

"Notsofastbutwhathismarriage，"saidCerizet，"isatthepresentmomentaverydoubtfulthing。"

"Doubtful！"criedDutocq；"whydoubtful？"

"Well，Iamcommissionedtoproposetohimanotherwife，andI’mnotsurethatanychoiceislefttohim。"

"Whatthedevilareyouabout，mydearfellow，lendingyourhandinthiswaytoanothermarriagewhenyouknowwehaveamortgageonthefirst？"

"Oneisn’talwaysmasterofcircumstances，myfriend；Isawatoncewhenthenewaffairwaslaidbeforemethattheonewehadsettledonmustinfalliblygobytheboard。Consequently，I’vetriedtoworkitroundinourinterests，yoursandmine。"

"Ahca！doyoumeantheyarepullingcapsforthisTheodose？Whoisthenewmatch？Hasshemoney？"

"The’dot’isprettygood；quiteasmuchasMademoiselleColleville’s。"

"ThenIwouldn’tgiveafigforit。LaPeyradehassignedthosenotesandhewillpaythem。"

"Willhepaythem？that’sthequestion。Youarenotabusinessman，neitherisTheodose；itmaycomeintohisheadtodisputethevalidityofthosenotes。Whatsecurityhavewethatifthefactsabouttheiroriginshouldcomeout，andtheThuilliermarriageshouldn’tcomeoff，thecourtofcommercemightn’tannulthemas’obligationswithoutcause。’Formypart，Ishouldlaughatsuchadecision；Icanstandit；and，moreover，myprecautionsaretaken；butyou，asclerktoajustice—of—peace，don’tyouseethatsuchanaffairwouldgivethechancellorabonetopickwithyou？"

"But，mygoodfellow，"saidDutocq，withtheill—humorofamanwhoseeshimselffacetofacewithanargumenthecan’trefute，"youseemtohaveamaniaforstirringupmattersandmeddlingwith——"

"Itellyouagain，"saidCerizet，"thiscametome；Ididn’tseekit；

butIsawatoncethattherewasnousestrugglingagainsttheinfluencethatisopposingus；soIchosethecourseofsavingourselvesbyasacrifice。"

"Asacrifice！whatsortofsacrifice？"

"Parbleu！I’vesoldmyshareofthosenotes，leavingthosewhoboughtthemtofightitoutwithMasterbarrister。"

"Whoisthepurchaser？"

"Whodoyousupposewouldstepintomyshoesunlessitwerethepersonswhohaveaninterestinthisothermarriage，andwhowanttoholdapoweroverTheodose，andcontrolhimbyforceifnecessary。"

"Thenmyshareofthenotesisequallyimportanttothem？"

"Nodoubt；butIcouldn’tspeakforyouuntilIhadconsultedyou。"

"Whatdotheyoffer？"

"Hangit！mydearfellow，thesamethatIaccepted。KnowingbetterthanyouthedangeroftheircompetitionIsoldouttothemonverybadterms。"

"Well，butwhatarethey，thoseterms？"

"Igaveupmysharesforfifteenthousandfrancs。"

"Come，come！"saidDutocq，shrugginghisshoulders，"whatyouareafteristorecoveraloss（ifyoumadeit）byacommissiononmyshare——andperhaps，afterall，thewholethingisonlyaplotbetweenyouandlaPeyrade——"

"Atanyrate，mygoodfriend，youdon’tminceyourwords；aninfamousthoughtcomesintoyourheadandyoustateitwithcharmingfrankness。

LuckilyyoushallpresentlyhearmemaketheproposaltoTheodose，andyouarecleverenoughtoknowbyhismanneriftherehasbeenanyconnivancebetweenus。"

"Sobeit！"saidDutocq。"Iwithdrawtheinsinuation；butImustsayyouremployersarepirates；Icalltheirproposalthrottlingpeople。I

havenot，likeyou，somethingtofallbackupon。"

"Well，youpoorfellow，thisishowIreasoned：Isaidtomyself，ThatgoodDutocqisterriblypressedforthelastpaymentonhispractice；

thiswillgivehimenoughtopayitoffatonestroke；eventshaveprovedthattherearegreatuncertaintiesaboutourTheodose—and—

Thuillierscheme；here’smoneydown，livemoney，andthereforeitwon’tbesobadabargainafterall。"

"Itisalossoftwo—fifths！"

"Come，"saidCerizet，"youweretalkingjustnowofcommissions。Iseeameansofgettingoneforyouifyou’llengagetobatterdownthisCollevillemarriage。IfyouwillcryitdownasyouhavelatelycrieditupIshouldn’tdespairofgettingyouaroundtwentythousandoutoftheaffair。"

"ThenyouthinkthatthisnewproposalwillnotbeagreeabletolaPeyrade，——thathe’llrejectit？Isitsomeheiressonwhomhehasalreadytakenamortgage？"

"AllthatIcantellyouisthatthesepeopleexpectsomedifficultyinbringingthemattertoaconclusion。"

"Well，Idon’tdesirebetterthantofollowyourleadanddowhatisdisagreeabletolaPeyrade；butfivethousandfrancs——thinkofit！——itistoomuchtolose。"

Atthismomentthedooropened，andawaiterusheredintheexpectedguest。

"Youcanservedinner，"saidCerizettothewaiter；"weareallhere。"

ItwasplainthatTheodosewasbeginningtotakewingtowardhighersocialspheres；elegancewasbecomingaconstantthoughtinhismind。

Heappearedinadresssuitandvarnishedshoes，whereashistwoassociatesreceivedhiminfrock—coatsandmuddyboots。

"Gentlemen，"hesaid，"IthinkIamalittlelate，butthatdevilofaThuillieristhemostintolerableofhumanbeingsaboutapamphletI

amconcoctingforhim。Iwasunluckyenoughtoagreetocorrecttheproofswithhim，andovereveryparagraphthere’safight。’WhatI

can’tunderstand，’hesays，’thepubliccan’t，either。I’mnotamanofletters，butI’mapracticalman’；andthat’sthewaywebattleit，pageafterpage。Ithoughtthesittingthisafternoonwouldneverend。"

"Howunreasonableyouare，mydearfellow，"saidDutocq；"whenamanwantstosucceedhemusthavethecouragetomakesacrifices。Oncemarried，youcanliftyourhead。"

"Ah，yes！"saidlaPeyradewithasigh，"I’llliftit；forsincethedayyoumademeeatthisbreadofanguishI’vebecometerriblysickofit。"

"Cerizet，"saidDutocq，"hasaplanthatwillfeedyoumoresucculently。"

Nothingmorewassaidatthemoment，forjusticehadtobedonetotheexcellentfareorderedbyCerizetinhonorofhiscominglease。Asusuallyhappensatdinnerswhereaffairsarelikelytobediscussed，eachman，withhismindfullofthem，tookpainsnottoapproachthosetopics，fearingtocompromisehisadvantagesbyseemingeager；theconversation，therefore，continuedforalongtimeongeneralsubjects，anditwasnotuntilthedessertwasservedthatCerizetbroughthimselftoasklaPeyradewhathadbeensettledaboutthetermsofhislease。

"Nothing，myfriend，"repliedTheodose。

"What！nothing？Icertainlyallowedyoutimeenoughtodecidethematter。"

"Well，astothat，somethingisdecided。Therewillnotbeanyprincipaltenantatall；MademoiselleBrigitteisgoingtoletthehouseherself。"

"That’sasingularthing，"saidCerizet，stiffly。"Afteryouragreementwithme，Icertainlydidnotexpectsucharesultasthis。"

"HowcanIhelpit，mydearfellow？Iagreedwithyou，barringamendmentsontheotherside；Iwasn’tabletogiveanotherturntotheaffair。Inhernaturalcharacterasamanagingwomanandasampleofperpetualmotion，Brigittehasreflectedthatshemightaswellmanagethathouseherselfandputintoherownpockettheprofitsyouproposedtomake。IsaidallIcouldaboutthecaresandannoyanceswhichshewouldcertainlysaddleuponherself。’Oh！nonsense！’shesaid；’they’llstirmybloodanddomyhealthgood！’"

"Itispitiable！"saidCerizet。"Thatpooroldmaidwillneverknowwhichendtotakeholdof；shedoesn’timaginewhatitistohaveanemptyhouse，andwhichmustbefilledwithtenantsfromgarrettocellar。"

"Ipliedherwithallthosearguments，"repliedlaPeyrade；"butI

couldn’tmoveherresolution。Don’tyousee，mydeardemocrats，youstirreduptherevolutionof’89；youthoughttomakeafinespeculationindethroningthenoblebythebourgeois，andtheendofitisyouareshovedoutyourselves。Thislookslikeparadox；butyou’vefoundoutnowthatthepeasantandclodhopperisn’tmalleable；

hecan’tbeforceddownandkeptunderlikethenoble。Thearistocracy，onbehalfofitsdignity，wouldnotcondescendtocommoncares，andwasthereforedependentonacrowdofplebeianservitorstowhomithadtotrustforthree—fourthsoftheactionsofitsownlife。

Thatwasthereignofstewardsandbailiffs，wilyfellows，intowhosehandstheinterestsofthegreatfamiliespassed，andwhofedandgrewfatontheparingsofthegreatfortunestheymanaged。Butnow—a—days，utilitariantheories，astheycallthem，havecometothefore，——’Weareneversowellservedasbyourselves，’’There’snoshameinattendingtoone’sownbusiness，’andmanyotherbourgeoismaximswhichhavesuppressedtheroleofintermediaries。Whyshouldn’tMademoiselleBrigitteThuilliermanageherownhousewhendukesandpeersgoinpersontotheBourse，wheresuchmensigntheirownleasesandreadthedeedsbeforetheysignthem，andgothemselvestothenotary，whom，informerdays，theyconsideredaservant。"

DuringthistimeCerizethadtimetorecoverfromtheblowhehadjustreceivedsquarelyintheface，andtothinkofthetransitionhehadtomakefromonesetofintereststotheother，ofwhichhewasnowtheagent。

"Whatyouaredeclaimingthereisallveryclever，"hesaid，carelessly，"butthethingthatprovestomeourdefeatisthefactthatyouarenotonthetermswithMademoiselleThuillieryouwouldhaveusbelieveyouare。Sheisslippingthroughyourfingers；andI

don’tthinkthatmarriageisanythinglikeascertainasDutocqandI

havebeenfancyingitwas。"

"Well，nodoubt，"saidlaPeyrade，"therearestillsometouchestobegiventooursketch，butIbelieveitiswellunderway。"

"AndIthink，onthecontrary，thatyouhavelostground；andthereasonissimple：youhavedonethosepeopleanimmenseservice；andthat’sathingneverforgiven。"

"Well，weshallsee，"saidlaPeyrade。"Ihavemorethanoneholduponthem。"

"No，youaremistaken。Youthoughtyoudidabrilliantthinginputtingthemonapinnacle，butthefactisyouemancipatedthem；

they’llkeepyounowatheel。Thehumanheart，particularlythebourgeoisheart，ismadethatway。IfIwereinyourplaceIshouldn’tfeelsosureofbeingonsolidground，andifsomethingelseturnedupthatofferedmeagoodchance——"

"What！justbecauseIcouldn’tgetyoutheleaseofthathousedoyouwanttoknockeverythingtopieces？"

"No，"saidCerizet，"Iamnotlookingatthematterinthelightofmyowninterests；Idon’tdoubtthatasatrustworthyfriendyouhavedoneeveryimaginablethingtopromotethem；butIthinkthemannerinwhichyouhavebeenshovedasideaverydisturbingsymptom。ItevendecidesmetotellyousomethingIdidnotintendtospeakof；

because，inmyopinion，whenpersonsstartacoursetheyoughttokeeponsteadily，lookingneitherforwardnorback，andnotallowingthemselvestobedivertedtootheraspirations。"

"Ahca！"criedlaPeyrade，"whatdoesallthisverbiagemean？Haveyouanythingtoproposetome？What’sthepriceofit？"

"MydearTheodose，"saidCerizet，payingnoattentiontotheimpertinence，"youyourselfcanjudgeofthevalueofdiscoveringayounggirl，wellbrought—up，adornedwithbeautyandtalentsanda’dot’equaltothatofCeleste，whichshehasinherownright，PLUS

fiftythousandfrancs’worthofdiamonds（asMademoiselleGeorgessaysonherpostersintheprovinces），and，moreover，——afactwhichoughttostrikethemindofanambitiousman，——astrongpoliticalinfluence，whichshecanuseforahusband。"

"Andthistreasureyouholdinyourhand？"saidlaPeyrade，inatoneofincredulity。

"Betterstill，Iamauthorizedtoofferittoyou；infact，ImightsaythatIamchargedtodoso。"

"Myfriend，youarepokingfunatme；unless，indeed，thisphoenixhassomehideousorprohibitorydefect。"

"Well，I’lladmit，"saidCerizet，"thatthereisaslightobjection，notonthescoreoffamily，for，totellthetruth，theyoungwomanhasnone——"

"Ah！"saidlaPeyrade，"anaturalchild——Well，whatnext？"

"Next，sheisnotsoveryyoung，——somethingliketwenty—nineorso；

butthere’snothingeasierthantoturnanelderlygirlintoayoungwidowifyouhaveimagination。"

"Isthatallthevenominit？"

"Yes，allthatisirreparable。"

"Whatdoyoumeanbythat？Isitacaseofrhinoplasty？"

AddressedtoCerizetthewordhadanaggressiveair，which，infact，wasnoticeablesincethebeginningofthedinnerinthewholemannerandconversationofthebarrister。Butitdidnotsuitthepurposeofthenegotiatortoresentit。

"No，"hereplied，"ournoseisaswellmadeasourfootandourwaist；

butwemay，perhaps，haveaslighttouchofhysteria。"

"Oh！verygood，"saidlaPeyrade；"andasfromhysteriatoinsanitythereisbutastep——"

"Well，yes，"interruptedCerizet，hastily，"sorrowshaveaffectedourbrainslightly；butthedoctorsareunanimousintheirdiagnosis；theyallsaythatafterthebirthofthefirstchildnotatracewillremainofthislittletrouble。"

"Iamwillingtoadmitthatdoctorsareinfallible，"repliedlaPeyrade；"but，inspiteofyourdiscouragement，youmustallowme，myfriend，topersistinmysuittoMademoiselleColleville。Perhapsitisridiculoustoconfessit，butthetruthisIamgraduallyfallinginlovewiththatlittlegirl。Itisn’tthatherbeautyisresplendent，orthattheglitterofher’dot’hasdazzledme，butI

findinthatchildagreatfundofsoundsensejoinedtosimplicity；

and，whattomindisofgreaterconsequence，hersincereandsolidpietyattractsme；Ithinkahusbandoughttobeveryhappywithher。"

"Yes，"saidCerizet，who，havingbeenonthestage，mayverywellhaveknownhisMoliere，"thismarriagewillcrownyourwisheswithallgood；itwillbefilledwithsweetnessandwithpleasures。"

TheallusiontoTartuffewaskeenlyfeltbylaPeyrade，whotookitupandsaid，hotly：——

"ThecontactwithinnocencewilldisinfectmeofthevileatmosphereinwhichIhavelivedtoolong。"

"Andyouwillpayyournotesofhand，"addedCerizet，"whichIadviseyoutodowiththeleastpossibledelay；forDutocqherewassayingtomejustnowthathewouldliketoseethecolorofyourmoney。"

"I？notatall，"interposedDutocq。"Ithink，onthecontrary，thatourfriendhasarighttothedelay。"

"Well，"saidlaPeyrade，"IagreewithCerizet。Iholdthatthelessadebtisdue，andthereforethemoreinsecureandopentocontentionitis，thesooneroneoughttofreeone’sselfbypayingit。"

"But，mydearlaPeyrade，"saidDutocq，"whytakethisbittertone？"

Pullingfromhispocketaportfolio，laPeyradesaid：——

"Haveyouthosenoteswithyou，Dutocq？"

"Faith！no，mydearfellow，"repliedDutocq，"Idon’tcarrythemaboutwithme；besides，theyareinCerizet’shands。"

"Well，"saidthebarrister，rising，"wheneveryoucometomyhouseI’llpayyouonthenail，asCerizetcantellyou。"

"What！areyougoingtoleaveuswithoutyourcoffee？"saidCerizet，amazedtothelastdegree。

"Yes；Ihaveanarbitrationcaseateighto’clock。Besides，wehavesaidallwehadtosay。Youhaven’tyourlease，butyou’vegotyourtwentyfivethousandfrancsinfull，andthoseofDutocqarereadyforhimwheneverhechoosestocometomyoffice。Iseenothingnowtopreventmefromgoingwheremyprivatebusinesscallsme，andI

thereforeverycordiallybidyougood—bye。"

"Ahca！Dutocq，"criedCerizet，aslaPeyradedisappeared，"thismeansarupture。"

"Preparedwiththeutmostcare，"addedDutocq。"Didyounoticetheairwithwhichhepulledoutthatpocket—book？"

"Butwherethedevil，"saidtheusurer，"couldhehavegotthemoney？"

"Probably，"repliedDutocq，sarcastically，"wherehegotthatwithwhichhepaidyouinfullforthosenotesyousoldatasacrifice。"

"MydearDutocq，"saidCerizet，"I’llexplaintoyouthecircumstancesunderwhichthatinsolentfellowfreedhimself，andyou’llseeifhedidn’trobmeoffifteenthousandfrancs。"

"Possibly，butyou，myworthyclerk，weretryingtogettenthousandawayfromme。"

"No，no；Iwaspositivelyorderedtobuyupyourclaim；andyououghttorememberthatmyofferhadrisentotwentythousandwhenTheodosecamein。"

"Well，"saidDutocq，"whenweleaveherewe’llgotoyourhouse，whereyouwillgivemethosenotes；for，you’llunderstandthatto—morrowmorning，attheearliestdecenthour，IshallgotolaPeyrade’soffice；Idon’tmeantolethispayinghumorcool。"

"Andrightyouare；forIcantellyounowthatbeforelongthere’llbeafineupsetinhislife。"

"Thenthethingisreallyserious——thistaleofacrazywomanyouwanthimtomarry？Imustsaythatinhisplace，withthesemoney—mattersevidentlyontherise，Ishouldhavebackedoutofyourproposalsjustashedid。NinasandOpheliasareallverywellonthestage，butinahome——"

"Inahome，whentheybringa’dot，’wecanbetheirguardian，"

repliedCerizet，sententiously。"Inpointoffact，wegetafortuneandnotawife。"

"Well，"saidDutocq，"that’sonewaytolookatit。"

"Ifyouarewilling，"saidCerizet，"letusgoandtakeourcoffeesomewhereelse。ThisdinnerhasturnedoutsofoolishlythatIwanttogetoutofthisroom，wherethere’snoair。"Herangforthewaiter。

"Garcon！"hesaid，"thebill。"

"Monsieur，itispaid。"