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OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY...........................................................................................................................1

EMILE GABORIAU...............................................................................................................................1

There is not, perhaps, in all Paris, a quieter street than the Rue St. Gilles in the Marais, within a step of the

Place Royale. No carriages there; never a crowd. Hardly is the silence broken by the regulation drums of the

Minims Barracks near by, by the chimes of the Church of St. Louis, or by the joyous clamors of the pupils of

At night, long before ten o'clock, and when the Boulevard Beaumarchais is still full of life, activity, and

noise, every thing begins to close. One by one the lights go out, and the great windows with diminutive panes

become dark. And if, after midnight, some belated citizen passes on his way home, he quickens his step,

feeling lonely and uneasy, and apprehensive of the reproaches of his concierge, who is likely to ask him

In such a street, every one knows each other: houses have no mystery; families, no secrets, a small town,

where idle curiosity has always a corner of the veil slyly raised, where gossip flourishes as rankly as the grass

Thus on the afternoon of the 27th of April, 1872 (a Saturday), a fact which anywhere else might have passed

A man some thirty years of age, wearing the working livery of servants of the upper class, the long striped

"Who can the man be looking for?" wondered the idle neighbors, closely watching his evolutions.

He was not looking for any one. To such as he spoke to, he stated that he had been sent by a cousin of his, an

excellent cook, who, before taking a place in the neighborhood, was anxious to have all possible information

on the subject of her prospective masters. And then, "Do you know M. Vincent Favoral?" he would ask.

Concierges and shopkeepers knew no one better; for it was more than a quarter of a century before, that M.

Vincent Favoral, the day after his wedding, had come to settle in the Rue St. Gilles; and there his two

He occupied the second story of the house. No. 38, one of those oldfashioned dwellings, such as they

build no more, since ground is sold at twelve hundred francs the square metre; in which there is no stinting of

space. The stairs, with wrought iron balusters, are wide and easy, and the ceilings twelve feet high.

"Of course, we know M. Favoral," answered every one to the servant's questions; "and, if there ever was an

honest man, why, he is certainly the one. There is a man whom you could trust with your funds, if you had

any, without fear of his ever running off to Belgium with them." And it was further explained, that M.

Favoral was chief cashier, and probably, also, one of the principal stockholders, of the Mutual Credit Society,

one of those admirable financial institutions which have sprung up with the second empire, and which had

won at the Bourse the first installment of their capital, the very day that the game of the Coup d' Etat was

I know well enough the gentleman's business," remarked the servant; "but what sort of a man is he? That's

The wineman at No. 43, the oldest shopkeeper in the street, could best answer. A couple of petitsverres

"M. Vincent Favoral," he began, "is a man some fiftytwo or three years old, but who looks younger, not

having a single gray hair. He is tall and thin, with neatlytrimmed whiskers, thin lips, and small yellow eyes;

not talkative. It takes more ceremony to get a word from his throat than a dollar from his pocket. 'Yes,' 'no,'

'goodmorning,' 'goodevening;' that's about the extent of his conversation. Summer and winter, he wears

gray pantaloons, a long frockcoat, laced shoes, and lislethread gloves. 'Pon my word, I should say that he

is still wearing the very same clothes I saw upon his back for the first time in 1845, did I not know that he has

two full suits made every year by the concierge at No. 29, who is also a tailor."

"He is above all peculiar," continued the shopkeeper, "like most men of figures, it seems. His own life is

ruled and regulated like the pages of his ledger. In the neighborhood they call him Old Punctuality; and, when

he passes through the Rue Turenne, the merchants set their watches by him. Rain or shine, every morning of

the year, on the stroke of nine, he appears at the door on the way to his office. When he returns, you may be

sure it is between twenty and twentyfive minutes past five. At six he dines; at seven he goes to play a game

of dominoes at the Caf Turc; at ten he comes home and goes to bed; and, at the first stroke of eleven at the

"Hem!" grumbled the servant with a look of contempt, "the question is, Will my cousin be willing to live

"It isn't always pleasant," remarked the wineman; "and the best evidence is, that the son, M. Maxence, got

"He dines with them; but he has his own lodgings on the Boulevard du Temple. The fallingout made talk

enough at the time; and some people do say that M. Maxence is a worthless scamp, who leads a very

dissipated life; but I say that his father kept him too close. The boy is twentyfive, quite good looking, and

has a very stylish mistress: I have seen her....I would have done just as he did."

"She is not married yet, although she is past twenty, and pretty as a rosebud. After the war, her father tried to

make her marry a stockbroker, a stylish man who always came in a twohorse carriage; but she refused him

outright. I should not be a bit surprised to hear that she has some loveaffair of her own. I have noticed lately

a young gentleman about here who looks up quite suspiciously when he goes by No. 38." The servant did not

"Naturally. Well, you can safely tell her that she never will have had a better mistress. Poor Madame Favoral!

She must have had a sweet time of it with her maniac of a husband! But she is not young any more; and

people get accustomed to every thing, you know. The days when the weather is fine, I see her going by with

her daughter to the Place Royale for a walk. That's about their only amusement."

"The mischief!" said the servant, laughing. "If that is all, she won't ruin her husband, will she?"

"That is all," continued the shopkeeper, "or rather, excuse me, no: every Saturday, for many years, M. and

Mme. Favoral receive a few of their friends: M. and Mme. Desclavettes, retired dealers in bronzes, Rue

Turenne; M. Chapelain, the old lawyer from the Rue St. Antoine, whose daughter is Mlle. Gilberte's

particular friend; M. Desormeaux, head clerk in the Department of Justice.; and three or four others; and as

"Quick," said he, "look! Speaking of the you know It is twenty minutes past five, there is M. Favoral

It was, in fact, the cashier of the Mutual Credit Society, looking very much indeed as the shopkeeper had

described him. Walking with his head down, he seemed to be seeking upon the pavement the very spot upon

which he had set his foot in the morning, that he might set it back again there in the evening.

With the same methodical step, he reached his house, walked up the two pairs of stairs, and, taking out his

The dwelling was fit for the man; and every thing from the very hall, betrayed his peculiarities. There,

evidently, every piece of furniture must have its invariable place, every object its irrevocable shelf or hook.

All around were evidences, if not exactly of poverty, at least of small means, and of the artifices of a

respectable economy. Cleanliness was carried to its utmost limits: every thing shone. Not a detail but

betrayed the industrious hand of the housekeeper, struggling to defend her furniture against the ravages of

time. The velvet on the chairs was darned at the angles as with the needle of a fairy. Stitches of new worsted

showed through the faded designs on the hearthrugs. The curtains had been turned so as to display their

All the guests enumerated by the shopkeeper, and a few others besides, were in the parlor when M. Favoral

M. Favoral stopped short, struck his forehead, and with the accent of a man who reveals something

It was a fact. Every Saturday, on his way home, he was in the habit of stopping at the old woman's shop in

front of the Church of St. Louis, and buying a bouquet for Mlle. Gilberte. And today...

"Positively," she said in a troubled voice, "something serious must have happened to my husband. He to

forget! He to fail in one of his habits! It is the first time in twentysix years."

The appearance of Maxence at this moment prevented her from going on. M. Favoral was about to administer

"Come," exclaimed M. Chapelain, the old lawyer, the conciliating man par excellence, "come, let us to the

They sat down. But Mme. Favoral had scarcely helped the soup, when the bell rang violently. Almost at the

More pale than his napkin, the cashier stood up. "The manager," he stammered, "the director of the Mutual

Tall, thin, stiff, he had a very small head, a flat face, pointed nose, and long reddish whiskers, slightly shaded

with silvery threads, falling halfway down his chest. Dressed in the latest style, he wore a loose overcoat of

rough material, pantaloons that spread nearly to the tip of his boots, a wide shirtcollar turned over a light

cravat, on the bow of which shone a large diamond, and a tall hat with rolled brims. With a blinking glance,

he made a rapid estimate of the diningroom, the shabby furniture, and the guests seated around the table.

Then, without even condescending to touch his hat, with his large hand tightly fitted into a lavender glove, in

a brief and imperious tone, and with a slight accent which he affirmed was the Alsatian accent:

M. Favoral made visible efforts to conceal his anxiety. "You see," he commenced, "we are dining with a few

"Do you wish me to speak in presence of everybody?" interrupted harshly the manager of the Mutual Credit.

The cashier hesitated no longer. Taking up a candle from the table, he opened the door leading to the parlor,

"Continue to dine without me," said he to his guests, with a last effort at selfcontrol. "I shall soon catch up

They were not uneasy, but surprised, and, above all, shocked at the manners of M. de Thaller.

M. Desormeaux, the head clerk at the Department of Justice, was an old legitimist, much imbued with

"Such are our masters," said he with a sneer, "the high barons of financial feudality. Ah! you are indignant at

the arrogance of the old aristocracy; well, on your knees, by Jupiter! on your face, rather, before the golden

In the parlor, between M. Favoral and M. de Thaller, a discussion of the utmost violence was evidently going

on. To seize the meaning of it was not possible; and yet through the door, the upper panels of which were of

glass, fragments could be heard; and from time to time such words distinctly reached the ear as dividend,

Doubtless the two interlocutors, the director and the cashier, had drawn nearer to the door of communication;

"Come, come," interrupted the other. "Were you not fully warned? did I ever conceal any thing from you?"

Fear, a fear vague still, and unexplained, was slowly taking possession of the guests ; and they remained

"Never," M. Favoral was repeating, stamping his foot so violently that the partition shook, " never, never!"

"And yet it must be," declared M. de Thaller. "It is the only, the last resource

"Your will has nothing to do with it now. It is twenty years ago that you might have willed, or not willed. But

Here M. de Thaller dropped his voice; and for some minutes nothing was heard in the diningroom, except

"That is ruin," he resumed in a furious tone: "it is bankruptcy on the last of the month."

"I shall not permit my father to be thus insulted in his own house," he exclaimed.

The old lawyer, M. Chapelain, held him by the arm; but he struggled hard, and was about to burst into the

parlor, when the door opened, and the director of the Mutual Credit stepped out.

With a coolness quite, remarkable after such a scene, he advanced towards Mlle. Gilberte, and, in a tone of

"Your father is a wretch, mademoiselle," he said; "and my duty should be to surrender him at once into the

hands of justice. On account of your worthy mother, however, of your father himself, above all, on your own

account, mademoiselle, I shall forbear doing so. But let him fly, let him disappear, and never more be heard

"Hand him this," he added. "Let him leave this very night. The police may have been notified. There is a train

And, having bowed, he withdrew, no one addressing him a single word, so great was the astonishment of all

Overcome with stupor, Maxence had dropped upon his chair. Mlle. Gilberte alone retained some presence of

"It is a shame," she exclaimed, "for us to give up thus! That man is an impostor, a wretch; he lies! Father,

M. Favoral had not waited to be called, and was standing up against the parlordoor, pale as death, and yet

"Why attempt any explanations?" he said. "The money is gone; and appearances are against me."

His wife had drawn near to him, and taken his hand. "The misfortune is immense," she said, "but not

"Have you not friends? Are we not here," insisted the others, M. Desclavettes, M. Desormeaux, and M.

"All we had," he said, "would be as a grain of sand in an ocean. But we have no longer anything; we are

"Ruined!" exclaimed M. Desormeaux, "ruined! And where are the fortyfive thousand francs I placed into

Then their rage exceeded all bounds. Then they forgot that this unfortunate man had been their friend for

twenty years, that they were his guests; and they commenced heaping upon him threats and insults without

"Go on," he uttered, "go on. When a poor dog, carried away by the current, is drowning, men of heart cast

On hearing these words, he straightened himself up, and with a gesture so terrible that the others stepped back

"What!"said he, in a tone of crushing irony, "it is this evening only, that you discover that I speculated? Kind

friends! Where, then, and in whose pockets, did you suppose I was getting the enormous interests I have been

paying you for years? Where have you ever seen honest money, the money of labor, yield twelve or fourteen

per cent? The money that yields thus is the money of the gaming table, the money of the bourse. Why did you

bring me your funds? Because you were fully satisfied that I knew how to handle the cards. Ah! If I was to

tell you that I had doubled your capital, you would not ask how I did it, nor whether I had stocked the cards.

You would virtuously pocket the money. But I have lost: I am a thief. Well, so be it. But, then, you are all my

accomplices. It is the avidity of the dupes which induces the trickery of the sharpers."

Here he was interrupted by the servant coming in. "Sir," she exclaimed excitedly, "0 sir! the courtyard is full

of police agents. They are speaking to the concierge. They are coming up stairs: I hear them!"

According to the time and place where they are uttered, there are words which acquire a terrible significance.

In this disordered room, in the midst of these excited people, that word, the "police," sounded like a

"Do not open," Maxence ordered; "do not open, however they may ring or knock. Let them burst the door

The very excess of her fright restored to Mme. Favoral a portion of her energy. Throwing herself before her

"They are coming to arrest you, Vincent," she exclaimed. "They are coming; don't you hear them?"

And with the accent of the wretch who sees, all hope vanish, and who utterly gives up all struggle,

"Be it so, he said. "Let them arrest me, and let all be over at once. I have had enough anxiety, enough

unbearable alternatives. I am tired always to feign, to deceive, and to lie. Let them arrest me! Any misfortune

I have nothing more to fear now. For the first time in many years I shall sleep tonight."

He did not notice the sinister expression of his guests. "You think I am a thief," he added: "well, be satisfied,

But he attributed to them sentiments which were no longer theirs. They had forgotten their anger, and their

The imminence of the peril awoke suddenly in their souls the memories of the past, and that strong affection

which comes from long habit, and a constant exchange of services rendered. Whatever M. Favoral might

have done, they only saw in him now the friend, the host whose bread they had broken together more than a

hundred times, the man whose probity, up to this fatal night, had remained far above suspicion.

"Have you lost your mind?" spoke M. Desormeaux. "Are you going to wait to be arrested, thrown into prison,

"Have I not told you," he repeated, "that every thing is against me? Let them come; let them do what they

"Vincent," she murmured, "in the name of Heaven spare us the harrowing agony to have you in prison."

Obstinately he remained silent. His daughter, Mlle. Gilberte, dropped upon her knees before him, and, joining

He shuddered all over. An unspeakable expression of suffering and anguish contracted his features; and,

"Ah! you are cruelly protracting my agony," he stammered. "What do you ask of me?"

"Which way? How? Do you not think that every precaution has been taken, that every issue is closely

"The windows in sisters room, father," said he, "open upon the courtyard of the adjoining house."

"Come, Gilberte," went on the young man, "give me a light, and let me have some sheets."

"Saved!" repeated the cashier mechanically. "Yes; for I guess Maxence's idea. But we must have an

"There is a train at five minutes past eleven," remarked M. Desormeaux. "Don't let us forget that."

"But money will be required to leave by that train," interrupted the old lawyer. "Fortunately, I have some."

And, forgetting his hundred and sixty thousand francs lost, he took out his pocketbook. Mme. Favoral

She took from the table, and held out to her husband, the roll of bank notes which the director of the Mutual

"Rather starve to death!" he exclaimed. "Tis he, 'tis that wretch " But he interrupted himself, and more

"Put away those bankbills," said he to his wife, "and let Maxence take them back to M. de Thaller

"The police!" groaned Mme. Desciavettes, who seemed on the point of fainting away.

"I am going to negotiate," said M. Desormeaux. "Fly, Vincent: do not lose a minute."

And he ran to the frontdoor, whilst Mme. Favoral was hurrying her husband towards Mlle. Gilberte's room.

Rapidly and stoutly Maxence had fastened four sheets together by the ends, which gave a more than

sufficient length. Then, opening the window, he examined carefully the courtyard of the adjoining house.

M. Favoral was tottering like a drunken man. A terrible emotion convulsed his features. Casting a long look

"Fear nothing, father," uttered Maxence. "I am here. Neither my mother nor my sister will want for any

"I am worthy neither of your love nor your devotion, wretch that I am! I made you lead a miserable existence,

spend a joyless youth. I imposed upon you every trial of poverty, whilst I And now I leave you nothing but

"Make haste, father," interrupted Mme. Gilberte. It seemed as if he could not make up his mind.

"It is horrible to abandon you thus. What a parting! Ah! death would indeed be far preferable. What will you

think of me? I am very guilty, certainly, but not as you think. I have been betrayed, and I must suffer for all.

If at least you knew the whole truth. But will you ever know it? We will never see each other again."

"Do not speak thus," she said. "Wherever you may find an asylum, I will join you. Death alone can separate

us. What do I care what you may have done, or what the world will say? I am your wife. Our children will

come with me. If necessary, we will emigrate to America; we'll change our name; we will work."

The knocks on the outer door were becoming louder and louder; and M. Desormeaux' voice could be heard,

And, overcoming his father's reluctance, he fastened one end of the sheets around his waist.

"I am going to let you down, father," said he; "and, as soon as you touch the ground, you must undo the knot.

Take care of the firststory windows; beware of the concierge; and, once in the street, don't walk too fast.

The knocks had now become violent blows; and it was evident that the door would soon be broken in, if M.

The light was put out. With the assistance of his daughter, M. Favoral lifted himself upon the windowsill,

"I beseech you, Vincent," repeated Mme. Favoral, "write to us. We shall be in mortal anxiety until we hear of

Maxence let the sheets slip slowly: in two seconds M. Favoral stood on the pavement below.

The young man drew the sheets back rapidly, and threw them under the bed. But Mlle. Gilberte remained

long enough at the window to recognize her father's voice asking the concierge to open the door, and to hear

It was none too soon. M. Desormeaux had just been compelled to yield; and the commissary of police was

The commissaries of police of Paris, as a general thing, are no simpletons; and, if they are ever taken in, it is

Their modest title covers the most important, perhaps, of magistracies, almost the only one known to the

lower classes; an enormous power, and an influence so decisive, that the most sensible statesman of the reign

of Louis Philippe ventured once to say, "Give me twenty good commissaries of police in Paris, and I'll

Parisian above all, the commissary has had ample time to study his ground when he was yet only a

peaceofficer. The dark side of the most brilliant lives has no mysteries for him. He has received the

strangest confidences: he has listened to the most astounding confessions. He knows how low humanity can

stoop, and what aberrations there are in brains apparently the soundest. The work woman whom her husband

beats, and the great lady whom her husband cheats, have both come to him. He has been sent for by the

shopkeeper whom his wife deceives, and by the millionaire who has been blackmailed. To his office, as to a

lay confessional, all passions fatally lead. In his presence the dirty linen of two millions of people is washed

A Paris commissary of police, who after ten years practice, could retain an illusion, believe in something, or

be astonished at any thing in the world, would be but a fool. If he is still capable of some emotion, he is a

The one who had just walked into M. Favoral's apartment was already past middle age, colder than ice, and

yet kindly, but of that commonplace kindliness which frightens like the executioner's politeness at the

He required but a single glance of his small but clear eyes to decipher the physiognomies of all these worthy

people standing around the disordered table. And beckoning to the agents who accompanied him to stop at

the door, "Monsieur Vincent Favoral?" he inquired. The cashier's guests, M. Desormeaux excepted, seemed

stricken with stupor. Each one felt as if he had a share of the disgrace of this police invasion. The dupes who

The commissary of police started. Whilst they were discussing with him through the door, he had perfectly

well understood that they were only trying to gain time; and, if he had not at once burst in the door, it was

solely owing to his respect for M. Desormeaux himself, whom he knew personally, and still more for his title

of head clerk at the Department of Justice. But his suspicions did not extend beyond the destruction of a few

Still no answer. M. Desciavettes would have been glad to add something to the fortyfive thousand francs he

"Where is Mme. Favoral?" resumed the commissary, evidently well informed. "Where are Mme. Gilberte and

They continued silent. No one in the diningroom knew what might have taken place in the other room; and a

"Take up a light," said he to one of the agents who had remained at the door, "and follow me. We shall see."

And without a shadow of hesitation, for it seems to be the privilege of policeagents to be at home

everywhere, he crossed the parlor, and reached Mme. Gilberte's room just as she was withdrawing from the

He rushed to the window, and remained long enough leaning on his elbows to thoroughly examine the

"It's evident," he said at last, "this window opens on the courtyard of the next house.

This was said to one of his agents, who bore an unmistakable resemblance to the servant who had been

"Instead of gathering so much useless information," he added, "why did you not post yourself as to the outlets

He was "sold; " and yet he manifested neither spite nor anger. He seemed in no wise anxious to run after the

fugitive. Upon the features of Maxence and of Mme. Gilberte, and more still in Mme. Favoral's eyes, he had

The room which M. Favoral called loftily his study was a small room with a tile floor, whitewashed walls,

It was furnished with an old desk, a small wardrobe with grated door, a few shelves upon which were piled

"Then let some one go for a locksmith." Stronger than fear, curiosity had drawn all the guests of the cashier

of the Mutual Credit Society, M. Desormeaux, M. Chapelain, M. Desclavettes himself; and, standing within

the doorframe, they followed eagerly every motion of the commissary, who, pending the arrival of the

locksmith, was making a flying examination of the bundles of papers left exposed upon the desk.

"Would it be indiscreet," timidly inquired the old bronzemerchant, "to ask the nature of the charges against

"Had it been small, I should have said theft. Embezzling commences only when the sum has reached a round

"The fact is," resumed M. Chapelain, "Favoral was our friend; and, if we could get him out of the scrape, we

"It's a matter of ten or twelve millions, gentlemen." Was it possible? Was it even likely? Could any one

imagine so many millions slipping through the fingers of M. de Thaller's methodic cashier?

"Ah, sir!" exclaimed Mme. Favoral, "if any thing could relieve my feelings, the enormity of that sum would.

"There are certain passions," he interrupted, "which nothing betrays externally. Gambling is more terrible

than fire. After a fire, some charred remnants are found. What is there left after a lost game? Fortunes may be

"I could swear, sir," she protested, "that I knew how my husband spent every hour of his life."

"Here, madame, towards yourself and your children, I have no doubt; for seeing is believing: but elsewhere

He was interrupted by the arrival of the locksmith, who, in less than five minutes, had picked all the locks of

But in vain did the commissary search all the drawers. He found only those useless papers which are made

relics of by people who have made order their religious faith, uninteresting, letters, grocers' and butchers'

And in fact he was about to give up his perquisitions, when a bundle thinner than the rest attracted his

"Sold to M. Favoral an India Cashmere, fr.8,5oo. Received payment, FORBE & Towler."

"Is it for you, madame," asked the commissary, "that this magnificent shawl was bought?"

Stupefied with astonishment, the poor woman still refused to admit the evidence.

"Madame de Thaller spends a great deal," she stammered. "My husband often made important purchases for

"Often, indeed!" interrupted the commissary of police; " for here are many other receipted bills, earrings,

sixteen thousand francs; a bracelet, three thousand francs; a parlor set, a horse, two velvet dresses. Here is a

Had the commissary received any information in advance? or was he guided only by the scent peculiar to

men of his profession, and the habit of suspecting every thing, even that which seems most unlikely?

The agents who had accompanied and assisted him in his researches were winking at each other, and giggling

The others, M. Desclavettes, M. Chapelain, and the worthy M. Desormeaux himself, could have racked their

brains in vain to find terms wherein to express the immensity of their astonishments. Vincent Favoral, their

old friend, paying for cashmeres, diamonds, and parlor sets! Such an idea could not enter in their minds. For

whom could such princely gifts be intended? For a mistress, for one of those redoubtable creatures whom

fancy represents crouching in the depths of love, like monsters at the bottom of their caves!

But how could any one imagine the methodic cashier of the Mutual Credit Society carried away by one of

those insane passions which knew no reason? Ruined by gambling, perhaps, but by a woman!

Could any one picture him, so homely and so plain here, Rue St. Gilles, at the head of another establishment,

and leading elsewhere in one of the brilliant quarters of Paris, a reckless life, such as strike terror in the

Could any one understand the same man at once miserlyeconomical and madlyprodigal, storming when his

wife spent a few cents, and robbing to supply the expenses of an adventuress, and collecting in the same

Mme. Favoral alone, usually so timid, boldly defended, and with her utmost energy, the man whose name she

bore. That he might have embezzled millions, she admitted: that he had deceived and betrayed her so

shamefully, that he had made a wretched dupe of her for so many years, seemed to her insensate, monstrous,

"Your suspicions would vanish at once, sir," she said to the commissary, "if I could but explain to you our

Encouraged by his first discovery, he was proceeding more minutely with his perquisitions, undoing the

"It is useless, madame," he answered in that brief tone which made so much impression upon M.

"In appearance, you are right. Besides, to regulate one's disorder is one of the peculiarities of our time. We

open credits to our passions, and we keep account of our infamies by double entry. We operate with method.

We embezzle millions that we may hang diamonds to the ears of an adventuress; but we are careful, and we

"Every morning, precisely at nine o'clock, he left home to go to M. de Thaller's office."

"After dinner he went out to play a game, but it was his only amusement; and at eleven o'clock he was always

"Well, then, sir, where could M. Favoral have found time to abandon himself to the excesses of which you

"Far from me, madame,' he uttered, "to doubt your good faith. What matters it, moreover, whether your

husband spent in this way or in that way the sums which he is charged with having appropriated? But what do

your objections prove? Simply that M. Favoral was very skillful, and very much selfpossessed. Had he

breakfasted when he left you at nine? No. Pray, then, where did he breakfast? In a restaurant? Which? Why

did he come home only at halfpast five, when his office actually closed at three o'clock? Are you quite sure

that it was to the Caf Turc that he went every evening? Finally, why do not you say any thing of the extra

work which he, always had to attend to, as he pretended, once or twice a month? Sometimes it was a loan,

sometimes a liquidation, or a settlement of dividends, which devolved upon him. Did he come home then?

No. He told you that he would dine out, and that it would be more convenient for him to have a cot put up in

his office; and thus you were twentyfour or fortyeight hours without seeing him. Surely this double,

existence must have weighed heavily upon him; but he was forbidden from breaking off with you, under

penalty of being caught the very next day with his hand in the till. It is the respectability of his official life

here which made the other possible, that which has absorbed such enormous sums. The harsher and the

closer he were here, the more magnificent he could show himself elsewhere. His household in the Rue St.

Gilles was for him a certificate of impunity. Seeing him so economical, every one thought him rich. People

who seem to spend nothing are always trusted. Every privation which he imposed upon you increased his

"Because I do not know it," replied the commissary; "because these are all mere presumptions. I have seen so

"But I may be mistaken," he added: "I do not pretend to be infallible." He was just then completing a brief

inventory of all the papers found in the old desk. There was nothing left but to examine the drawer which was

used for a cash drawer. He found in it in gold, notes, and small change, seven hundred and eighteen francs.

The commissary went on with a gesture of kindness, "I understand your scruples, madame, and yet I must

insist. You may believe me when I tell you that this little sum is fairly and legitimately yours. You have no

The efforts of the poor woman to keep from bursting into loud sobs were but too visible.

"I possess nothing in the world, sir," she said in a broken voice. "My husband alone attended to our

businessaffairs. He never spoke to me about them; and I would not have dared to question him. Alone he

disposed of our money. Every Sunday he handed me the amount which he thought necessary for the expenses

of the week, and I rendered him an account of it. When my children or myself were in need of any thing, I

told him so, and he gave me what he thought proper. This is Saturday: of what I received last Sunday I have

"I believe indeed, sir," he replied, "that you will not suffer your mother and sister to want for any thing. But

resources are not created in a day. Yours, if I have not been deceived, are more than limited just now."

And as the young man blushed, and did not answer, he handed the seven hundred francs to Mlle. Gilberte,

"Take this, mademoiselle: your mother permits it." His work was done. To place his seals upon M. Favoral's

"Let not the seals cause you any uneasiness, madame," said the commissary of police to Mme. Favoral.

"Before fortyeight hours, some one will come to remove these papers, and restore to you the free use of that

But no one had any thing to say. The guests of that house where misfortune had just entered were making

haste to leave. The catastrophe was certainly terrible and unforeseen; but did it not reach them too? Did they

Thus, after a few commonplace protestations, and some of those promises which mean nothing, they

"The commissary took Vincent's escape too easy," remarked M. Desormeaux. "He must know some way to

At last Mme. Favoral found herself alone with her children and free to give herself up to the most frightful

She dropped heavily upon a seat; and, drawing to her bosom Maxence and Gilberte,

"0 my children!" she sobbed, covering them with her kisses and her tears, " my children, we are most

Not less distressed than herself, they strove, nevertheless, to mitigate her anguish, to inspire her with

sufficient courage to bear this crushing trial; and kneeling at her feet, and kissing her hands,

"It is not for myself that I weep," she went on. "I! what had I still to wait or hope for in life? Whilst you,

Maxence, you, my poor Gilberte! If, at least, I could feel myself free from blame! But no. It is my

weakness and my want of courage that have brought on this catastrophe. I shrank from the struggle. I

purchased my domestic peace at the cost of your future in the world. I forgot that a mother has sacred duties

Mme. Favoral was at this time a woman of some fortythree years, with delicate and mild features, a

countenance overflowing with kindness, and whose whole being exhaled, as it were, an exquisite perfume of

Happy, she might have been beautiful still, of that autumnal beauty whose maturity has the splendors of the

But she had suffered so much! The livid paleness of her complexion, the rigid fold of her lips, the nervous

shudders that shook her frame, revealed a whole existence of bitter deceptions, of exhausting struggles, and

She was an only daughter; and her parents, wealthy silkmerchants, had brought her up like the daughter of

But at fifteen she had lost her mother. Her father, soon tired of his lonely fireside, commenced to seek away

He was a man of weak mind, one of those marked in advance to play the part of eternal dupes. Having

money, he found many friends. Having once tasted the cup of facile pleasures, he yielded readily to its

intoxication. Suppers, cards, amusements, absorbed his time, to the utter detriment of his business. And,

eighteen months after his wife's death, he had already spent a large portion of his fortune, when he fell into

the hands of an adventuress, whom, without regard for his daughter, he audaciously brought beneath his own

In provincial cities, where everybody knows everybody else, such infamies are almost impossible. They are

not quite so rare in Paris, where one is, so to speak, lost in the crowd, and where the restraining power of the

For two years the poor girl, condemned to bear this illegitimate stepmother, endured nameless sufferings.

She had just completed her eighteenth year, when, one evening, her father took her aside.

"I have made up my mind to marry again," he said; "but I wish first to provide you with a husband. I have

looked for one, and found him. He is not very brilliant perhaps; but he is, it seems, a good, hardworking,

economical fellow, who'll make his way in the world. I had dreamed of something better for you; but times

are hard, trade is dull: in short, having only a dowry of twenty thousand francs to give you, I have no right to

And, sure enough, the next day that excellent father introduced M. Vincent Favoral to his daughter.

She was not pleased with him; but she could hardly have said that she was displeased.

He was, at the age of twentyfive, which he had just reached, a man so utterly lacking in individuality, that

Suitably dressed, he seemed timid and awkward, reserved, quite diffident, and of mediocre intelligence. He

confessed to have received a most imperfect education, and declared himself quite ignorant of life. He had

scarcely any means outside his profession. He was at this time chief accountant in a large factory of the

The young girl did not hesitate a moment. Any thing appeared to her preferable to the contact of a woman

She gave her consent; and, twenty days after the first interview, she had become Mme. Favoral.

Alas! six weeks had not elapsed, before she knew that she had but exchanged her wretched fate for a more

Not that her husband was in any way unkind to her (he dared not, as yet); but he had revealed himself enough

to enable her to judge him. He was one of those formidably selfish men who wither every thing around them,

like those trees within the shadow of which nothing can grow. His coldness concealed a stupid obstinacy; his

If he had married, 'twas because he thought a wife a necessary adjunct, because he desired a home wherein to

command, because, above all, he had been seduced by the dowry of twenty thousand francs.

For the man had one passion, money. Under his placid countenance revolved thoughts of the most burning

Now, as he had no illusion whatever upon his own merits, as he knew himself to be perfectly incapable of

any of those daring conceptions which lead to rapid fortune, as he was in no wise enterprising, he conceived

but one means to achieve wealth, that is, to save, to economize, to stint himself, to pile penny upon penny.

His profession of accountant had furnished him with a number of instances of the financial power of the

If ever his blue eye became animated, it was when he calculated what would be at the present time the capital

produced by a simple penny placed at five per cent interest the year of the birth of our Saviour.

For him this was sublime. He conceived nothing beyond. One penny! He wished, he said, he could have lived

eighteen hundred years, to follow the evolutions of that penny, to see it grow tenfold, a hundredfold,

produce, swell, enlarge, and become, after centuries, millions and hundreds of millions.

In spite of all, he had, during the early months of his marriage, allowed his wife to have a young servant. He

gave her from time to time, a fivefrancpiece, and took her to the country on Sundays.

This was the honeymoon; and, as he declared himself, this life of prodigalities could not last.

Under a futile pretext, the little servant was dismissed. He tightened the strings of his purse. The Sunday

To mere economy succeeded the niggardly parsimony which counts the grains of salt in the potaufeu,

which weighs the soap for the washing, and measures the evening's allowance of candle.

Gradually the accountant took the habit of treating his young wife like a servant, whose honesty is suspected;

or like a child, whose thoughtlessness is to be feared. Every morning he handed her the money for the

expenses of the day; and every evening he expressed his surprise that she had not made better use of it. He

accused her of allowing herself to be grossly cheated, or even to be in collusion with the dealers. He charged

her with being foolishly extravagant; which fact, however, he added, did not surprise him much on the part of

To cap the climax, Vincent Favoral was on the worst possible terms with his fatherinlaw. Of the twenty

thousand francs of his wife's dowry, twelve thousand only had been paid, and it was in vain that he clamored

for the balance. The silkmerchant's business had become unprofitable; he was on the verge of bankruptcy.

His wife alone he held responsible for this deception. He repeated to her constantly that she had connived

What an existence! Certainly, had the unhappy woman known where to find a refuge, she would, have fled

from that home where each of her days was but a protracted torture. But where could she go? Of whom could

She had terrible temptations at this time, when she was not yet twenty, and they called her the beautiful Mme.

Perhaps she would have succumbed, when she discovered that she was about to become a mother. One year,

day for day, after her marriage, she gave birth to a son, who received the name of Maxence.

The accountant was but indifferently pleased at the coming of this son. It was, above all, a cause of expense.

He had been compelled to give some thirty francs to a nurse, and almost twice as much for the baby's clothes.

Then a child breaks up the regularity of one's habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to

life itself. And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance

But what mattered now to his young wife the illhumor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?

Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.

There existed a soul within which she reigned supreme. What troubles would not a smile of her son have

With the admirable instinct of an egotist, M. Favoral understood so well what passed in the mind of his wife,

that he dared not complain too much of what the little fellow cost. He made up his mind bravely; and when

But already, at this time, M. Vincent Favoral's situation had been singularly modified.

The revolution of 1848 had just taken place. The factory in the Faubourg St. Antoine, where he was

One evening, as he came home at the usual hour, he announced that he had been discharged.

Mme. Favoral shuddered at the thought of what her husband might be, without work, and deprived of his

He shrugged his shoulders. Visibly he was much excited. His cheeks were flushed; his eyes sparkled.

"Bash!" he said: "we shan't starve for all that." And, as his wife was gazing at him in astonishment:

Well, he went o what are looking at? It is so: I know many a one who affects to live on his income, and who

It was, for over six years since he was married, the first time that he spoke of his business otherwise than to

groan and complain, to accuse fate, and curse the high price of living. The very day before, he had declared

himself ruined by the purchase of a pair of shoes for Maxence. The change was so sudden and so great, that

she hardly knew what to think, and wondered if grief at the loss of his situation had not somewhat disturbed

"Such are women," he went on with a giggle. "Results astonish them, because they know nothing of the

means used to bring them about. Am I a fool, then? Would I impose upon myself privations of all sorts, if it

were to accomplish nothing? Parbleu! I love fine living too, I do, and good dinners at the restaurant, and the

theatre, and the nice little excursions in the country. But I want to be rich. At the price of all the comforts

which I have not had, I have saved a capital, the income of which will support us all. Eh, eh! That's the power

As she went to bed that night, Mme. Favoral felt more happy than she had done since her mother's death. She

almost forgave her husband his sordid parsimony, and the humiliations he had heaped upon her.

"Well, be it so," she thought. "I shall have lived miserably, I shall have endured nameless sufferings; but my

The next day M. Favoral's excitement had completely abated. Manifestly he regretted his confidences.

"You must not think on that account that you can waste and pillage every thing," he declared rudely.

To find one was likely to be difficult. Times of revolution are not exactly propitious to industry. Whilst the

parties discussed in the Chamber, there were on the street twenty thousand clerks, who, every morning as

For want of any thing better, Vincent Favoral undertook to keep books in various places, an hour here, an

In this way he earned as much and more than he did at the factory; but the business did not suit him.

What he liked was the office from which one does not stir, the stoveheated atmosphere, the elbowworn

desk, the leathercushioned chair, the black alpaca sleeves over the coat. The idea that he should on one and

the same day have to do with five or six different houses, and be compelled to walk an hour, to go and work

another hour at the other end of Paris, fairly irritated him. He found himself out of his reckoning, like a horse

So, one morning, he gave up the whole thing, swearing that he would rather remain idle until he could find a

place suited to his taste and his convenience; and, in the mean time, all they would have to do would be to put

He went out, nevertheless, and remained until dinnertime. And he did the same the next and the following

He started off the moment he had swallowed the last mouthful of his breakfast, came home at six o'clock,

dined in haste, and disappeared again, not to return until about midnight. He had hours of delirious joy, and

"Well," he answered, "am I not the master? I am operating at the bourse, that's all!"

He could hardly have owned to any thing that would have frightened the poor woman as much.

"Are you not afraid," she objected, "to lose all we have so painfully accumulated? We have children "

"Do you take me for a child?" he exclaimed; "or do I look to you like a man so easy to be duped? Mind to

And he continued. And he must have been lucky in his operations; for he had never been so pleasant at home.

All his ways had changed. He had had clothes made at a firstclass tailor's, and was evidently trying to look

elegant. He gave up his pipe, and smoked only cigars. He got tired of giving every morning the money for the

house, and took the habit of handing it to his wife every week, on Sunday. A mark of vast confidence, as he

"Be careful," he said, "that you don't find yourself penniless before Thursday."

He became also more communicative. Often during the dinner, he would tell what he had heard during the

day, anecdotes, gossip. He enumerated the persons with whom he had spoken. He named a number of people

whom he called his friends, and whose names Mme. Favoral carefully stored away in her memory.

There was one especially, who seemed to inspire him with a profound respect, a boundless admiration, and of

whom he never tired of talking. He was, said he, a man of his age, M. de Thaller, the Baron de Thaller.

"This one," he kept repeating, "is really mad: he is rich, he has ideas, he'll go far. It would be a great piece of

"They spent a good deal of money, did they not? They had friends: they gave dinnerparties."

"So that if I should take a fancy to receive some one here, some one of note, you would know how to do

He remained silent for a moment, like a man who thinks before taking an important decision, and then:

"I wish to invite a few persons to dinner," he said. She could scarcely believe her ears. He had never received

at his table any one but a fellowclerk at the factory, named Desclavettes, who had just married the daughter

"So it is. The question is now, How much would a firstclass dinner cost, the best of every thing?"

The poor woman set herself to figuring diligently for some time; and then timidly, for the sum seemed

"You'll need that for the wines alone;' he interrupted. "Do you take me for a fool? But here, don't let us go

into figures. Do as your parents did when they did their best; and, if it's well, I shall not complain of the

Soon M. Favoral declared that their tableware was not suitable, and that he must buy a new set. He

discovered a hundred purchases to be made, and swore that he would make them. He even hesitated a

moment about renewing the parlor furniture, although it was in tolerably good condition still, and was a

"Which means that you have none at all," he said. "Very well. You must go this very day and get yourself

one, a very handsome, a magnificent one; and you'll send it to be made to a fashionable dressmaker. And at

the same time you had better get some little suits for Maxence and Gilberte. Here are a thousand francs."

"The Baron and the Baroness de Thaller," he replied with an emphasis full of conviction. "So try and

That this dinner was a matter of considerable import, Mme. Favoral could not doubt when she saw her

Ten times of an afternoon he would come home to tell his wife the name of some dish that had been

mentioned before him, or to consult her on the subject of some exotic viand he had just noticed in some

shopwindow. Daily he brought home wines of the most fantastic vintages, those wines which dealers

manufacture for the special use of verdant fools, and which they sell in oddshaped bottles previously

He subjected to a protracted crossexamination the cook whom Mme. Favoral had engaged, and demanded

that she should enumerate the houses where she had cooked. He absolutely required the man who was to wait

The great day having come, he did not stir from the house, going and coming from the kitchen to the

diningroom, uneasy, agitated, unable to stay in one place. He breathed only when he had seen the table set

and loaded with the new china he had purchased and the magnificent silver he had gone to hire in person.

And when his young wife made her appearance, looking lovely in her new dress, and leading by the hands the

"That's perfect," he exclaimed, highly delighted. "Nothing could be better. Now, let our four guests come!

They arrived a few minutes before seven, in two carriages, the magnificence of which astonished the Rue St.

And, the presentations over, Vincent Favoral had at last the ineffable satisfaction to see seated at his table the

Baron and Baroness de Thaller, M. Saint Pavin, who called himself a financial editor, and M. Jules Jottras, of

It was with an eager curiosity that Mme. Favoral observed these people whom her husband called his friends,

M. de Thaller, who could not then have been much over thirty, was already a man without any particular age.

Cold, stiff, aping evidently the English style, he expressed himself in brief sentences, and with a strong

foreign accent. Nothing to surprise on his countenance. He had the forehead prominent, the eyes of a dull

blue, and the nose very thin. His scanty hair was spread over the top of his head with labored symmetry; and

his red, thick, and carefullytrimmed whiskers seemed to engross much of his attention.

M. Saint Pavin had not the same stiff manner. Careless in his dress, he lacked breeding. He was a robust

fellow, dark and bearded, with thick lips, the eye bright and prominent, spreading upon the tablecloth broad

hands ornamented at the joints with small tufts of hair, speaking loud, laughing noisily, eating much and

By the side of him, M. Jules Jottras, although looking like a fashionplate, did not show to much advantage.

Delicate, blonde, sallow, almost beardless, M. Jottras distinguished himself only by a sort of unconscious

impudence, a harmless cynicism, and a sort of spasmodic giggle, that shook the eyeglasses which he wore

Dressed with a magnificence of at least questionable taste, very much decolletee, wearing large diamonds at

her ears, and rings on all her fingers, the young baroness was insolently handsome, of a beauty sensuous even

to coarseness. With hair of a bluish black, twisted over the neck in heavy ringlets, she had skin of a pearly

whiteness, lips redder than blood, and great eyes that threw flames from beneath their long, curved lashes. It

was the poetry of flesh; and one could not help admiring. Did she speak, however, or make a gesture, all

admiration vanished. The voice was vulgar, the motion common. Did M. Jouras venture upon a

doubleentendre, she would throw herself back upon her chair to laugh, stretching her neck, and thrusting her

Wholly absorbed in the care of his guests, M. Favoral remarked nothing. He only thought of loading the

plates, and filling the glasses, complaining that they ate and drank nothing, asking anxiously if the cooking

was not good, if the wines were bad, and almost driving the waiter out of his wits with questions and

It is a fact, that neither M. de Thaller nor M. Jottras had much appetite. But M. Saint Pavin officiated for all;

and the sole task of keeping up with him caused M. Favoral to become visibly animated.

His cheeks were much flushed, when, having passed the champagne all around, he raised his frothtipped

This toast had caused Mme. Favoral no little uneasiness. But she found it impossible to ask a single question;

Mme. de Thaller dragging her almost by force to a seat by her side on the sofa, pretending that two women

always have secrets to exchange, even when they see each other for the first time.

The young baroness was fully an fait in matters of bonnets and dresses; and it was with giddy volubility that

she asked Mme. Favoral the names of her milliner and her dressmaker, and to what jeweler she intrusted her

This looked so much like a joke, that the poor housekeeper of the Rue St. Gilles could not help smiling whilst

answering that she had no dressmaker, and that, having no diamonds, she had no possible use for the services

The other declared she could not get over it. No diamonds! That was a misfortune exceeding all. And quick

she seized the opportunity charitably to enumerate the parures in her jewelcase, and laces in her drawers,

and the dresses in her wardrobes, In the first place, it would have been impossible for her, she swore, to live

with a husband either miserly or poor. Hers had just presented her with a lovely coupe, lined with yellow

satin, a perfect bijon. And she made good use of it too; for she loved to go about. She spent her days

shopping, or riding in the Bois. Every evening she had the choice of the theatre or a ball, often both. The

genre theatres were those she preferred. To be sure, the opera and the Italians were more stylish; but she

Then she wished to kiss the children; and Gilberte and Maxence had to be brought in. She adored children,

she vowed: it was her weakness, her passion. She had herself a little girl, eighteen months old, called

Cesarine, to whom she was devoted; and certainly she would have brought her, had she not feared she would

All this verbiage sounded like a confused murmur to Mme. Favoral's ears. "Yes, no," she answered, hardly

Her head heavy with a vague apprehension, it required her utmost attention to observe her husband and his

Standing by the mantelpiece, smoking their cigars, they conversed with considerable animation, but not

loud enough to enable her to hear all they said. It was only when M. Saint Pavin spoke that she understood

that they were still discussing the "business;" for he spoke of articles to publish, stocks to sell, dividends to

They all, at any rate, seemed to agree perfectly; and at a certain moment she saw her husband and M. de

M. Favoral was insisting to make his guests accept a cup of tea or a glass of punch; but M. de Thaller

declared that he had some work to do, and that, his carriage having come, he must go.

And go he did, taking with him the baroness, followed by M. Saint Pavin and M. Jottras. And when, the door

"Well," he exclaimed, swelling with gratified vanity, "what do you think of our friends?"

Then, timidly, and with infinite precautions, she commenced explaining that M. de Thaller's face inspired her

with no confidence; that M. Jottras had seemed to her a very impudent personage; that M. Saint Pavin

appeared low and vulgar; and that, finally, the young baroness had given her of herself the most singular idea.

"I beg of you, Vincent," she insisted, "before doing any thing with these new friends, think well, consult "

"Are you not afraid that they will cheat me?" he said, "people ten times as rich as we are. Here, don't let us

speak of it any more, and let us go to bed. You'll see what this dinner will bring us, and whether I ever have

When, on the morning after this dinner, which was to form an era in her life, Mme. Favoral woke up, her

The charm had vanished with the fumes of the champagne; and the clouds of the worst days were gathering

"It's expensive work," he said in a bluff tone, "to set a business going; and it wouldnt do to commence over

To hear him speak, one would have thought that Mme. Favoral alone, by dint of hard begging, had persuaded

him, into that expense which he now seemed to regret so much. She quietly called his attention to the fact,

reminding him that, far from urging, she had endeavored to hold him back; repeating that she augured ill of

that business over which he was so enthusiastic, and that, if he would believe her, he would not venture.

"Very well, then: leave me in peace with your presentiments. You dislike my friends; and I saw very well

how you treated Mme. de Thaller. But I am the master; and what I have decided shall be. Besides, I have

Whereupon, having dressed himself with much care, he started off, saying that he was expected at breakfast

by Saint Pavin, the financial editor, and by M. Jottras, of the house of Jottras & Brother.

A shrewd woman would not have given it up so easy, and, in the end, would probably have mastered the

despot, whose intellect was far from brilliant. But Mme. Favoral was too proud to be shrewd; and besides, the

springs of her will had been broken by the successive oppression of an odious stepmother and a brutal master.

Her abdication of all was complete. Wounded, she kept the secret of her wound, hung her head, and said

She did not, therefore, venture a single allusion; and nearly a week elapsed, during which the names of her

It was through a newspaper, which M. Favoral had forgotten in the parlor, that she learned that the Baron de

Thaller had just founded a new stock company, the Mutual Credit Society, with a capital of several millions.

Below the advertisement, which was printed in enormous letters, came a long article, in which it was

demonstrated that the new company was, at the same time, a patriotic undertaking and an institution of credit

of the first class; that it supplied a great public want; that it would be of inestimable benefit to industry; that

its profits were assured; and that to subscribe to its stock was simply to draw short bills upon fortune.

Already somewhat reassured by the reading of this article, Mme. Favoral became quite so when she read the

names of the board of directors. Nearly all were titled, and decorated with many foreign orders; and the

"I must have been mistaken," she thought, yielding unconsciously to the influence of printed evidence.

"I have the situation I wanted. I am head cashier of the company of which M. de Thaller is manager."

That was all. Of the nature of this society, of the advantages which it offered him, not one word.

Only by the way in which he expressed himself did Mme. Favoral judge that he must have been well treated;

and he further confirmed her in that opinion by granting her, of his own accord, a few additional francs for

"We must," he declared on this memorable occasion, "do honor to our social position, whatever it may cost."

For the first time in his life, he seemed heedful of public opinion. He recommended his wife to be careful of

her dress and of that of the children, and reengaged a servant. He expressed the wish of enlarging their

circle of acquaintances, and inaugurated his Saturday dinners, to which came assiduously, M. and Mme.

Desclavettes, M. Chapelain the attorney, the old man Desormeaux, and a few others.

As to himself he gradually settled down into those habits from which he was nevermore to depart, and the

chronometric regularity of which had secured him the nickname of Old Punctuality, of which he was proud.

In all other respects never did a man, to such a degree, become so utterly indifferent to his wife and children.

His house was for him but a mere hotel, where he slept, and took his evening meal. He never thought of

questioning his wife as to the use of her time, and what she did in his absence. Provided she did not ask him

Many women, at Mme. Favoral's age, might have made a strange use of that insulting indifference and of that

If she did avail herself of it, it was solely to follow one of those inspirations which can only spring in a

The increase in the budget of the household was relatively large, but so nicely calculated, that she had not one

With the most intense sorrow, she thought that her children might have to endure the humiliating privations

which had made her own life wretched. They were too young yet to suffer from the paternal parsimony; but

they would grow; their desires would develop; and it would be impossible for her to grant them the most

Whilst turning over and over in her mind this distressing thought, she remembered a friend of her mother's,

who kept, in the Rue St. Denis, a large establishment for the sale of hosiery and woollen goods. There,

perhaps, lay the solution of the problem. She called to see the worthy woman, and, without even needing to

confess the whole truth to her, she obtained sundry pieces of work, ill paid as a matter of course, but which,

by dint of close application, might be made to yield from eight to twelve francs a week.

From this time she never lost a minute, concealing her work as if it were an evil act.

She knew her husband well enough to feel certain that he would break out, and swear that he spent money

enough to enable his wife to live without being reduced to making a work woman of herself.

But what joy, the day when she hid way down at the bottom of a drawer the first twentyfrancpiece she had

earned, a beautiful goldpiece, which belonged to her without contest, and which she might spend as she

And with what pride, from week to week, she saw her little treasure swell, despite the drafts she made upon

it, sometimes to buy a toy for Maxence, sometimes to add a few ribbons or trinkets to Gilberte's toilet!

This was the happiest time of her life, a halt in that painful journey through which she had been dragging

herself for so many years. Between her two children, the hours flew light and rapid as so many seconds. If all

the hopes of the young girl and of the woman had withered before they had blossomed, the mother's joys, at

least should not fail her. Because, whilst the present sufficed to her modest ambition, the future had ceased to

No reference had ever been made, between herself and her husband, to that famous dinnerparty: he never

spoke to her of the Mutual Credit Society; but now and then he allowed some words or exclamations to

escape, which she carefully recorded, and which betrayed a prosperous state of affairs.

"That Thaller is a tough fellow!" he would exclaim, "and he has the most infernal luck!"

"Two or three more operations like the one we have just successfully wound up, and we can shut up shop!"

From all this, what could she conclude, if not that he was marching with rapid strides towards that fortune,

Already in the neighborhood he had that reputation to be very rich, which is the beginning of riches itself. He

was admired for keeping his house with such rigid economy; for a man is always esteemed who has money,

The persons whom he received on Saturdays believed him more than comfortably off. When M. Desclavettes

and M. Chapelain had complained to their hearts' contents, the one of the shop, the other of his office, they

"You laugh at us, because you are engaged in large operations, where people make as much money as they

They seemed to hold his financial capacities in high estimation. They consulted him, and followed his advice.

And Mme. Favoral tried to persuade herself, that, in this respect at least, her husband was a remarkable man.

She attributed his silence and his distractions to the grave cares that filled his mind. In the same manner that

he had once announced to her that they had enough to live on, she expected him, some fine morning, to tell

But the respite granted by fate to Mme. Favoral was drawing to an end: her trials were about to return more

poignant than ever, occasioned, this time, by her children, hitherto her whole happiness and her only

Maxence was nearly twelve. He was a good little fellow, intelligent, studious at times, but thoughtless in the

At the Massin School, where he had been sent, he made his teachers' hair turn white; and not a week went by

A father like any other would have paid but slight attention to the pranks of a schoolboy, who, after all,

ranked among the first of his class, and of whom the teachers themselves, whilst complaining, said,

But M. Favoral took every thing tragically. If Maxence was kept in, or otherwise punished, he pretended that

If a report came home with this remark, "execrable conduct," he fell into the most violent passion, and

"At your age," he would shout to the terrified boy, "I was working in a factory, and earning my livelihood.

Do you suppose that I will not tire of making sacrifices to procure you the advantages of an education which I

lacked myself? Beware. Havre is not far off; and cabinboys are always in demand there."

If, at least, he had confined himself to these admonitions, which, by their very exaggeration, failed in their

object! But he favored mechanical appliances as a necessary means of sufficiently impressing reprimands

upon the minds of young people; and therefore, seizing his cane, he would beat poor Maxence most

unmercifully, the more so that the boy, filled with pride, would have allowed himself to be chopped to pieces

The first time that Mme. Favoral saw her son struck, she was seized with one of those wild fits of anger

which do not reason, and never forgive. To be beaten herself would have seemed to her less atrocious, less

humiliating. Hitherto she had found it impossible to love a husband such as hers: henceforth, she took him in

utter aversion: he inspired her with horror. She looked upon her son as a martyr for whom she could hardly

And so, after these harrowing scenes, she would press him to her heart in the most passionate embrace; she

would cover with her kisses the traces of the blows; and she would strive, by the most delirious caresses, to

make him forget the paternal brutalities. With him she sobbed. Like him, she would shake her clinched fists

in the vacant space; exclaiming, "Coward, tyrant, assassin!" The little Gilberte mingled her tears with theirs;

and, pressed against each other, they deplored their destiny, cursing the common enemy, the head of the

Thus did Maxence spend his boyhood between equally fatal exaggerations, between the revolting brutalities

of his father, and the dangerous caresses of his mother; the one depriving him of every thing, the other

If the idea had never come to the cashier of the Mutual Credit Society to put a few sous in his son's pocket,

the too weak mother would have suggested to him the want of money in order to have the pleasure of

She who had suffered so many humiliations in her life, she could not bear the idea of her son having his pride

wounded, and being unable to indulge in those little trifling expenses which are the vanity of schoolboys.

"Here, take this," she would tell him on holidays, slipping a few francs into his hands.

Unfortunately, to her present she joined the recommendation not to allow his father to know any thing about

it; forgetting that she was thus training Maxence to dissimulate, warping his natural sense of right, and

No, she gave; and, to repair the gaps thus made in her treasure, she worked to the point of ruining her sight,

with such eager zeal, that the worthy shopkeeper of the Rue St. Denis asked her if she did not employ

working girls. In truth, the only help she received was from Gilberte, who, at the age of eight, already knew

And this is not all. For this son, in anticipation of growing expenses, she stooped to expedients which

formerly would have seemed to her unworthy and disgraceful. She robbed the household, cheating on her

own marketing. She went so far as to confide to her servant, and to make of the girl the accomplice of her

operations. She applied all her ingenuity to serve to M. Favoral dinners in which the excellence of the

dressing concealed the want of solid substance. And on Sunday, when she rendered her weekly accounts, it

was without a blush that she increased by a few centimes the price of each object, rejoicing when she had

thus scraped a dozen francs,, and finding, to justify herself to her own eyes, those sophisms which passion

At first Maxence was too young to wonder from what sources his mother drew the money she lavished upon

his schoolboy fancies. She recommended him to hide from his father: he did so, and thought it perfectly

The moment came when he opened his eyes upon the system under which the paternal household was

managed. He noticed there that anxious economy which seems to betray want, and the acrimonious

discussions which arose upon the inconsiderate use of a twentyfrancpiece. He saw his mother realize

miracles of industry to conceal the shabbiness of her toilets, and resort to the most skillful diplomacy when

And, despite all this, he had at his disposition as much money as those of his comrades whose parents had the

"Eh what does it matter?" she answered, blushing and confused. "Is that any thing to worry you?"

"Go ahead," she said: "we are rich enough." But he could hardly believe her, accustomed as he was to hear

"Yes," she resumed, with an imprudence which fatally was to bear its fruits, "we are rich; and, if we live as

you see, it is because it suits your father, who wishes to amass a still greater fortune."

This was hardly an answer; and yet Maxence asked no further question. But he inquired here and there, with

Already, at this time, M. Favoral had in the neighborhood, and ever among his friends, the reputation to be

worth at least a million. The Mutual Credit Society had considerably developed itself: he must, they thought,

have benefitted largely by the circumstance; and the profits must have swelled rapidly in the hands of so able,

Such is the substance of what Maxence heard; and people did not fail to add ironically, that he need not rely

M. Desormeaux himself, whom he had "pumped" rather cleverly, had told him, whilst patting him amicably

"If you ever need money for your frolics, young man, try and earn it; for I'll be hanged if it's the old man

Such answers complicated, instead of explaining, the problem which occupied Maxence.

He observed, he watched; and at last he acquired the certainty that the money he spent was the fruit of the

"Ah! why not have told me so?" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his mother's neck. "Why have

By this sole word the poor woman found herself amply repaid. She admired the noblesse of her son's feelings

"Do you not understand," she told him, shedding tears of joy, "do you not see, that the labor which can

"No matter!" he said. "I swear that I shall no longer scatter to the winds, as I have been doing, the money that

For a few weeks, indeed, he was faithful to his pledge. But at fifteen resolutions are not very stanch. The

impressions he had felt wore off. He became tired of the small privations which he had to impose upon

He soon came to take to the letter what his mother had told him, and to prove to his own satisfaction that to

deprive himself of a pleasure was to deprive her. He asked for ten francs one day, then ten francs another, and

"The moment has come," said M. Favoral, "for him to select a career, and support himself."

To think of a profession, Maxence Favoral had not waited for the paternal warnings.

Modern schoolboys are precocious: they know the strong and the weak side of life; and, when they take their

And how could it be otherwise? In the interior of the colleges is fatally found the echo of the thoughts, and

the reflex of the manners, of the time. Neither walls nor keepers can avail. At the same time, as the city mud

that stains their boots, the scholars bring back on their return from holidays their stock of observations and of

And what have they seen during the day in their families, or among their friends?

Ardent cravings, insatiable appetites for luxuries, comforts, enjoyments, pleasures, contempt for patient labor,

scorn for austere convictions, eager longing for money, the will to become rich at any cost, and the firm

To be sure, they have dissembled in their presence; but their perceptions are keen.

True, their father has told them in a grave tone, that there is nothing respectable in this world except labor and

honesty; but they have caught that same father scarcely noticing a poor devil of an honest man, and bowing to

the earth before some clever rascal bearing the stigma of three judgments, but worth six millions.

Conclusion? Oh! they know very well how to conclude; for there are none such as young people to be logical,

They know, the most of them, that they will have to do something or other; but what? And it is then, that,

during the recreations, their imagination strives to find that hitherto unknown profession which is to give

them fortune without work, and freedom at the same time as a brilliant situation.

They discuss and criticise freely all the careers which are open to youthful ambition. And how they laugh, if

some simple fellow ventures upon suggesting some of those modest situations where they earn one hundred

and fifty francs a month at the start! One hundred and fifty francs! why, it's hardly as much as many a boy

Maxence was neither better nor worse than the rest. Like the rest he strove to discover the ideal profession

Under the pretext that he drew nicely, he spoke of becoming a painter, calculating coolly what painting may

yield, and reckoning, according to some newspaper, the earnings of Corot or Geroine, Ziem, Bouguereau, and

some others, who are reaping at last the fruits of unceasing efforts and crushing labors.

But, in the way of pictures, M. Vincent Favoral appreciated only the blue vignettes of the Bank of France.

Maxence would willingly have become an engineer, for it's rather the style to be an engineer nowadays;

but the examinations for the Polytechnic School are rather steep. Or else a cavalry officer; but the two years

at Saint Cyr are not very gay. Or chief clerk, like M. Desormeaux; but he would have to begin by being

Finally after hesitating for a long time between law and medicine, he made up his mind to become a lawyer,

The fact is, he had indulged in the fallacious hope that his son, as soon as he left college, would enter at once

He yielded at last, however, to the persistent entreaties of his wife, and the solicitations of his friends.

"Be it so," he said to Maxence: "you will study law. Only, as it cannot suit me that you should waste your

days lounging in the billiardrooms of the left bank, you shall at the same time work in an attorney's office.

Maxence had not bargained for such an arrangement; and he came near backing out at the prospect of a

Still, as he could think of nothing better, he persevered. And, vacations over, he was duly entered at the

lawschool, and settled at a desk in M. Chapelain's office, which was then in the Rue St. Antoine.

The first year every thing went on tolerably. He enjoyed as much freedom as he cared to. His father did not

allow him one centime for his pocketmoney; but the attorney, in his capacity of an old friend of the family,

did for him what he had never done before for an amateur clerk, and allowed him twenty francs a month.

Mme. Favoral adding to this a few fivefranc pieces, Maxence declared himself entirely satisfied.

Unfortunately, with his lively imagination and his impetuous temper, no one was less fit than himself for that

peaceful existence, that steady toil, the same each day, without the stimulus of difficulties to overcome, or the

He had found at the lawschool a number of his old schoolmates whose parents resided in the provinces, and

who, consequently, lived as they pleased in the Latin quarter, less assiduous to the lectures than to the Spring

He envied them their joyous life, their freedom without control, their facile pleasures, their furnished rooms,

and even the low eatinghouse where they took their meals. And, as much as possible, he lived with them

But it is not with M. Chapelain's twenty francs that it would have been possible for him to keep up with

fellows, who, with superb recklessness, took on credit everything they could get, reserving the amount of

She had worked so much, the poor woman, especially since Mme. Gilberte had become almost a young lady;

she had so much saved, so much stinted, that her reserve, notwithstanding repeated drafts, amounted to a

When Maxence wanted two or three napoleons, he had but a word to say; and he said it often. Thus, after a

while, he became an excellent billiardplayer; he kept his colored meerschaum in the rack of a popular

brewery; he took absinthe before dinner, and spent his evenings in the laudable effort to ascertain how many

mugs of beer he could "put away." Gaining in audacity, he danced at Bullier's, dined at Foyd's, and at last had

So much so, that one afternoon, M. Favoral having to visit on business the other side of the water, found

himself face to face with his son, who was coming along, a cigar in his mouth, and having on his arm a young

lady, painted in superior style, and harnessed with a toilet calculated to make the cabhorses rear.

And when that son made his appearance, looking quite sheepish, his first impulse was to resort to his former

At the sight of the uplifted cane, he became whiter than his shirt; and, wrenching it from his father's hands, he

broke it across his knees, threw the pieces violently upon the floor, and sprang out of the house.

"He shall never again set his foot here!" screamed the cashier of the Mutual Credit, thrown beside himself by

an act of resistance which seemed to him unheard of. "I banish him. Let his clothes be packed up, and taken

For a long time Mme. Favoral and Gilberte fairly dragged themselves at his feet, before he consented to recall

"He will disgrace us all!" he kept repeating, seeming unable to understand that it was himself who had, as it

were, driven Maxence on to the fatal road which he was pursuing, forgetting that the absurd seventies of the

father prepared the way for the perilous indulgence of the mother, unwilling to own that the head of a family

has other duties besides providing food and shelter for his wife and children, and that a father has but little

right to complain who has not known how to make himself the friend and the adviser of his son.

At last, after the most violent recriminations, he forgave, in appearance at least.

But the scales had dropped from his eyes. He started in quest of information, and discovered startling

He heard from M. Chapelain that Maxence remained whole weeks at a time without appearing at the office. If

he had not complained before, it was because he had yielded to the urgent entreaties of Mme. Favoral; and he

was now glad, he added, of an opportunity to relieve his conscience by a full confession.

Thus the cashier discovered, one by one, all his son's tricks. He heard that he was almost unknown at the

lawschool, that he spent his days in the cafes, and that, in the evening, when he believed him in bed and

"Ah! that's the way, is it?" he thought. "Ah, my wife and children are in league against me, me, the master.

From that day commenced in the Rue St. Gilles one of those domestic dramas which are still awaiting their

Moliere, a drama of distressing vulgarity and sickening realism, but poignant, nevertheless; for it brought

M. Favoral thought himself sure to win; for did he not have the key of the cash, and is not the key of the cash

the most formidable weapon in an age where every thing begins and ends with money?

He who had just discovered so many things which he did not even suspect a few days before, he could not

discover the source whence his son drew the money which flowed like water from his prodigal hands.

He had made sure that Maxence had no debts; and yet it could not be with M. Chapelain's monthly twenty

Mme. Favoral and Gilberte, subjected separately to a skillful interrogatory, had managed to keep inviolate the

secret of their mercenary labor. The servant, shrewdly questioned, had said nothing that could in any way

Here was, then, a mystery; and M. Favoral's constant anxiety could be read upon his knitted brows during his

From the manner in which he tasted his soup, it was easy to see that he was asking himself whether that was

real soup, and whether he was not being imposed upon. From the expression of his eyes, it was easy to guess

And he became distrustful, fussy, and suspicious, to an extent that he had never been before. It was with the

most insulting precautions that he examined every Sunday his wife's accounts. He took a look at the grocer's,

and settled it himself every month: he had the butcher's bills sent to him in duplicate. He would inquire the

price of an apple as he peeled it over his plate, and never failed to stop at the fruiterer's and ascertain that he

And yet he knew that Maxence always had in his pocket two or three fivefranc pieces.

Exasperated, M. Favoral wished to make the whole world take an interest in his investigations. And one

Saturday evening, as he was talking with his friends, M. Chapelain, the worthy Desclavettes, and old man

"Those dd women rob me," he said, "for the benefit of my son; and they do it so cleverly that I can't find

out how. They have an understanding with the shopkeepers, who are but licensed thieves; and nothing is

M. Chapelain made an illconcealed grimace; whilst M. Desclavettes sincerely admired a man who had

"Do you know, friend Vincent," he said, "that it requires a strong stomach to take dinner with a man who

spends his time calculating the cost of every mouthful that his guests swallow?"

"It is not the expense that I deplore," he replied, but the duplicity. I am rich enough, thank Heaven! not to

begrudge a few francs; and I would gladly give to my wife twice as much as she takes, if she would only ask

Hereafter he was careful to dissimulate, and seemed exclusively occupied in subjecting his son to a system of

his invention, the excessive rigor of which would have upset a steadier one than he.

He demanded of him daily written attestations of his attendance both at the lawschool and at the lawyer's

office. He marked out the itinerary of his walks for him, and measured the time they required, within a few

minutes. Immediately after dinner he shut him up in his room, under lock and key, and never failed, when he

He could not have taken steps better calculated to exalt still more Mme. Favoral's blind tenderness.

When she heard that Maxence had a mistress, she had been rudely shocked in her most cherished feelings. It

is never without a secret jealousy that a mother discovers that a woman has robbed her of her son's heart. She

had retained a certain amount of spite against him on account of disorders, which, in her candor, she had

never suspected. She forgave him every thing when she saw of what treatment he was the object.

She took sides with him, believing him to be the victim of a most unjust persecution. In the evening, after her

husband had gone out, Gilberte and herself would take their sewing, sit in the hall outside his room, and

converse with him through the door. Never had they worked so hard for the shopkeeper in the Rue St.

But Maxence's patience was exhausted; and one morning he declared resolutely that he would no longer

attend the lawschool, that he had been mistaken in his vocation, and that there was no human power capable

"And where will you go?" exclaimed his father. "Do you expect me eternally to supply your wants?"

He answered that it was precisely in order to support himself, and conquer his independence, that he had

resolved to abandon a profession, which, after two years, yielded him twenty francs a month.

"I want some business where I have a chance to get rich," he replied. "I would like to enter a bankinghouse,

"That's a fact," she said to her husband. "Why couldn't you find a place for our son at the Mutual Credit?

There he would be under your own eyes. Intelligent as he is, backed by M. de Thaller and yourself, he would

"That I shall never do," he uttered. "I have not sufficient confidence in my son. I cannot expose myself to

"A cashier," he added, "who like me handles immense sums cannot be too careful of his reputation.

Confidence is a delicate thing in these times, when there are so many cashiers constantly on the road to

Belgium. Who knows what would be thought of me, if I was known to have such a son as mine?"

Mme. Favoral was insisting, nevertheless, when he seemed to make up his mind suddenly.

"Enough," he said. "Maxence is free. I allow him two years to establish himself in some position. That delay

over, goodby: he can find board and lodging where he please. That's all. I don't want to hear any thing more

It was with a sort of frenzy that Maxence abused that freedom; and in less than two weeks he had dissipated

That time over, he succeeded, thanks to M. Chapelain, in finding a place with an architect.

This was not a very brilliant opening; and the chances were, that he might remain a clerk all his life. But the

future did not trouble him much. For the present, he was delighted with this inferior position, which assured

One hundred and seventyfive francs! A fortune. And so he rushed into that life of questionable pleasures,

where so many wretches have left not only the money which they had, which is nothing, but the money which

He made friends with those shabby fellows who walk up and down in front of the Caf Riche, with an empty

stomach, and a toothpick between their teeth. He became a regular customer at those low cafes of the

Boulevards, where plastered girls smile to the men. He frequented those suspicious table d'hotes where they

play baccarat after dinner on a winestained tablecloth, and where the police make periodical raids. He ate

suppers in those night restaurants where people throw the bottles at each other's heads after drinking their

Often he remained twentyfour hours without coming to the Rue St. Gilles; and then Mme. Favoral spent the

night in the most fearful anxiety. Then, suddenly, at some hour when he knew his father to be absent, he

She gave them to him; and she kept giving them so long as she had any, not, however, without observing

"Alas!" she answered sorrowfully, "I have nothing left, and it is only on Monday that we are to take our work

He could not wait he was expected for a game. Blind devotion begets ferocious egotism. He wanted his

mother to go out and borrow the money from the grocer or the butcher. She was hesitating. He spoke louder.

"Have you, then, really no heart?" she said. "It seems to me, that, if I were a man, I would not ask my mother

Gilberte Favoral had just completed her eighteenth year. Rather tall, slender, her every motion betrayed the

admirable proportions of her figure, and had that grace which results from the harmonious blending of

litheness and strength. She did not strike at first sight; but soon a penetrating and indefinable charm arose

from her whole person; and one knew not which to admire most, the exquisite perfections of her figure, the

divine roundness of her neck, her aerial carriage, or the placid ingenuousness of her attitudes. She could not

be called beautiful, inasmuch as her features lacked regularity; but the extreme mobility of her countenance,

upon which could be read all the emotions of her soul, had an irresistible seduction. Her large eyes, of velvety

blue; had untold depths and an incredible intensity of expression; the imperceptible quiver of her rosy nostrils

revealed an untamable pride; and the smile that played upon her lips told her immense contempt for every

thing mean and small. But her real beauty was her hair, of a blonde so luminous that it seemed powdered

with diamonddust; so thick and so long, that to be able to twist and confine it, she had to cut off heavy locks

Alone, in the house, she did not tremble at her father's voice. The studied despotism which had subdued

Mme. Favoral had revolted her, and her energy had become tempered under the same system of oppression

Whilst her mother and her brother lied with that quiet impudence of the slave, whose sole weapon is

duplicity, Gilberte preserved a sullen silence. And if complicity was imposed upon her by circumstances, if

she had to maintain a falsehood, each word cost her such a painful effort, that her features became visibly

Never, when her own interests were alone at stake, had she stooped to an untruth. Fearlessly, and whatever

Accordingly, M. Favoral could not help respecting her to a degree; and, when he was in fine humor, he called

her the Empress Gilberte. For her alone he had some deference and some attentions. He moderated, when she

looked at him, the brutality of his language. He brought her a few flowers every Saturday.

He had even allowed her a professor of music; though he was wont to declare that a woman needs but two

accomplishments, to cook and to sew. But she had insisted so much, that he had at last discovered for her,

in an attic of the Rue du PasdelaMule, an old Italian master, the Signor Gismondo Pulei, a sort of

unknown genius, for whom thirty francs a month were a fortune, and who conceived a sort of religious

Though be had always refused to write a note, he consented, for her sake, to fix the melodies that buzzed in

his cracked brain; and some of them proved to be admirable. He dreamed to compose for her an opera that

"The Signora Gilberte is the very goddess of music," he said to M. Favoral, with transports of enthusiasm,

The cashier of the Mutual Credit Society shrugged his shoulders, answering that there is no harmony for a

man who spends his days listening to the exciting music of golden coins. In spite of which his vanity seemed

highly gratified, when on Saturday evenings, after dinner, Mlle. Gilberte sat at the piano, and Mme.

The young girl had, then, a positive influence; and it was to her entreaties alone, and not to those of his wife,

that he had several times forgiven Maxence. He would have done much more for her, had she wished it; but

Sometimes Mme. Favoral scolded her gently, saying that her father would certainly not refuse her one of

"It is much less mortification to me to wear these rags than to meet with a refusal," she replied. "I am

With such a character, surrounded, however, by a meek resignation, and an unalterable sangfroid, she

inspired a certain respect to both her mother and her brother, who admired in her an energy of which they felt

And when she appeared, and commenced reproaching him in an indignant tone of voice, with the baseness of

She crushed him with a look of mingled contempt and pity; and, in an accent of haughty irony:

"Indeed," she said, "you do not know whence the money comes that you extort from our mother!"

And holding up her hand, still remarkably handsome, though slightly deformed by the constant handling of

the needle; the fourth finger of the right hand bent by the thread, and the forefinger of the left tattooed and

"Indeed," she repeated, "you do not know that my mother and myself, we spend all our days, and the greater

"If it were for myself alone," she continued, "I would not speak to you thus. But look at our mother! See her

poor eyes, red and weak from her ceaseless labor! If I have said nothing until now, it is because I did not as

yet despair of your heart; because I hoped that you would recover some feeling of decency. But no, nothing.

With time, your last scruples seem to have vanished. Once you begged humbly; now you demand rudely.

"Money!' she went on, "always, and without time, you must have money; no matter whence it comes, nor

what it costs. If, at least, you had to justify your expenses, the excuse of some great passion, or of some

object, were it absurd, ardently pursued! But I defy you to confess upon what degrading pleasures you lavish

our humble economies. I defy you to tell us what you mean to do with the sum that you demand tonight,

that sum for which you would have our mother stoop to beg the assistance of a shopkeeper, to whom we

"He unhappy!" she exclaimed. "What, then, shall we say of us? and, above all, what shall you say of yourself,

mother? Unhappy! he, a man, who has liberty and strength, who may undertake every thing, attempt any

thing, dare any thing. Ah, I wish I were a man! I! I would be a man as there are some, as I know some; and I

would have avenged you, 0 beloved mother! long, long ago, from father; and I would have begun to repay

"Be it so," said the young girl. "But you must allow me to tell him that it is not for his sake that I devote my

youth to a mercenary labor. It is for you, adored mother, that you may have the joy to give him what he asks,

Maxence shuddered under the breath of that superb indignation. That frightful humiliation, he felt that he

deserved it only too much. He understood the justice of these cruel reproaches. And, as his heart had not yet

spoiled with the contact of his boon companions, as he was weak, rather than wicked, as the sentiments which

"Ah! you are a brave sister, Gilberte," he exclaimed; "and what you have just done is well. You have been

harsh, but not as much as I deserve. Thanks for your courage, which will give me back mine. Yes, it is a

And, raising his mother's hand to his lips: "Forgive, mother," he continued, his eyes overflowing with tears;

"forgive him who swears to you to redeem his past, and to become your support, instead of being a crushing

He was interrupted by the noise of steps on the stairs, and the shrill sound of a whistle.

"Don't you hear that he is whistling? and do you forget that it is a proof that he is furious? What new trial

Mme. Favoral spoke from experience. She had learned, to her cost, that the whistle of her husband, more

surely than the shriek of the stormy petrel, announces the storm. And she had that evening more reasons

than usual to fear. Breaking from all his habits, M. Favoral had not come home to dinner, and had sent one of

the clerks of the Mutual Credit Society to say that they should not wait for him.

Soon his latchkey grated in the lock; the door swung open; he came in; and, seeing his son:

"Well, I am glad to find you here," he exclaimed with a giggle, which with him was the utmost expression of

Mme. Favoral shuddered. Still under the impression of the scene which had just taken place, his heart heavy,

"It is doubtless a wager," resumed the father, "and you wish to know how far my patience may go.

"The money that you used to get, I know not where, doubtless fails you now, or at least is no longer

sufficient, and you go on making debts right and left at the tailor's, the shirt maker's, the jeweler's. Of

course, it's simple enough. We earn nothing; but we wish to dress in the latest style, to wear a gold chain

"Bah! And what, then, do you call all these people who came this very day to present me their bills? For they

did dare to come to my office! They had agreed to come together, expecting thus to intimidate me more

easily. I told them that you were of age, and that your business was none of mine. Hearing this, they became

insolent, and commenced speaking so loud, that their voices could be heard in the adjoining rooms. At that

very moment, the manager, M. de Thaller, happened to be passing through the hall. Hearing the noise of a

discussion, he thought that I was having some difficulty with some of our stockholders, and he came in, as he

He became excited at the sound of his words, like a horse at the jingle of his bells. And, more and more

"That is just what your creditors wished," he pursued. "They thought I would be afraid of a row, and that I

would 'come down.' It is a system of blackmailing, like any other. An account is opened to some young

rascal; and, when the amount is reasonably large, they take it to the family, saying, 'Money, or I make row.'

Do you think it is to you, who are penniless, that they give credit? It's on my pocket that they were drawing,

on my pocket, because they believed me rich. They sold you at exorbitant prices every thing they wished; and

they relied on me to pay for trousers at ninety francs, shirts at forty francs, and watches at six hundred

"Spare me your lies," he uttered. "I am better posted than you suppose. I know, that, over a month ago, your

Disgrace was superfluous. The fact was, that Maxence, returning to work after an absence of five days, had

"And in the mean time," he said, "I shall have to pay. Do you know what your creditors threaten to do? to

commence a suit against me. They would lose it, of course, they know it; but they hope that I would yield

before a scandal. And this is not all: they talk of entering a criminal complaint. They pretend that you have

audaciously swindled them; that the articles you purchased of them were not at all for your own use, but that

you sold them as fast as you got them, at any price you could obtain, to raise ready money. The jeweler has

proofs, he says, that you went straight from his shop to the pawnbroker's, and pledged a watch and chain

which he had just sold you. It is a police matter. They said all that in presence of my superior officer in

presence of M. de Thaller. I had to get the janitor to put them out. But, after they had left, M. de Thaller gave

me to understand that he wished me very much to settle everything. And he is right. My consideration could

not resist another such scene. What confidence can be placed in a cashier whose son behaves in this manner?

How can a key of a safe containing millions be left with a man whose son would have been dragged into the

policecourts? In a word, I am at your mercy. In a word, my honor, my position, my fortune, rest upon you.

As often as it may please you to make debts, you can make them, and I shall be compelled to pay."

"You have been sometimes very harsh with me, father," commenced Maxence; "and yet I will not try to

justify my conduct. I swear to you, that hereafter you shall have nothing to fear from me."

"I fear nothing," uttered M. Favoral with a sinister smile. "I know the means of placing myself beyond the

"Enough," he interrupted somewhat harshly. "Mind your own business, Gilberte! I have to speak to you too."

He walked up and down three or four times through the parlor, as if to calm his irritation. Then planting

"You are eighteen years of age," he said; "that is to say, it is time to think of your marriage. An excellent

"All young girls say the same thing; and, as soon as a pretender offers himself, they are delighted. Mine is a

fellow of twentysix, quite good looking, amiable, witty, and who has had the greatest success in society."

"Of course not. He is an intelligent, hardworking man, destined, everybody says, to make an immense

fortune. Although he is rich already, for he holds a controlling interest in a stockbroker's firm, he works as

hard as any poor devil. I would not be surprised to hear that he makes half a million of francs a year. His wife

will have her carriage, her box at the opera, diamonds, and dresses as handsome as Mlle. de Thaller's."

But Mlle. Gilberte was not one of those young girls who allow themselves, through weakness or timidity, to

become engaged, and so far engaged, that later, they can no longer withdraw. A discussion being

"In that as in every thing else," interrupted the cashier of the Mutual Credit in a thundering voice.

"In that, as in every thing else," he repeated, "because I am the master; and I shall prove it. Yes, I will prove

The fact is, that the poor woman could not understand why her daughter refused the only means at her

She said this in such a tone, that the light suddenly flashed upon Mme. Favoral's mind.

"Heavens!" she murmured. "Gilberte, my darling child, have you then a secret which your mother does not

Yes, Mlle. Gilberte had her secret a very simple one, though, chaste, like herself, and one of those which,

The spring of that year having been unusually mild, Mlle. Favoral and her daughter had taken the habit of

going daily to breathe the fresh air in the Place Royale. They took their work with them, crotchet or knitting;

so that this salutary exercise did not in any way diminish the earnings of the week. It was during these walks

that Mlle. Gilberte had at last noticed a young man, unknown to her, whom she met every day at the same

Tall and robust, he had a grand look, notwithstanding his modest clothes, the exquisite neatness of which

betrayed a sort of respectable poverty. He wore his full beard; and his proud and intelligent features were

lighted up by a pair of large black eyes, of those eyes whose straight and clear look disconcerts hypocrites

He never failed, as he passed by Mlle. Gilberte, to look down, or turn his head slightly away; and in spite of

this, in spite of the expression of respect which she had detected upon his face, she could not help blushing.

"Which is absurd," she thought; "for after all, what on earth do I care for that young man?"

The infallible instinct, which is the experience of inexperienced young girls, told her that it was not chance

alone that brought this stranger in her way. But she wished to make sure of it. She managed so well, that each

day of the following week, the hour of their walk was changed. Sometimes they went out at noon, sometimes

But, whatever the hour, Mlle. Gilberte, as she turned the corner of the Rue des Minimes, noticed her

unknown admirer under the arcades, looking in some shopwindow, and watching out of the corner of his

eye. As soon as she appeared, he left his post, and hurried fast enough to meet her at the gate of the Place.

How, then, had she not spoken of it to her mother? Why had she not said any thing to her the day, when,

happening, to look out of the window, she saw her "persecutor" passing before the house, or, evidently

"Am I losing my mind?" she thought, seriously irritated against herself. "I will not think of him any more."

And yet she was thinking of him, when one afternoon, as her mother and herself were working, sitting upon a

bench, she saw the stranger come and sit down not far from them. He was accompanied by an elderly man

"This is an insolence," thought the young girl, whilst seeking a pretext to ask her mother to change their seats.

But already had the young man and his elderly friend seated themselves, and so arranged their chairs, that

Mlle. Gilberte could not miss a word of what they were about to say. It was the young man who spoke first.

"You know me as well as I know myself, my dear count," he commenced "you who were my poor father's

best friend, you who dandled me upon your knees when I was a child, and who has never lost sight of me."

"Which is to say, my boy, that I answer for you as for myself," put in the old man. "But go on."

"I am twentysix years old. My name is YvesMariusGenost de Tregars. My family, which is one of the

"Unfortunately, my fortune is not on a par with my nobility. When my mother died, in 1856, my father, who

worshiped her, could no longer bear, in the intensity of his grief, to remain at the Chateau de Tregars where

he had spent his whole life. He came to Paris, which he could well afford, since we were rich then, but

unfortunately, made acquaintances who soon inoculated him with the fever of the age. They proved to him

that he was mad to keep lands which barely yielded him forty thousand francs a year, and which he could

easily sell for two millions; which amount, invested merely at five per cent, would yield him an income of

one hundred thousand francs. He therefore sold every thing, except our patrimonial homestead on the road

from Quimper to Audierne, and rushed into speculations. He was rather lucky at first. But he was too honest

and too loyal to be lucky long. An operation in which he became interested early in 1869 turned out badly.

His associates became rich; but he, I know not how, was ruined, and came near being compromised. He died

"Very well, my boy," he said. "But you are too modest; and there's a circumstance which you neglect. You

had a right, when your father became involved in these troubles, to claim and retain your mother's fortune;

that is, some thirty thousand francs a year. Not only you did not do so; but you gave up every thing to his

creditors. You sold the domain of Tregars, except the old castle and its park, and paid over the proceeds to

them; so that, if your father did die ruined, at least he did not owe a cent. And yet you knew, as well as

myself, that your father had been deceived and swindled by a lot of scoundrels who drive their carriages now,

and who, perhaps, if the courts were applied to, might still be made to disgorge their illgotten plunder."

Her head bent upon her tapestry, Mlle. Gilberte seemed to be working with incomparable zeal. The truth is,

she knew not how to conceal the blushes on her cheeks, and the trembling of her hands. She had something

like a cloud before her eyes; and she drove her needle at random. She scarcely preserved enough presence of

mind to reply to Mme. Favoral, who, not noticing any thing, spoke to her from time to time.

"They have had an understanding," she thought, "and it is for me alone that they are speaking."

"I should lie, my old friend, were I to say that I was indifferent to our ruin. Philosopher though one may be, it

is not without some pangs that one passes from a sumptuous hotel to a gloomy garret. But what grieved me

most of all was that I saw myself compelled to give up the labors which had been the joy of my life, and upon

which I had founded the most magnificent hopes. A positive vocation, stimulated further by the accidents of

my education, had led me to the study of physical sciences. For several years, I had applied all I have of

intelligence and energy to certain investigations in electricity. To convert electricity into an incomparable

motivepower which would supersede steam, such was the object I pursued without pause. Already, as you

know, although quite young, I had obtained results which had attracted some attention in the scientific world.

I thought I could see the last of a problem, the solution of which would change the face of the globe. Ruin

was the death of my hopes, the total loss of the fruits of my labors; for my experiments were costly, and it

required money, much money, to purchase the products which were indispensable to me, and to construct the

"I was on the verge of despair, when I met a man whom I had formerly seen at my father's, and who had

seemed to take some interest in my researches, a speculator named Marcolet. But it is not at the bourse that

he operates. Industry is the field of his labors. Ever on the lookout for those obstinate inventors who are

starving to death in their garrets, he appears to them at the hour of supreme crisis: he pities them, encourages

them, consoles them, helps them, and almost always succeeds in becoming the owner of their discovery.

Sometimes he makes a mistake; and then all he has to do is to put a few thousand francs to the debit of profit

or loss. But, if he has judged right, then he counts his profits by hundreds of thousands; and how many

patents does he work thus! Of how many inventions does he reap the results which are a fortune, and the

inventors of which have no shoes to wear! Every thing is good to him; and he defends with the same avidity a

cough sirup, the formula of which he has purchased of some poor devil of a druggist, and an improvement

to the steamengine, the patent for which has been sold to him by an engineer of genius. And yet Marcolet is

not a bad man. Seeing my situation, he offered me a certain yearly sum to undertake some studies of

industrial chemistry which he indicated to me. I accepted; and the very next day I hired a small basement in

the Rue des Tournelles, where I set up my laboratory, and went to work at once. That was a year ago.

Marcolet must be satisfied. I have already found for him a new shade for dyeing silk, the cost price of which

is almost nothing. As to me, I have lived with the strictest economy, devoting all my surplus earnings to the

prosecution of the problem, the solution of which would give me both glory and fortune."

Palpitating with inexpressible emotion, Mlle. Gilberte was listening to this young man, unknown to her a few

moments since, and whose whole history she now knew as well as if she had always lived near him; for it

No voice had ever vibrated to her ear like this voice, whose grave sonorousness stirred within her strange

sensations, and legions of thoughts which she had never suspected. She was surprised at the accent of

simplicity with which he spoke of the illustriousness of his family, of his past opulence, of his obscure labors,

She admired the superb disregard for money which beamed forth in his every word. Here was then one man,

at least, who despised that money before which she had hitherto seen all the people she knew prostrated in

After a pause of a few moments, Marius de Tregars, still addressing himself apparently to his aged

"I repeat it, because it is the truth, my old friend, this life of labor and privation, so new to me, was not a

burden. Calm, silence, the constant exercise of all the faculties of the intellect, have charms which the vulgar

can never suspect. I was happy to think, that, if I was ruined, it was through an act of my own will. I found a

positive pleasure in the fact that I, the Marquis de Tregars, who had had a hundred thousand a year I must

the next moment go out in person to the baker's and the greengrocer's to purchase my supplies for the day. I

was proud to think that it was to my labor alone, to the work for which I was paid by Marcolet, that I owed

the means of prosecuting my task. And, from the summits where I was carried on the wings of science, I took

pity on your modern existence, on that ridiculous and tragical medley of passions, interests, and cravings; that

struggle without truce or mercy, whose law is, woe to the weak, in which whosoever falls is trampled under

"Sometimes, however, like a fire that has been smouldering under the ashes, the flame of youthful passions

blazed up within me. I had hours of madness, of discouragement, of distress, during which solitude was

loathsome to me. But I had the faith which raises mountains faith in myself and my work. And soon,

tranquilized, I would go to sleep in the purple of hope, beholding in the vista of the distant future the

"Such was my situation, when, one afternoon in the month of February last, after an experiment upon which I

had founded great hopes, and which had just miserably failed, I came here to breathe a little fresh air.

"It was a beautiful spring day, warm and sunny. The sparrows were chirping on the branches, swelled with

sap: bands of children were running along the alleys, filling the air with their joyous screams.

"I was sitting upon a bench, ruminating over the causes of my failure, when two ladies passed by me; one

somewhat aged, the other quite young. They were walking so rapidly, that I hardly had time to see them.

"But the young lady's step, the noble simplicity of her carriage, had struck me so much, that I rose to follow

her with the intention of passing her, and then walking back to have a good view of her face. I did so; and I

was fairly dazzled. At the moment when my eyes met hers, a voice rose within me, crying that it was all over

"I remember, my dear boy," remarked the old soldier in a tone of friendly raillery; "for you came to see me

"And yet you know that I am not the man to yield to first impression. I struggled: with determined energy I

strove to drive off that radiant image which I carried within my soul, which left me no more, which haunted

"Vain efforts. My thoughts obeyed me no longer my will escaped my control. It was indeed one of those

passions that fill the whole being, overpower all, and which make of life an ineffable felicity or a nameless

torture, according that they are reciprocated, or not. How many days I spent there, waiting and watching for

her of whom I had thus had a glimpse, and who ignored my very existence! And what insane palpitations,

when, after hours of consuming anxiety, I saw at the corner of the street the undulating folds of her dress! I

saw her thus often, and always with the same elderly person, her mother. They had adopted in this square a

particular bench, where they sat daily, working at their sewing with an assiduity and zeal which made me

Here he was suddenly interrupted by his companion. The old gentleman feared that Mme. Favoral's attention

"Take care, boy!" he whispered, not so low, however, but what Gilberte overheard him.

But it would have required much more than this to draw Mme. Favoral from her sad thoughts. She had just

"It is perhaps time to go home," she said to her daughter. "I have nothing more to do."

Mlle. Gilberte drew from her basket a piece of canvas, and, handing it to her mother:

Here is enough to go on with, mamma," she said in a troubled voice. "Let us stay a little while longer."

"The thought that she whom I loved was poor delighted me. Was not this similarity of positions a link

between us? I felt a childish joy to think that I would work for her and for her mother, and that they would be

"But I am not one of those dreamers who confide their destiny to the wings of a chimera. Before undertaking

any thing, I resolved to inform myself. Alas! at the first words that I heard, all my fine dreams took wings. I

heard that she was rich, very rich. I was told that her father was one of those men whose rigid probity

surrounds itself with austere and harsh forms. He owed his fortune, I was assured, to his sole labor, but also

to prodigies of economy and the most severe privations. He professed a worship, they said, for that gold that

had cost him so much; and he would never give the hand of his daughter to a man who had no money. This

last comment was useless. Above my actions, my thoughts, my hopes, higher than all, soars my pride.

Instantly I saw an abyss opening between me and her whom I love more than my life, but less than my

dignity. When a man's name is Genost de Tregars, he must support his wife, were it by breaking stones. And

the thought that I owed my fortune to the woman I married would make me execrate her.

"You must remember, my old friend, that I told you all this at the time. You thought, too, that it was

singularly impertinent, on my part, thus to flare up in advance, because, certainly a millionaire does not give

his daughter to a ruined nobleman in the pay of Marcolet, the patentbroker, to a poor devil of an inventor,

who is building the castles of his future upon the solution of a problem which has been given up by the most

"It was then that I determined upon an extreme resolution, a foolish one, no doubt, and yet to which you, the

"I thought that I would address myself to her, to her alone, and that she would at least know what great, what

immense love she had inspired. I thought I would go to her and tell her, 'This is who I am, and what I am. For

mercy's sake, grant me a respite of three years. To a love such as mine there is nothing impossible. In three

years I shall be dead, or rich enough to ask your hand. From this day forth, I give up my task for work of

more immediate profit. The arts of industry have treasures for successful inventors. If you could only read in

my soul, you would not refuse me the delay I am asking. Forgive me! One word, for mercy's sake, only one!

Mlle. Gilberte's thoughts were in too great a state of confusion to permit her to think of being offended at this

extraordinary proceeding. She rose, quivering, and addressing herself to Mme. Favoral:

"Come, mother," she said, "come: I feel that I have taken cold. I must go home and think. Tomorrow, yes,

Deep as Mme. Favoral was plunged in her meditations, and a thousand miles as she was from the actual

situation, it was impossible that she should not notice the intense excitement under which her daughter

"I feel unwell," answered her daughter in a scarcely audible voice, "quite unwell. Come, let us go home."

As soon as they reached home, Mlle. Gilberte took refuge in her own room. She was in haste to be alone, to

recover her selfpossession, to collect her thoughts, more scattered than dry leaves by a storm wind.

It was a momentous event which had just suddenly fallen in her life so monotonous and so calm an

inconceivable, startling event, the consequences of which were to weigh heavily upon her entire future.

Staggering still, she was asking herself if she was not the victim of an hallucination, and if really there was a

man who had dared to conceive and execute the audacious project of coming thus under the eyes of her

mother, of declaring his love, and of asking her in return a solemn engagement. But what stupefied her more

Under what despotic influence had she, then, fallen? To what undefinable sentiments had she obeyed? And if

she had only tolerated! But she had done more: she had actually encouraged. By detaining her mother when

she wished to go home (and she had detained her), had she not said to this unknown? "Go on, I allow it: I

And he had gone on. And she, at the moment of returning home, she had engaged herself formally to reflect,

and to return the next day at a stated hour to give an answer. In a word, she had made an appointment with

It was enough to make her die of shame. And, as if she had needed the sound of her own words to convince

"I have made an appointment I, Gilberte, with a man whom my parents do not know, and of whose name I

And yet she could not take upon herself to be indignant at the imprudent boldness of her conduct. The

bitterness of the reproaches which she was addressing to herself was not sincere. She felt it so well, that at

"Such hypocrisy is unworthy of me." she exclaimed, "since now, still, and without the excuse of being taken

The fact is, the more she pondered, the less she could succeed in discovering even the shadow of any

offensive intention in all that Marius de Tregars had said. By the choice of his confidant, an old man, a friend

of his family, a man of the highest respectability, he had done all in his power to make his step excusable. It

was impossible to doubt his sincerity, to suspect the fairness of his intentions.

Mlle. Gilberte, better than, almost any other young girl, could understand the extreme measure resorted to by

M. de Tregars. By her own pride she could understand his. No more than he, in his place, would she have

been willing to expose herself to a certain refusal. What was there, then, so extraordinary in the fact of his

coming directly to her, in his exposing to her frankly and loyally his situation, his projects, and his hopes?

"Good heavens!" she thought, horrified at the sentiments which she discovered in the deep recesses of her

soul, "good heavens! I hardly know myself any more. Here I am actually approving what he has done!"

Well, yes, she did approve him, attracted, fascinated, by the very strangeness of the situation. Nothing

seemed to her more admirable than the conduct of Marius de Tregars sacrificing his fortune and his most

legitimate aspirations to the honor of his name, and condemning himself to work for his living.

"That one," she thought, "is a man; and his wife will have just cause to be proud of him."

Involuntarily she compared him to the only men she knew: to M. Favoral, whose miserly parsimony had

made his whole family wretched; to Maxence, who did not blush to feed his disorders with the fruits of his

How different was Marius! If he was poor, it was of his own will. Had she not seen what confidence he had

in himself. She shared it fully. She felt certain, that, within the required delay, he would conquer that

indispensable fortune. Then he might present himself boldly. He would take her, away from the miserable

surroundings among which she seemed fated to live: she would become the Marchioness de Tregars.

"Why, then, not answer, Yes!" thought she, with the harrowing emotions of the gambler who is about to stake

Suppose she had been mistaken. Suppose that Marius should be one of those villains who make of seduction

a science. Would she still be her own mistress, after answering? Did she know to what hazards such an

engagement would expose her? Was she not about rushing blindfolded towards those deceiving perils where

She thought, for a moment, of consulting her mother. But she knew Mme. Favoral's shrinking timidity, and

that she was as incapable of giving any advice as to make her will prevail. She would be frightened; she

"Am I, then, so weak and so foolish," she thought, "that I cannot take a determination which affects me

She could not close her eyes all night; but in the morning her resolution was settled.

"These early spring days are treacherous," she objected: "you caught cold yesterday."

They started, taking their work with them, and came to occupy their accustomed seats.

Before they had even passed the gates, Mlle. Gilberte had recognized Marius de Tregars and the Count de

Villegre, walking in one of the side alleys. Soon, as on the day before, they took two chairs, and settled

Never had the young girl's heart beat with such violence. It is easy enough to take a resolution; but it is not

always quite so easy to execute it, and she was asking herself if she would have strength enough to articulate

Upon this subject, as well as upon many others, Mme. Favoral had no particular opinion.

"It seemed to me that suddenly a young man, whom I did not know, stood before me. He would have been

most happy, said he to me, to ask my hand, but he dared not, being very poor. And he begged me to wait

"But it wasn't a romance in my dream," interrupted Mlle. Gilberte. "This young man spoke in a tone of such

profound conviction, that it was impossible for me, as it were, to doubt him. I thought to myself that he would

be incapable of such an odious villainy as to abuse the confiding credulity of a poor girl."

Moving her seat almost imperceptibly, Mlle. Gilberte could, from the corner of her eye, have a glimpse of M.

de Tregars. Evidently he was not missing a single one of the words which she was addressing to her mother.

"To answer was painful," she uttered; "and yet I dared to answer him. I said to him, 'I believe you, and I

have faith in you. Loyally and faithfully I shall await your success; but until then we must be strangers to one

another. To resort to ruse, deceit, and falsehood would be unworthy of us. You surely would not expose to a

She was laughing, the good lady, but not loud enough to prevent Gilberte from hearing M. de Tregar's

"Count de Villegre," said he, "my old friend, receive the oath which I take to devote my life to her who has

not doubted me. It is today the 4th of May, 1870 on the 4th of May, 1873, I shall have succeeded: I feel it,

It was done: Gilberte Favoral had just irrevocably disposed of herself. Prosperous or wretched, her destiny

henceforth was linked with another. She had set the wheel in motion; and she could no longer hope to control

its direction, any more than the will can pretend to alter the course of the ivory ball upon the surface of the

roulettetable. At the outset of this great storm of passion which had suddenly surrounded her, she felt an

Around her, apparently, nothing was changed. Father, mother, brother, friends, gravitated mechanically in

their accustomed orbits. The same daily facts repeated themselves monotonous and regular as the ticktack of

And yet an event had occurred more prodigious for her than the moving of a mountain.

Often during the weeks that followed, she would repeat to herself, "Is it true, is it possible even?"

Or else she would run to a mirror to make sure once more that nothing upon her face or in her eyes betrayed

The singularity of the situation was, moreover, well calculated to trouble and confound her mind.

Mastered by circumstances, she had in utter disregard of all accepted ideas, and of the commonest propriety,

listened to the passionate promises of a stranger, and pledged her life to him. And, the pact concluded and

solemnly sworn, they had parted without knowing when propitious circumstances might bring them together

"Certainly," thought she, "before God, M. de Tregars is my betrothed husband; and yet we have never

exchanged a word. Were we to meet in society, we should be compelled to meet as strangers: if he passes by

me in the street, he has no right to bow to me. I know not where he is, what becomes of him, nor what he is

And in fact she had not seen him again: he had given no sign of life, so faithfully did he conform to her

expressed wish. And perhaps secretly, and without acknowledging it to herself, had she wished him less

scrupulous. Perhaps she would not have been very angry to see him sometimes gliding along at her passage

But, whilst suffering from this separation, she conceived for the character of Marius the highest esteem; for

she felt sure that he must suffer as much and more than she from the restraint which he imposed upon

Thus he was ever present to her thoughts. She never tired of turning over in her mind all he had said of his

And by living constantly thus with the memory of Marius de Tregars, she made herself familiar with him,

deceived to that extent, by the illusion of absence, that she actually persuaded herself that she knew him

Already nearly a month had elapsed, when one afternoon, as she arrived on the Place Royal; she recognized

him, standing near that same bench where they had so strangely exchanged their pledges.

He saw her coming too: she knew it by his looks. But, when she had arrived within a few steps of him, he

Mme. Favoral wished to call him back and return it; but Mlle. Gilberte persuaded her not to.

"Never mind, mother," said she, "it isn't worth while; and, besides, the gentleman is too far now."

But while getting out her embroidery, with that dexterity which never fails even the most naive girls, she

As soon as she had returned home, she locked herself up in her own room, and, after searching for some time

"One of the richest and most intelligent manufacturers in Paris, M. Marcolet, has just purchased in Grenelle

the vast grounds belonging to the Lacoche estate. He proposes to build upon them a manufacture of chemical

"Although still quite young, M. de T is already well known in connection with his remarkable studies on

electricity. He was, perhaps, on the eve of solving the much controverted problem of electricity as a

motivepower, when his father's ruin compelled him to suspend his labors. He now seeks to earn by his

"He is not the first to tread this path. Is it not to the invention of the machine bearing his name, that the

engineer Giffard owes the fortune which enables him to continue to seek the means of steering balloons?

"Ah! he does not forget me," thought Mlle. Gilberte, moved to tears by this article, which, after all, was but a

She was still under that impression, thinking that Marius was already at work, when her father announced to

her that he had discovered a husband, and enjoined her to find him to her liking, as he, the master, thought it

But hence also, the imprudent vivacity which had enlightened Mlle. Favoral, and which made her say:

Never had the young girl been so cruelly embarrassed as she was at this moment by this sudden and

She felt, indeed, no repugnance to do so, certain as she was, in advance, of the inexhaustible indulgence of

the poor woman; and, besides, she would have been delighted to have some one at last with whom she could

But she knew that her father was not the man to give up a project conceived by himself. She knew that he

would return to the charge obstinately, without peace, and without truce. Now, as she was determined to

resist with a no less implacable obstinacy, she foresaw terrible struggles, all sorts of violence and

Informed of the truth, would Mme. Favoral have strength enough to resist these daily storms? Would not a

time come, when, called upon by her husband to explain the refusals of her daughter, threatened, terrified, she

At one glance Mlle. Gilberte estimated the danger; and, drawing from necessity an audacity which was very

"None, except that I do not wish to leave you. Have you ever thought what would be your existence if I were

no longer here? Have you ever asked yourself what would become of you, between my father, whose

"Maxence is not bad," she interrupted: "he will know how to compensate me for the sorrows he has inflicted

"I wish it, dear mother," said she, "with all my heart; but I dare not hope for it. His repentance tonight was

great and sincere; but will he remember it tomorrow? Besides, don't you know that father has fully resolved

"It is because I wish you to live to be happy that I refuse to marry," she exclaimed. "Must you not have your

share of happiness in this world? Let me manage. Who knows what compensations the future may have in

store for you? Besides, this person whom father has selected for me does not suit me. A stockjobber, who

would think of nothing but money, who would examine my houseaccounts as papa does yours, or else

who would load me with cashmeres and diamonds, like Mlle. de Thaller, to make of me a sign for his shop?

No, no! I want no such man. So, mother dear, be brave, take sides boldly with your daughter, and we shall

"What are you plotting here again?" cried the irritated voice of the master. "And you, Mme. Favoral, why

The poor slave obeyed, without saying a word. And, whilst making her way to her room:

"There is trouble ahead," thought Mlle. Gilberte. "But bash! If I do have to suffer some, it won't be great

harm, after all. Surely Marius does not complain, though he gives up for me his dearest hopes, becomes the

salaried employe of M. Marcolet, and thinks of nothing but making money, he so proud and so

Mlle. Gilberte's anticipations were but too soon realized. When M. Favoral made his appearance the next

morning, he had the sombre brow and contracted lips of a man who has spent the night ruminating a plan

Instead of going to his office, as usual, without saying a word to any one, he called his wife and children to

the parlor; and, after having carefully bolted all the doors, he turned to Maxence.

"I want you," he commenced, "to give me a list of your creditors. See that you forget none; and let it be ready

But Maxence was no longer the same man. After the terrible and welldeserved reproaches of his sister, a

salutary revolution had taken place in him. During the preceding night, he had reflected over his conduct for

the past four years; and he had been dismayed and terrified. His impression was like that of the drunkard,

who, having become sober, remembers the ridiculous or degrading acts which he has committed 'under the

Thus Maxence had sworn to himself to change his mode of life, promising that it would be no drunkard's

oath, either. And his attitude and his looks showed the pride of great resolutions.

Instead of lowering his eyes before the irritated glance of M. Favoral, and stammering excuses and vague

"It is useless, father," he replied, "to give you the list you ask for. I am old enough to bear the responsibility

of my acts. I shall repair my follies: what I owe, I shall pay. This very day I shall see my creditors, and make

"Those are finesounding words," he said with a sneer; "but I doubt if the tailors and the shirtmakers will

"It's I who shall pay. I do not mean to have another such scene as that of yesterday in my office. It must not

be said that my son is a sharper and a cheat at the very moment when I find for my daughter a most

"And so, father, I beg of you, do not insist. Why wrangle and quarrel? You must know me well enough to

Indeed, M. Favoral was well aware of his daughter's firmness; for he had already been compelled on several

occasions, as he expressed it himself, "to strike his flag" before her. But he could not believe that she would

"And suppose I were to tell you," he resumed, doing at least to his daughter the honor of controlling his

anger:" suppose I were to tell you that I would derive from this marriage immense, positive, and immediate

"Suppose I were to tell you that I have a powerful interest in it; that it is indispensable to the success of vast

"I would answer you," she exclaimed, "that it does not suit me to be made use of as an earnest to your

combinations. Ah! it's an operation, is it? an enterprise, a big speculation? and you throw in your daughter in

the bargain as a bonus. Well, no! You can tell your partner that the thing has fallen through."

"Well, we shall see. You will see Maxence and you whether there are no means by which a father can

And, feeling that he was no longer master of himself, he left, swearing loud enough to shake the plaster from

"Never," he uttered, "never until now, had I understood the infamy of my conduct. With a father such as ours,

Gilberte, I should be your protector. And now I am debarred even of the right to interfere. But never mind, I

Left alone, a few moments after, Mlle. Gilberte was congratulating herself upon her firmness.

She had not long to wait for her reward. The bell rang: it was her old professor, the Signor Gismondo Pulei,

The liveliest joy beamed upon his face, more shriveled than an apple at Easter; and the most magnificent

"I knew it, signora!" he exclaimed from the threshold: "I knew that angels bring good luck. As every thing

"That is to say, I am on the highroad to fortune and glory," he replied. "My fame is extending; pupils

Mlle. Gilberte knew too well the thoroughly Italian exaggeration of the worthy maestro to be surprised.

"This morning," he went on, "visited by inspiration, I had risen early, and I was working with marvelous

facility, when there was a knock at my door. I do not remember such an occurrence since the blessed day

when your worthy father called for me. Surprised, I nevertheless said, 'Come in;' when there appeared a tall

"This young man," continued the old Italian, "had heard me spoken of, and came to apply for lessons. I

questioned him; and from the first words I discovered that his education had been frightfully neglected, that

he was ignorant of the most vulgar notions of the divine art, and that he scarcely knew the difference between

a sharp and a quaver. It was really the A, B, C, which he wished me to teach him. Laborious task, ungrateful

labor! But he manifested so much shame at his ignorance, and so much desire to be instructed, that I felt

moved in his favor. Then his countenance was most winning, his voice of a superior tone; and finally he

"We remained over two hours talking," said the good and simple maestro, "and I believe that he has excellent

dispositions. Unfortunately, he can only take two lessons a week. Although a nobleman, he works; and, when

he took off his glove to hand me a month in advance, I noticed that one of his hands was blackened, as if

burnt by some acid. But never mind, signora, sixty francs, together with what your father gives me, it's a

fortune. The end of my career will be spared the privations of its beginning. This young man will help

The young girl could no longer have any doubts: M. de Tregars had found the means of hearing from her, and

The impression she felt contributed no little to give her the patience to endure the obstinate persecution of her

"Get ready to properly receive my protege on Saturday. I have not invited him to dinner: he will only spend

Thus, the famous day having come, he told his usual Saturday guests, M. and Mme. Desciavettes, M.

At nine o'clock, just as they had passed into the parlor, the sound of carriagewheels startled the Rue St.

She never stirred; but M. Desclavettes and M. Chapelain ran. It was night, unfortunately; and of the whole

equipage nothing was visible but the two lanterns that shone like stars. Almost at the same time the

parlordoor flew open; and the servant, who had been properly trained in advance, announced:

"A nicelooking man, isn't he? a really nicelooking man," whispered Mme. Desciavettes.

And indeed he really thought so himself. Gesture, attitude, smile, every thing in M. Costeclar, betrayed the

satisfaction of self, and the assurance of a man accustomed to success. His head, which was very small, had

but little hair left; but it was artistically drawn towards the temples, parted in the middle, and cut short around

the forehead. His leaden complexion, his pale lips, and his dull eye, did not certainly betray a very rich blood;

he had a great long nose, sharp and curved like a sickle; and his beard, of undecided color, trimmed in the

Victor Emmanuel style, did the greatest honor to the barber who cultivated it. Even when seen for the first

time, one might fancy that he recognized him, so exactly was he like three or four hundred others who are

seen daily in the neighborhood of the Caf Riche, who are met everywhere where people run who pretend to

amuse themselves, at the bourse or in the bois; at the first representations, where they are just enough

hidden to be perfectly well seen at the back of boxes filled with young ladies with astonishing chignons; at

the races; in carriages, where they drink champagne to the health of the winner.

He had on this occasion hoisted his best looks, and the full dress de rigueur dresscoat with wide sleeves,

shirt cut low in the neck, and open vest, fastened below the waist by a single button.

M. Favoral rushed toward him; and the latter, hastening, met him half way, and, taking both his hands into his

"I cannot tell you, dear friend," he commenced, "how deeply I feel the honor you do me in receiving me in

And he bowed all around during this speech, which he delivered in the condescending tone of a lord visiting

"Let me introduce you to my wife," interrupted the cashier. And, leading him towards Mme. Favoral

"Monsieur Costeclar, my dear," said he:" the friend of whom we have spoken so often."

M. Costeclar bowed, rounding his shoulders, bending his lean form in a halfcircle, and letting his arms hang

"I am too much the friend of our dear Favoral, madame," he uttered, "not to have heard of you long since, nor

to know your merits, and the fact that he owes to you that peaceful happiness which he enjoys, and which we

Standing by the mantelpiece, the usual Saturday evening guests followed with the liveliest interest the

evolutions of the pretender. Two of them, M. Chapelain and old Desormeaux, were perfectly able to

appreciate him at his just value; but, in affirming that he made half a million a year, M. Favoral had, as it

were, thrown over his shoulders that famous ducal cloak which concealed all deformities.

Without waiting for his wife's answer, M. Favoral brought his protege in front of Mlle. Gilberte.

"Dear daughter,"said he, "Monsieur Costeclar, the friend of whom I have spoken."

M. Costeclar bowed still lower, and rounded off his shoulders again; but the young lady looked at him from

head to foot with such a freezing glance, that his tongue remained as if paralyzed in his mouth, and he could

Fortunately Maxence was standing three steps off he fell hack in good order upon him, and seizing his

"I hope, my dear sir, that we shall soon be quite intimate friends. Your excellent father, whose special

concern you are, has often spoken to me of you. Events, so he has confided to me, have not hitherto

responded to your expectations. At your age, this is not a very grave natter. People, nowadays, do not

always find at the first attempt the road that leads to fortune. You will find yours. From this time forth I place

at your command my influence and my experience; and, if you will consent to take me for your guide "

"I am very much obliged to you, sir," he answered coldly; "but I am content with my lot, and I believe myself

Almost any one would have lost countenance. But M. Costeclar was so little put out, that it seemed as though

he had expected just such a reception. He turned upon his heels, and advanced towards M. Favoral's friends

with a smile so engaging as to make it evident that he was anxious to conquer their suff rages.

This was at the beginning of the month of June, 1870. No one as yet could foresee the frightful disasters

which were to mark the end of that fatal year. And yet there was everywhere in France that indefinable

anxiety which precedes great social convulsions. The plebiscitum had not succeeded in restoring confidence.

Every day the most alarming rumors were put in circulation and it was with a sort of passion that people went

Now, M. Costeclar was a wonderfully wellposted man. He had, doubtless, on his way, stopped on the

Boulevard des Italiens, that blessed ground where nightly the streetbrokers labor for the financial prosperity

of the country. He had gone through the Passage de l'Opera, which is, as is well known, the best market for

the most correct and the most reliable news. Therefore he might safely be believed.

Placing his hack to the chimney, he had taken the lead in the conversation; and he was talking, talking,

talking. Being a "bull," he took a favorable view of every thing. He believed in the eternity of the second

empire. He sang the praise of the new cabinet: he was ready to pour out his blood for Emile Ollivier. True,

some people complained that business was dull and slow; but those people, he thought, were merely "bears."

Business had never been so brilliant. At no time had prosperity been greater. Capital was abundant. The

institutions of credit were flourishing. Securities were rising. Everybody's pockets were full to bursting. And

the others listened in astonishment to this inexhaustible prattle, this "gab," more filled with gold spangles

than Dantzig cordial, with which the commercial travelers of the bourse catch their customers.

Mme. Favoral had just left the room to order tea to be brought in; and, the seat by Mlle. Gilberte being

He was doing his best. Somewhat intimidated by Mlle. Gilberte's first look, he had now fully recovered his

He had just turned thirty, and had experienced the strong and the weak side of life. He had had "successes,"

but had tired of them. Having gauged the emptiness of what is called pleasure, he only wished now to find a

He could not help noticing the absent look of the young girl; but he had, thought he, other means of

compelling her attention. And he went on, saying that he felt himself cast of the metal of which model

husbands are made. His plans were all made in advance. His wife would be free to do as she pleased. She

would have her own carriage and horses, her box at the Italiens and at the Opera, and an open account at

Worth's and Van Klopen's. As to diamonds, he would take care of that. He meant that his wife's display of

If so, it was so coarsely, that Mlle. Gilberte, ignorant of life as she was, wondered in what world it might be

"Unfortunately," she said, "the bourse is perfidious; and the man who drives his own carriage today,

"Every man in active business, when he marries, settles upon his wife reasonable fortune. I expect to settle

"We should enjoy our thirty thousand a year under the very nose of the creditors."

"But then," said she, "it isn't a wife that you are looking for: it is an accomplice."

He was spared the embarrassment of an answer, by the servant, who came in, bringing in tea. He accepted a

cup; and after two or three anecdotes, judging that he had done enough for a first visit, he withdrew, and a

It was not without mature thought that M. Costeclar had determined to withdraw, despite M. Favoral's

pressing overtures. However infatuated he might be with his own merits, he had been compelled to surrender

to evidence, and to acknowledge that he had not exactly succeeded with Mlle. Gilberte. But he also knew that

he had the head of the house on his side; and he flattered himself that he had produced an excellent

"Therefore," had he said to himself, "if I leave first, they will sing my praise, lecture the young person, and

He was not far from being right. Mme. Desciavettes had been completely subjugated by the grand manners of

this pretender; and M. Desclavettes did not hesitate to affirm that he had rarely met any one who pleased him

The others, M. Chapelain and old Desormeaux, did not, doubtless, share this optimism; but M. Costeclar's

They thought perhaps, they had discovered in him some alarming features; but they had full and entire

The particular and methodic cashier of the Mutual Credit was not apt to he enthusiastic; and, if he opened the

doors of his house to a young man, if he was so anxious to have him for his soninlaw, he must evidently

Finally there are certain family matters from which sensible people keep away as they would from the plague;

and, on the question of marriage especially, he is a bold man who would take side for or against.

Thus Mme. Desciavettes was the only one to raise her voice. Taking Mlle. Gilberte's hands within hers:

"Let me scold you, my dear," said she, "for having received thus a poor young man who was only trying to

Excepting her mother, too weak to take her defence, and her brother, who was debarred from interfering, the

young girl understood readily, that, in that parlor, every one, overtly or tacitly, was against her. The idea

came to her mind to repeat there boldly what she had already told her father that she was resolved not to

marry, and that she would not marry, not being one of those weak girls, without energy, whom they dress in

Such a bold declaration would be in keeping with her character. But she feared a terrible, and perhaps

degrading scene. The most intimate friends of the family were ignorant of its most painful sores. In presence

of his friends, M. Favoral dissembled, speaking in a mild voice, and assuming a kindly smile. Should she

"It is childish of you to run the risk of discouraging a clever fellow who makes half a million a year,"

continued the wife of the old bronzemerchant, to whom such conduct seemed an abominable crime of

"Perfectly. He was promising you a carriage, a box at the opera, diamonds, freedom. Isn't that the dream of

"Dear me! What better can you wish? You must not expect more from a husband than he can possibly give."

"Mme. Desciavettes," she exclaimed, "forgets something. She forgets that this gentleman dared to tell me that

he proposed to settle upon the woman he marries a large fortune, of which his creditors would thus be

She thought, in her simplicity, that a cry of indignation would rise at these words. Instead of which:

"It seems to me more than natural," insisted Mme. Desclavettes, "that a man should be anxious to preserve

"No," answered the cashier of the Mutual Credit. And, after a moment of hesitation:

"But I am running no risks," he added. "In business, and when a man may be ruined by a mere rise or fall in

stocks, he would be insane indeed who did not secure bread for his family, and, above all, means for himself,

wherewith to commence again. The Baron de Thaller did not act otherwise; and, should he meet with a

M. Desormeaux was, perhaps, the only one not to admit freely that theory, and not to accept that

But he was a philosopher, and thought it silly not to be of his time. He therefore contented himself with

"Hum! M. de Thaller's creditors might not think that mode of proceeding entirely regular."

"Then they might sue," said M. Chapelain, laughing. "People can always sue; only when the papers are well

Mlle. Gilberte stood dismayed. She thought of Marius de Tregars giving up his mother's fortune to pay his

"Surely I blame every species of fraud. But I pretend, and I maintain, that a man who has worked twenty

years to give a handsome dowry to his daughter has the right to demand of his soninlaw certain

conservative measures to guarantee the money, which, after all, is his own, and which is to benefit no one but

This declaration closed the evening. It was getting late. The Saturday guests put on their overcoats; and, as

"Can you understand that little Gilberte?" said Mme. Desciavettes. "I'd like to see a daughter of mine have

"Yes; but friend Favoral is firm enough for both," interrupted M. Desormeaux; "and it is more than probable

Well, not at all. Extremely angry as M. Favoral must have been, neither that evening, nor the next day, did he

The following Monday only, before leaving for his office, casting upon his wife and daughter one of his

"M. Costeclar owes us a visit," said he; "and it is possible that he may call in my absence. I wish him to be

admitted; and I forbid you to go out, so that you can have no pretext to refuse him the door. I presume there

will not be found in my house any one bold enough to ill receive a man whom I like, and whom I have

But was it probable, was it even possible, that M. Costeclar could venture upon such a step after Mlle.

"No, a thousand times no!" affirmed Maxence to his mother and sister. "So you may rest easy."

Indeed they tried to be, until that very afternoon the sound of rapidlyrolling wheels attracted Mme. Favoral

"I do not acknowledge to my father the right of disposing of my person against my wishes. I detest that man

to whom he wishes to marry me. Would you like to see me his wife, to know me given up to the most

intolerable torture? No, there is no violence in the world that will ever wring my consent from me. So, mother

dear, do what I ask you. My father can say what he pleases: I take the whole responsibility upon myself."

There was no time to argue: the bell rang. Mlle. Gilberte had barely time to escape through one of the doors

If he did have enough perspicacity to guess what had just taken place, he did not in any way show it. He sat

down; and it was only after conversing for a few moments upon indifferent subjects, that he asked how Mlle.

"Our dear Favoral," he said, "will be still more pained than I am when he hears of this mishap."

Better than any other mother, Mme. Favoral must have understood and approved Mlle. Gilberte's invincible

repugnance. To her also, when she was young, her father had come one day, and said, "I have discovered a

husband for you." She had accepted him blindly. Bruised and wounded by daily outrages, she had sought

And since, hardly a day had elapsed that she had not thought it would have been better for her to have died

rather then to have riveted to her neck those fetters that death alone can remove. She thought, therefore, that

her daughter was perfectly right. And yet twenty years of slavery had so weakened the springs of her energy,

that under the glance of Costeclar, threatening her with her husband's name, she felt embarrassed, and could

scarcely stammer some timid excuses. And she allowed him to prolong his visit, and consequently her

"He and your father understand each other," said she to her daughter, "that is but too evident. What is the use

A fugitive blush colored the pale cheeks of Mlle. Gilberte. For the past fortyeight hours she had been

exhausting herself, seeking an issue to an impossible situation; and she had accustomed her mind to the worst

Mme. Favoral shook her head sadly. The same suspicions were reviving within her that she had felt once

"Gilberte," she said in a beseeching tone, "am I, then, no longer your best friend? and will you not tell me

Nothing happened, but what could have been easily foreseen. When M. Favoral came home to dinner, he was

whistling a perfect storm on the stairs. He abstained at first from all recrimination; but towards the end of the

"I shall always be indisposed," she replied, "when M. Costeclar calls. You hear me, don't you, father

But the cashier of the Credit Mutual was not one of those men whose wrath finds vent in mere sarcasms.

"By the holy heavens!" he screamed forth, "you are wrong to trifle thus with my will; for, all of you here, I

And, with a frenzied gesture, he dashed the glass he held in his hand against the wall, where it broke in a

It was by a torrent of invective that M. Favoral replied. His rage, dammed up for the past four days, finding at

last an outlet, flowed in gross insults and insane threats. He spoke of throwing out in the street his wife and

children, or starving them out, or shutting up his daughter in a house of correction; until at last, language

failing his fury, beside himself, he left, swearing that he would bring M. Costeclar home himself, and then

Motionless in his place, and white as a plaster cast, Maxence had witnessed this lamentable scene. A gleam of

commonsense had enabled him to control his indignation, and to remain silent. He had understood, that, at

the first word, his father's fury would have turned against him; and then what might have happened? The

Even at the time of his greatest follies, Maxence had always had for his sister a fraternal affection. He

admired her from the day she had stood up before him to reproach him for his misconduct. He envied her her

quiet determination, her patient tenacity, and that calm energy that never failed her.

"Have patience, my poor Gilberte," he added: "the day is not far, I hope, when I may commence to repay you

all you have done for me. I have not lost my time since you restored me my reason. I have arranged with my

creditors. I have found a situation, which, if not brilliant, is at least sufficiently lucrative to enable me before

"But it is tomorrow," interrupted Mme. Favoral, "tomorrow that your father is to bring M. Costeclar. He

And so he did. About two o'clock in the afternoon M. Favoral and his protege arrived in the Rue St. Gilles, in

that famous coupe with the two horses, which excited the wonder of the neighbors.

But Mlle. Gilberte bad her plan ready. She was on the lookout; and, as soon as she heard the carriage stop,

When her father came for her, and saw her in bed, he remained surprised and puzzled on the threshold of the

"Then you must carry me there as I am," she said in a tone of defiance; "for I shall certainly not get up."

For the first time since his marriage, M. Favoral met in his own house a more inflexible will than his own,

and a more unyielding obstinacy. He was baffled. He threatened his daughter with his clinched fists, but

could discover no means of making her obey. He was compelled to surrender, to yield.

It was almost true, so much did the thought of Marius de Tregars inflame her courage. Twice already she had

heard from him through the Signor Gismondo Pulei, who never tired talking of this new pupil, to whom he

"He is the most gallant man in the world," he said, his eye sparkling with enthusiasm, " and the bravest, and

the most generous, and the best; and no quality that can adorn one of God's creatures shall be wanting in him

when I have taught him the divine art. It is not with a little contemptible gold that he means to reward my

zeal. To him I am as a second father; and it is with the confidence of a son that he explains to me his labors

Thus Mlle. Gilberte learned through the old maestro, that the newspaper article she had read was almost

exactly true, and that M. de Tregars and M. Marcolet had become associated for the purpose of working, in

joint account, certain recent discoveries, which bid fair to yield large profits in a near future.

"And yet it is for my sake alone that he has thus thrown himself into the turmoil of business, and has become

And, at the height of her father's persecutions, she felt glad of what she had done, and of her boldness in

placing her destiny in the hands of a stranger. The memory of Marius had become her refuge, the element of

It was of Marius she was thinking, when her mother, surprising her gazing into vacancy, would ask her,

"What are you thinking of?" And, at every new vexation she had to endure, her imagination decked him with

"How much he would grieve," thought she, "if he knew of what persecution I am the object!"

And very careful was she not to allow the Signor Gismondo Pulei to suspect any thing of it, affecting, on the

And yet she was a prey to the most cruel anxiety, since she observed a new and most incredible

That man so violent and so harsh, who flattered himself never to have been bent, who boasted never to have

forgotten or forgiven any thing, that domestic tyrant, had become quite a debonair personage. He had referred

to the expedient imagined by Mlle. Gilberte only to laugh at it, saying that it was a good trick, and he

He owned that he had at heart his daughter's marriage with M. Costeclar; but he acknowledged that he had

made use of the surest means for making it fail. He should, he humbly confessed, have expected every thing

of time and circumstances, of M. Costeclar's excellent qualities, and of his beautiful, darling daughter's good

More than of all his violence, Mme. Favoral was terrified at this affected good nature.

But the cashier of the Mutual Credit was not preparing any new surprise to his family. If the means were

different, it was still the same object that he was pursuing with the tenacity of an insect. When severity had

failed, he hoped to succeed by gentleness, that's all. Only this assumption of hypocritical meekness was too

new to him to deceive any one. At every moment the mask fell off, the claws showed, and his voice trembled

Moreover, he entertained the strangest illusions. Because for fortyeight hours he had acted the part of a

goodnatured man, because one Sunday he had taken his wife and daughter out riding in the Bois de

Vincennes, because he had given Maxence a hundredfranc note, he imagined that it was all over, that the

"Well, daughter," he said, "you see that I don't importune you any more, and I leave you quite free. I am more

But on the other hand, and according to an expression which escaped him later, he tried to turn the enemy.

He did every thing in his power to spread in the neighborhood the rumor of Mlle. Gilberte's marriage with a

financier of colossal wealth, that elegant young man who came in a coupe with two horses. Mme. Favoral

could not enter a shop without being covertly complimented upon having found such a magnificent

Loud, indeed, must have been the gossip; for its echo reached even the inattentive ears of the Signor

One day, suddenly interrupting his lesson, "You are going to be married, signora?" he inquired.

What the old Italian had heard, he would surely ere long repeat to Marius. It was therefore urgent to

"It is true," she replied, "that something has been said about a marriage, dear maestro."

"Only my father had not consulted me. That marriage will never take place: I swear it."

She expressed herself in a tone of such ardent conviction, that the old gentleman was quite astonished, little

"My destiny is irrevocably fixed," added Mlle. Gilberte. "When I marry, I will consult the inspirations of my

In the mean time, it was a veritable conspiracy against her. M. Favoral had succeeded in interesting in the

success of his designs his habitual guests, not M. and Mme. Desciavettes, who had been seduced from the

first, but M. Chapelain and old Desormeaux himself. So that they all vied with each other in their efforts to

"Father must have a still more considerable interest in this alliance than he has allowed us to think," she

"And then," he added, "our father must be terribly rich; for, do not deceive yourself, it isn't solely for your

pretty blue eyes that this Costeclar persists in coming here twice a week to pocket a new mortification. What

enormous dowry can he be hoping for? I am going to speak to him myself, and try to find out what he is

Having taken his resolution, Maxence placed himself on the lookout; and the very next day, as M. Costeclar

"I wish to speak to you, sir," he said. Selfpossessed as he was, the brilliant financier succeeded but poorly in

"I am going in to call on your parents, sir," he replied; "and whilst waiting for your father, with whom I have

"No, no!" interrupted Maxence. "What I have to say must be heard by you alone. Come along this way, and

During their short walk M. Costeclar had recovered himself. He had resumed all his impertinent assurance.

"Very well. But you must have noticed the very slight success, to use no harsher word, of your assiduities."

"And, perhaps, you will judge, like myself, that it would be the act of a gentleman to withdraw in presence of

"Is it at the request of your sister, sir, that you make me this communication?"

"Are you aware whether your sister has some inclination that may be an obstacle to the realization of my

"Excuse me! What I say has nothing to offend. It might very well be that your sister, before I had the honor of

He spoke so loud, that Maxence looked sharply around to see whether there was not some one within hearing.

"But, sir," he resumed, "what would you answer, if I, the brother of the young lady whom you wish to marry

"I would answer you, sir," he uttered, "that your father's assent is sufficient for me. My suit has nothing but is

honorable. Your sister may not like me: that is a misfortune; but it is not irreparable. When she knows me

better, I venture to hope that she will overcome her unjust prejudices. Therefore I shall persist."

Maxence insisted no more. He was irritated at M. Costeclar's coolness; but it was not his intention to push

"It is clear," he said, "that, between our father and that man, there is a community of interests which I am

unable to discover. What business have they together? In what respect can your marriage either help or injure

them? I must see, try and find out exactly who is this Costeclar: the deuse take him!"

M. Costeclar was one of those personalities which only bloom in Paris, and are only met in Paris, the same

He was well known at the bourse, in all the principal restaurants, where he called the waiters by their first

names, at the boxoffice of the theatres, at all the poolrooms, and at the European Club, otherwise called the

He operated at the bourse: that was sure. He was said to own a third interest in a stockbroker's office. He

had a good deal of business with M. Jottras, of the house of Jottras and Brother, and M. Saint Pavin, the

It was further known that he had on Rue Vivienne, a magnificent apartment, and that he had successively

honored with his liberal protection Mlle. Sidney of the Varieties, and Mme. Jenny Fancy, a lady of a certain

age already, but so situated as to return to her lovers in notoriety what they gave her in good money. So much

did Maxence learn without difficulty. As to any more precise details, it was impossible to obtain them. To his

But all agreed that he was a sharp one," who would surely make his fortune, and without passing through the

"How can our father and such a man be so intimately connected?" wondered Maxence and his sister.

And they were lost in conjectures, when suddenly, at an hour when he never set his foot in the house, M.

"See what I have just received from Costeclar," he said in a hoarse voice. "Read."

She read, "Allow me, dear friend, to release you from your engagement. Owing to circumstances absolutely

beyond my control, I find myself compelled to give up the honor of becoming a member of your family."

Standing in the middle of the parlor, the cashier of the Mutual Credit held, bowed down beneath his glance,

his wife and children, Mme. Favoral trembling, Maxence starting in mute surprise, and Mlle. Gilberte, who

needed all the strength of her will to control the explosion of her immense joy.

Every thing in M. Favoral betrayed, nevertheless, much more the excitement of a disaster than the rage of a

Never had his family seen him thus, livid, his cravat undone, his hair wet with perspiration, and clinging to

And, as no one answered him, he took up that letter again from the table where Mlle. Gilberte bad laid it, and

commenced reading it again, scanning each syllable, as if in hopes of discovering in each word some hidden

"What did you say to Costeclar?" he resumed, "what did you do to him to make him take such a

The hope of being at last rid of that man inspired Mme. Favoral with something like courage.

"He has doubtless understood," she meekly suggested, "that he could not triumph over our daughters

"No," he uttered, "Costeclar is not the man to trouble himself about the ridiculous caprices of a little girl.

There is something else. But what is it? Come, if you know it, any of you, if you suspect it even, speak, say it.

It was the first time that he thus allowed something to appear of what was passing within him, the first time

"M. Costeclar alone, father, can give you the explanation you ask of us," said Mlle. Gilberte.

The cashier of the Mutual Credit shook his head. "Do you suppose, then, that I have not questioned him? I

found his letter this morning at the office. At once I ran to his apartments, Rue Vivienne. He had just gone

out; and it is in vain that I called for him at Jottras', and at the office of 'The Financial Pilot.' I found him at

last at the bourse, after running three hours. But I could only get from him evasive answers and vague

explanations. Of course he did not fail to say, that, if he does withdraw, it is because he despairs of ever

succeeding in pleasing Gilberte. But it isn't so: I know it; I am sure of it; I read it in his eyes. Twice his lips

moved as if he were about to confess all; and then he said nothing. And the more I insisted, the more he

seemed ill at ease, embarrassed, uneasy, troubled, the more he appeared to me like a man who has been

He directed upon his children one of those obstinate looks which search the inmost depths of the conscience.

"If you have done any thing to drive him off," he resumed, "confess it frankly, and I swear I will not reproach

"Doubtless you deceive me," he said, "and I hope you do. Unhappy children! you do not know what this

And, instead of returning to his office, he shut himself up in that little room which he called his study, and

only came out of it at about five o'clock, holding under his arm an enormous bundle of papers, and saying

that it was useless to wait for him for dinner, as he would not come home until late in the night, if he came

"What is the matter with your father, my poor children?" exclaimed Mme. Favoral. "I have never seen him in

"Doubtless," replied Maxence, "the rupture with Costeclar is going to break up some combination."

But that explanation did not satisfy him any more than it did his mother. He, too, felt a vague apprehension of

some impending misfortune. But what? He had nothing upon which to base his conjectures. He knew

nothing, any more than his mother, of his father's affairs, of his relations, of his interests, or even of his life,

And mother and son lost themselves in suppositions as vain as if they had tried to find the solution of a

In the unerring certainty of the blow, in the crushing promptness of the result, she thought she could

She recognized the hand of the man who acts, and does not talk. And the girl's pride felt flattered by this

victory, by this proof of the powerful energy of the man whom, unknown to all, she had selected. She liked to

imagine Marius de Tregars and M. Costeclar in presence of each other, the one as imperious and haughty as

she had seen him meek and trembling; the other more humble still than he was arrogant with her.

And she wished the morrow to come, that she might announce her happiness to the very involuntary and very

The next day M. Favoral seemed to have resigned himself to the failure of his projects; and, the following

Saturday, he told as a pleasant joke, how Mlle. Gilberte had carried the day, and had managed to dismiss her

But a close observer could discover in him symptoms of devouring cares. Deep wrinkles showed along his

temples; his eyes were sunken; a continued tension of mind contracted his features. Often during the dinner

he would remain motionless for several minutes, his fork aloft; and then he would murmur, "How is it all

Sometimes in the morning, before his departure for his office, M. Jottras, of the house of Jottras and Brother,

and M. Saint Pavin, the manager of "The Financial Pilot," came to see him. They closeted themselves

together, and remained for hours in conference, speaking so low, that not even a vague murmur could be

"Your father has grave subjects of anxiety, my children," said Mme. Favoral: "you may believe me, me,

But the political events were sufficient to explain any amount of anxiety. It was the second week of July,

1870; and the destinies of France trembled, as upon a cast of the dice, in the hands of a few presumptuous

incapables. Was it war with Prussia, or was it peace, that was to issue from the complications of a childishly

The most contradictory rumors caused daily at the bourse the most violent oscillations, which endangered the

safest fortunes. A few words uttered in a corridor by Emile Ollivier had made a dozen heavy operators rich,

It was but too true; and no one then had any fears of the result for France. They had so much exalted the

French army, they had so often said that it was invincible, that every one among the public expected a series

Alas! the first telegram announced a defeat. People refused to believe it at first. But there was the evidence.

The soldiers had died bravely; but the chiefs had been incapable of leading them.

From that time, and with a vertiginous rapidity, from day to day, from hour to hour, the fatal news came

crowding on. Like a river that overflows its banks, Prussia was overrunning France. Bazaine was surrounded

On the 5th, when the Signor Gismondo Pulei presented himself at Rue St. Gilles, his face bore such an

expression of anguish, that Mlle. Gilberte could not help asking what was the matter.

"Implacable fate does not tire to persecute me," he replied. "I had overcome all obstacles: I was happy: I was

looking forward to a future of fortune and glory. No, the dreadful war must break out."

For the worthy maestro, this terrible catastrophe was but a new caprice of his own destiny.

"It happens to me, signora, that I am about to lose my beloved pupil. He leaves me; he forsakes me. In vain

have I thrown myself at his feet. My tears have not been able to detain him. He is going to fight; he leaves; he

Then it was given to Mlle. Gilberte to see clearly within her soul. Then she understood how absolutely she

Her sensation was terrible, such as if her whole blood had suddenly escaped through her open arteries. She

turned pale, her teeth chattered; and she seemed so near fainting, that the Signor Gismondo sprang to the

Mme. Favoral, frightened, came running in. But already, thanks to an allpowerful projection of will, Mlle.

"It's nothing, mamma," she said. "A sudden pain in the head; but it's gone already."

"It is my fault," he said. "It is the story of my unheardof misfortunes that has upset her thus. Monstrous

She insisted, nevertheless, upon taking her lesson as usual, and recovered enough presence of mind to extract

from the Signor Gismondo everything that his muchregretted pupil had confided to him.

That was not much. He knew that his pupil had gone, like anyone else, to Rue de Cherche Midi; that he had

signed an engagement; and had been ordered to join a regiment in process of formation near Tours. And, as

"That is nothing," said the kind maestro to Mme. Favoral. "The signora has quite recovered, and is as gay as a

The signora, shut up in her room, was shedding bitter tears. She tried to reason with herself, and could not

succeed. Never had the strangeness of her situation so clearly appeared to her. She repeated to herself that she

must be mad to have thus become attached to a stranger. She wondered how she could have allowed that

love, which was now her very life, to take possession of her soul. But to what end? It no longer rested with

When she thought that Marius de Tregars was about to leave Paris to become a soldier, to fight, to die

perhaps, she felt her head whirl; she saw nothing around her but despair and chaos.

And, the more she thought, the more certain she felt that Marius could not have trusted solely to the chance

"It is perfectly inadmissible," she thought. "It is impossible that he will not make an effort to see me before

Thoroughly imbued with the idea, she wiped her eyes, took a seat by an open window; and, whilst apparently

There were more people out than usual. The recent events had stirred Paris to its lowest depths, and, as from

the crater of a volcano in labor, all the social scoriae rose to the surface. Men of sinister appearance left their

haunts, and wandered through the city. The workshops were all deserted; and people strolled at random,

stupor or terror painted on their countenance. But in vain did Mlle. Gilberte seek in all this crowd the one she

hoped to see. The hours went by, and she was getting discouraged, when suddenly, towards dusk, at the

It was, in fact, M. de Tregars. He was walking towards the Boulevard, slowly, and his eyes raised.

Palpitating, the girl rose to her feet. She was in one of those moments of crisis when the blood, rushing to the

brain, smothers all judgment. Unconscious, as it were, of her acts, she leaned over the window, and made a

sign to Marius, which he understood very well, and which meant, "Wait, I am coming down."

"Where are you going, dear?" asked Mme. Favoral, seeing Gilberte putting on her bonnet.

Mlle. Gilberte was not in the habit of going out alone; but it happened quite often that she would go down in

She ran down the stairs; and once out, regardless of the looks that might be watching her, she walked straight

"You are going away?" she said, too much agitated to notice his own emotion, which was, however, quite

"When France is invaded, the place for a man who bears my name is where the fighting is."

"Paris has four times as many defenders as it needs. It is outside that soldiers will be wanted."

They walked slowly, as they spoke thus, along the Rue des Minimes, one of the least frequented in Paris; and

there were only to be seen at this hour five or six soldiers talking in front of the barracks gate.

"Suppose I were to beg you not to go," resumed Mlle. Gilberte. "Suppose I beseeched you, Marius!"

"I should remain then," he answered in a troubled voice; "but I would be betraying my duty, and failing to my

honor; and remorse would weigh upon our whole life. Command now, and I will obey."

They had stopped; and no one seeing them standing there side by side affectionate and familiar could have

believed that they were speaking to each other for the first time. They themselves did not notice it, so much

had they come, with the help of allpowerful imagination, and in spite of separation, to the understanding of

"I do not ask you any longer to stay," uttered the young girl. He took her hand, and raised it to his lips.

"I expected no less of your courage," he said, his voice vibrating with love. But he controlled himself, and, in

"Thanks to the indiscretion of Pulei," he added, "I was in hopes of seeing you, but not to have the happiness

"Here is the letter," he continued, "which I intended for you. It contains another, which I beg you to preserve

carefully, and not to open unless I do not return. I leave you in Paris a devoted friend, the Count de Villegre.

Whatever may happen to you, apply to him with all confidence, as you would to myself."

Admirable in her sorrow, but also full of energy, the poor girl looked up, and held out her hand to him.

"Go then," she said, "0 my only friend! go, since honor commands. But do not forget that it is not your life

And, fearing to burst into sobs, she fled, and reached the Rue St. Gilles a few moments before her father, who

Like the rising tide, the Prussians spread and advanced, slowly, but steadily. Their marches were numbered;

and the day and hour could be named when their flood would come and strike the walls of Paris.

And so, at all the railroad stations, there was a prodigious rush of people who wished to leave at any, cost, in

any way, in the baggagecar if needs be, and who certainly were not, like Marius, rushing to meet the enemy.

The Baron and Baroness de Thaller and their daughter had gone to Switzerland; M. Costeclar was traveling in

Belgium; the elder Jottras was in England, buying guns and cartridge; and if the younger Jottras, with M.

Saint Pavin of "The Financial Pilot," remained in Paris, it was because, through the gallant influence of a lady

whose name was not mentioned, they had obtained some valuable contracts from the government.

The perplexities of the cashier of the Mutual Credit were great. The day that the Baron and the Baroness de

"Pack up our trunks," he ordered his wife. "The bourse is going to close; and the Mutual Credit can very well

But the next day he became undecided again. What Mlle. Gilberte thought she could guess, was, that he was

dying to start alone, and leave his family, but dared not do it. He hesitated so long, that at last, one evening,

"You may unpack the trunks," he said to his wife. "Paris is invested; and no one can now leave."

In fact, the news had just come, that the Western Railroad, the last one that had remained open, was now cut

Paris was invested; and so rapid had been the investment, that it could hardly be believed.

People went in crowds on all the culminating points, the hills of Montmartre, and the heights of the

Trocadero. Telescopes had been erected there; and every one was anxious to scan the horizon, and look for

But nothing could be discovered. The distant fields retained their quiet and smiling aspect under the mild rays

So that it really required quite an effort of imagination to realize the sinister fact, to understand that Paris,

with its two millions of inhabitants, was indeed cut off from the world and separated from the rest of France,

Doubt, and something like a vague hope, could be traced in the tone of the people who met on the streets,

"Well, it's all over: we can't leave any more. Letters, even, cannot pass. No more news, eh?"

But the next day, which was the 19th of September, the most incredulous were convinced.

For the first time Paris shuddered at the hoarse voice of the cannon, thundering on the heights of Chatillon.

The life of the Favorals during these interminable days of anguish and suffering, was that of a hundred

Incorporated in the battalion of his ward, the cashier of the Mutual Credit went off two or three times a week,

as well as all his neighbors, to mount guard on the ramparts, a useless service perhaps, but which those that

performed it did not look upon as such, a very arduous service, at any rate, for poor merchants, accustomed

To be sure, there was nothing heroic in tramping through the mud, in receiving the rain or the snow upon the

back, in sleeping on the ground or on dirty straw, in remaining on guard with the thermometer twenty degrees

below the freezingpoint. But people die of pleurisy quite as certainly as of a Prussian bullet; and many died

Maxence showed himself but rarely at Rue St. Gilles: enlisted in a battalion of sharpshooters, he did duty at

the advanced posts. And, as to Mme. Favoral and Mlle. Gilberte, they spent the day trying to get something to

live on. Rising before daylight, through rain or snow, they took their stand before the butcher's stall, and,

Alone in the evening, by the side of the hearth where a few pieces of green wood smoked without burning,

they started at each of the distant reports of the cannon. At each detonation that shook the windowpanes,

And Mlle. Gilberte was thinking of Marius de Tregars. The accursed days of November and December had

come. There were constant rumors of bloody battles around Orleans. She imagined Marius, mortally

wounded, expiring on the snow, alone, without help, and without a friend to receive his supreme will and his

One evening the vision was so clear, and the impression so strong, that she started up with a loud cry.

With a little perspicacity, the worthy woman could easily have obtained her daughter's secret; for Mlle.

Gilberte was not in condition to deny anything. But she contented herself with an explanation which meant

Strange to say, never had the cashier of the Mutual Credit been for his family what he was during these

During the first weeks of the siege he had been anxious, agitated, nervous; he wandered through the house

like a soul in trouble; he had moments of inconceivable prostration, during which tears could be seen rolling

But each day that elapsed had seemed to bring calm to his soul. Little by little, he had become to his wife so

indulgent and so affectionate, that the poor helot felt her heart touched. He had for his daughter attentions

Often, when the weather was fine, he took them out walking, leading them along the quays towards a part of

the walls occupied by the battalion of their ward. Twice he took them to St. Onen, where the sharpshooters

Another day he wished to take them to visit M. de Thaller's house, of which he had charge. They refused, and

instead of getting angry, as he certainly would have done formerly, he commenced describing to hem the

splendors of the apartments, the magnificent furniture, the carpets and the hangings, the paintings by the great

masters, the objects of arts, the bronzes, in a word, all that dazzling luxury of which financiers make use,

He went every morning as far as the office of the Mutual Credit; but, as he said, it was solely as a matter of

form. Once in a long while, M. Saint Pavin and the younger Jottras paid a visit to the Rue St. Gilles. They

had suspended, the one the payments of his banking house; the other, the publication of "The Financial

But they were not idle for all that; and, in the midst of the public distress, they still managed to speculate

They rallied pleasantly the fools who had faith in the defence, and imitated in the most laughable manner the

appearance, under their soldier's coat, of three or four of their friends who had joined the marching battalions.

They boasted that they had no privations to endure, and always knew where to find the fresh butter wherewith

to dress the large slices of beef which they possessed the art of finding. Mme. Favoral heard them laugh; and

"Come, come! we would be fools to complain. It is a general liquidation, without risks and without costs."

Their mirth had something revolting in it; for it was now the last and most acute period of the siege.

At the beginning. the greatest optimists hardly thought that Paris could hold out longer than six weeks. And

now the investment had lasted over four months. The population was reduced to nameless articles of food.

The supply of bread had failed; the wounded, for lack of a little soup, died in the ambulances; old people and

children perished by the hundred; on the left bank the shells came down thick and fast, the weather was

And yet no one complained. From the midst of that population of two millions of inhabitants, not one voice

rose to beg for their comfort, their health, their life even, at the cost of a capitulation.

Clearsighted men had never hoped that Paris alone could compel the raising of the siege; but they thought,

that by holding out, and keeping the Prussians under its walls, Paris would give to France time to rise, to

organize armies, and to rush upon the enemy. There was the duty of Paris; and Paris was toiling to fulfil it to

the utmost limits of possibility, reckoning as a victory each day that it gained.

Unfortunately, all this suffering was to be in vain. The fatal hour struck, when, supplies being exhausted, it

became necessary to surrender. During three days the Prussians camped in the Champs Elysees, gazing with

longing eyes upon that city, object of their most eager desires, that Paris within which, victorious though

they were, they had not dared to venture. Then, soon after, communications were reopened; and one morning,

Exactly so. The manager of the Mutual Credit was a prudent man. Pleasantly situated in Switzerland, he was

in nowise anxious to return to Paris before being quite certain that he had no risks to run.

Upon receiving M. Favoral's assurances to that effect, he started; and, almost at the same time the elder

It was a curious spectacle, the return of those braves for whom Parisian slang had invented the new and

They were not so proud then as they have been since. Feeling rather embarrassed in the midst of a population

still quivering with the emotions of the siege, they had at least the good taste to try and find pretexts for their

"I was cut off," affirmed the Baron de Thaller. "I had gone to Switzerland to place my wife and daughter in

safety. When I came back, goodby! the Prussians had closed the doors. For more than a week, I wandered

around Paris, trying to find an opening. I became suspected of being a spy. I was arrested. A little more, and I

"As to myself," declared M. Costeclar, "I foresaw exactly what has happened. I knew that it was outside, to

organize armies of relief, that men would be wanted. I went to offer my services to the government of

defence; and everybody in Bordeaux saw me booted and spurred, and ready to leave."

He was consequently soliciting the Cross of the Legion of Honor, and was not without hopes of obtaining it

"Didn't Soandso get it?" he replied to objections. And he named this or that individual whose feats of arms

consisted principally in having exhibited themselves in uniforms covered with gold lace to the very

"But I am the man who deserves it most, that cross," insisted the younger M. Jottras; "for I, at least, have

And he went on telling how, after searching for arms all over England, he had sailed for New York, where he

had purchased any number of guns and cartridges, and even some batteries of artillery.

This last journey had been very wearisome to him, he added and yet he did not regret it; for it had furnished

him an opportunity to study on the spot the financial morals of America; and he had returned with ideas

enough to make the fortune of three or four stock companies with twenty millions of capital.

"Ah, those Americans!" he exclaimed. "They are the men who understand business! We are but children by

It was through M. Chapelain, the Desciavettes, and old Desormeaux, that these news reached the Rue St.

It was also through Maxence, whose battalion had been dissolved, and who, whilst waiting for something

better, had accepted a clerkship in the office of the Orleans Railway, where he earned two hundred francs a

month. For M. Favoral saw and heard nothing that was going on around him. He was wholly absorbed in his

business: he left earlier, came home later, and hardly allowed himself time to eat and drink.

He told all his friends that business was looking up again in the most unexpected manner; that there were

fortunes to be made by those who could command ready cash; and that it was necessary to make up for lost

He pretended that the enormous indemnity to be paid to the Prussians would necessitate an enormous

movement of capital, financial combinations, a loan, and that so many millions could not be handled without

Dazzled by the mere enumeration of those fabulous sums, "I should not be a bit surprised," said the others,

"to see Favoral double and treble his fortune. What a famous match his daughter will be!"

Alas! never had Mlle. Gilberte felt in her heart so much hatred and disgust for that money, the only thought,

the sole subject of conversation, of those around her, for that cursed money which had risen like an

For two weeks past, the communications had been completely restored; and there was as yet no sign of M. de

Tregars. It was with the most violent palpitations of her heart that she awaited each day the hour of the Signor

Gismondo Pulei's lesson: and more painful each time became her anguish when she heard him exclaim,

But Mlle. Gilberte knew well that Marius did not forget. Her blood froze in her veins when she read in the

papers the interminable list of those poor soldiers who had succumbed during the invasion, the more

fortunate ones under Prussian bullets; the others along the roads, in the mud or in the snow, of cold, of

She could not drive from her mind the memory of that lugubrious vision which had so much frightened her;

and she was asking herself whether it was not one of those inexplicable presentiments, of which there are

Alone at night in her little room, Mlle. Gilberte withdrew from the hidingplace, where she kept it

preciously, that package which Marius had confided to her, recommending her not to open it until she was

sure that he would not return. It was very voluminous, enclosed in an envelope of thick paper, sealed with red

wax, bearing the arms of Tregars; and she had often wondered what it could possibly contain. And now she

And she had no one of whom she could ask for a word of hope. She was compelled to hide her tears, and to

put on a smile. She was compelled to invent pretexts for those who expressed their wonder at seeing her

exquisite beauty withering in the bud, for her mother, whose anxiety was without limit, when she saw her

True, Marius, on leaving, had left her a friend, the Count de Villegre; and, if any one knew any thing, he

certainly did. But she could see no way of hearing from him without risking her secret. Write to him?

Nothing was easier, since she had his address, Rue Turenne. But where could she ask him to direct his

answer? Rue St. Gilles? Impossible! True, she might go to him, or make an appointment in the neighborhood.

But how could she escape, even for an hour, without exciting Mme. Favoral's suspicions?

Sometimes it occurred to her to confide in Maxence, who was laboring with admirable constancy to redeem

But what! must she, then, confess the truth, confess that she, Gilberte, had lent her ears to the words of a

stranger, met by chance in the street, and that she looked forward to no happiness in life save through him?

She dared not. She could not take upon herself to overcome the shame of such a situation.

She was on the verge of despair, the day when the Signor Pulei arrived radiant, exclaiming from the very

And at once, without surprise at the awful emotion of the girl, which he attributed solely to the interest she

felt for him, him Gismondo Pulei, he went on, "I did not get them direct, but through a respectable signor

with long mustaches, and a red ribbon at his buttonhole, who, having received a letter from my dear pupil,

The worthy maestro had not forgotten a single word of that letter; and it was almost literally that he repeated

Six weeks after having enlisted, his pupil had been promoted corporal, then sergeant, then lieutenant. He had

fought in all the battles of the army of the Loire without receiving a scratch. But at the battle of the Maus,

whilst leading back his men, who were giving way, he had been shot twice, full in the breast. Carried dying

into an ambulance, he had lingered three weeks between life and death, having lost all consciousness of self.

Twentyfour hours after, he had recovered his senses; and he took the first opportunity to recall himself to

the affection of his friends. All danger was over, he suffered scarcely any more; and they promised him, that,

For the first time in many weeks Mlle. Gilberte breathed freely. But she would have been greatly surprised,

had she been told that a day was drawing near when she would bless those wounds which detained Marius

Mme. Favoral and her daughter were alone, one evening, at the house, when loud clamors arose from the

'street, in the midst of which could be heard drunken voices yelling the refrains of revolutionary songs,

accompanied by continuous rumbling sounds. They ran to the window. The National Guards had just taken

possession of the cannon deposited in the Place Royale. The reign of the Commune was commencing.

In less than fortyeight hours, people came to regret the worst days of the siege. Without leaders, without

direction, the honest men had lost their heads. All the braves who had returned at the time of the armistice

had again taken flight. Soon people had to hide or to fly to avoid being incorporated in the battalions of the

Commune. Night and day, around the walls, the fusillade rattled, and the artillery thundered.

Again M. Favoral had given up going to his office. What's the use? Sometimes, with a singular look, he

And indeed they thought so, when at the hour of the supreme struggle, among the detonations of the cannon

and the explosion of the shells; they felt their house shaking to its very foundations; when in the midst of the

night they saw their apartment as brilliantly lighted as at midday by the flames which were consuming the

Hotel de Ville and the houses around the Place de la Bastille. And, in fact, the rapid action of the troops alone

But towards the end of the following week, matters had commenced to quiet down; and Gilberte learned the

"At last it has been given to my eyes to contemplate him, and to my arms to press him against my heart!"

It was in these terms that the old Italian master, all vibrating with enthusiasm, and with his most terrible

accent, announced to Mlle. Gilberte that he had just seen that famous pupil from whom he expected both

"But how weak he is still!" he added, "and suffering from his wounds. I hardly recognized him, he has grown

But the girl was listening to him no more. A flood of life filled her heart. This moment made her forget all her

And, with the unerring instinct of the woman who loves, she calculated the moment when Marius would

appear in Rue St. Gilles. It would probably be about nightfall, like the first time, before leaving; that is, about

eight o'clock, for the days just then were about the longest in the year. Now it so happened, that, on that very

day and hour, Mlle. Gilberte expected to be alone at home. It was understood that her mother would, after

dinner, call on Mme. Desclavettes, who was in bed, half dead of the fright she had had during the last

convulsions of the Commune. She would therefore be free and would not need to invent a pretext to go out

for a few moments. She could not help, however, but feel that this was a bold and most venturesome step for

her to take; and, when her mother went out, she had not yet fully decided what to do. But her bonnet was

within reach, and Marius' letter was in her pocket. She went to sit at the window. The street was solitary and

silent as of old. Night was coming; and heavy black clouds floated over Paris. The heat was overpowering:

One by one, as the hour was approaching when she expected to see Marius, the hesitations of the young girl

vanished like smoke. She feared but one thing, that he would not come, or that he may already have come

Already did the objects become less distinct; and the gas was being lit in the backshops, when she

recognized him on the other side of the street. He looked up as he went by; and, without stopping, he

addressed her a rapid gesture, which she alone could understand, and which meant, "Come, I beseech you!"

Her heart beating loud enough to be heard, Mlle. Gilberte ran down the stairs. But it was only When she

found herself in the street that she could appreciate the magnitude of the risk she was running. Concierges

and shopkeepers were all sitting in front of their doors, taking the fresh air. All knew her. Would they not be

surprised to see her out alone at such an hour? Twenty steps in front of her she could see Marius. But he had

understood the danger; for, instead of turning the corner of the Rue des Minimes, he followed the Rue St.

Then only did Mlle. Gilberte join him; and she could not withhold an exclamation, when she saw that he was

A little blood came to M. de Tregars' cheeks. His face brightened up, and, in a voice quivering with

"It would have been more imprudent still to stay away," he uttered. "Far from you, I felt myself dying."

They were both leaning against the door of a closed shop; and they were as alone in the midst of the throng

that circulated on the Boulevards, busy looking at the fearful wrecks of the Commune.

"And besides," added Marius, "have I, then, a minute to lose? I asked you for three years. Fifteen months

have gone, and I am no better off than on the first day. When this accursed war broke out, all my

arrangements were made. I was certain to rapidly accumulate a sufficient fortune to enable me to ask for your

"Now every thing is changed. The future is so uncertain, that no one wishes to venture their capital. Marcolet

himself, who certainly does not lack boldness, and who believes firmly in the success of our enterprise, was

There was in his voice such an intensity of grief, that the girl felt the tears coming to her eyes.

"Is it possible?" he said. "Do you, then, think that I do not know what a life you lead?"

"No. Your mother and yourself, you have always religiously kept the secret of your tortures; and it was only a

providential accident that revealed them to me. But I learned every thing at last. I know that she whom I love

exclusively and with all the power of my soul is subjected to the most odious despotism, insulted, and

condemned to the most humiliating privations. And I, who would give my life for her a thousand times over,

I can do nothing for her. Money raises between us such an insuperable obstacle, that my love is actually an

offence. To hear from her, I am driven to accept accomplices. If I obtain from her a few moments of

"At least," said Mlle. Gilberte, "you succeeded in delivering me from M. Costeclar."

"Yes, I was fortunately able to find weapons against that scoundrel. But can I find some against all others that

may offer? Your father is very rich; and the men are numerous for whom marriage is but a speculation like

"Ah, rather would I doubt myself! But I know what cruel trials your refusal to marry M. Costeclar imposed

upon you: I know what a merciless struggle you had to sustain. Another pretender may come, and then No,

"I know not. I have not yet decided upon my future course. And yet Heaven knows what have been the labors

of my mind during that long month I have just spent upon an ambulancebed, that month during which you

were my only thought. Ah! when I think of it, I cannot find words to curse the recklessness with which I

"It is impossible," she exclaimed, "that you should regret having paid what your father owed."

"And suppose I were to tell you," he replied, "that my father in reality owed nothing?"

"Suppose I told you they took from him his entire fortune, over two millions, as audaciously as a pickpocket

robs a man of his handkerchief? Suppose I told you, that, in his loyal simplicity, he was but a man of straw in

the hands of skillful knaves? Have you forgotten what you once heard the Count de Villegre say?"

"The Count de Villegre," she replied, "pretended that it was time enough still to compel the men who had

In the mean time night had quite come. Lights appeared in the shopwindows; and along the line of the

Boulevard the gaslamps were being lit. Alarmed by this sudden illumination, M. de Tregars drew off Mlle.

Gilberte to a more obscure spot, by the stairs that lead to the Rue Amelot; and there, leaning against the iron

"Already, at the time of my father's death, I suspected the abominable tricks of which he was the victim. I

thought it unworthy of me to verify my suspicions. I was alone in the world: my wants were few. I was fully

convinced that my researches would give me, within a brief time, a much larger fortune than the one I gave

up. I found something noble and grand, and which flattered my vanity, in thus abandoning every thing,

without discussion, without litigation, and consummating my ruin with a single dash of my pen. Among my

friends the Count de Villegre alone had the courage to tell me that this was a guilty piece of folly; that the

silence of the dupes is the strength of the knaves; that my indifference, which made the rascals rich, would

make them laugh too. I replied that I did not wish to see the name of Tregars dragged into court in a

scandalous lawsuit, and that to preserve a dignified silence was to honor my father's memory. Treble fool

that I was! The only way to honor my father's memory was to avenge him, to wrest his spoils from the

scoundrels who had caused his death. I see it clearly today. But, before undertaking any thing, I wished to

Mlle. Gilberte was listening with the most intense attention. She had come to mingle so completely in her

thoughts her future life and that of M. de Tregars, that she saw nothing unusual in the fact of his consulting

her upon matters affecting their prospects, and of seeing herself standing there deliberating with him.

"I have none, unfortunately," replied M. de Tregars; "at least, none sufficiently positive, and such as are

required by courts of justice. But I think I may find them. My former suspicions have become a certainty. The

same good luck that enabled me to deliver you of M. Costeclar's persecutions, also placed in my hands the

Marius hesitated for a moment, as if seeking expression to convey what he had still to say. Then,

"It is my duty," he proceeded, "to conceal nothing from you. The task is a heavy one. The obscure schemers

of ten years ago have become big financiers, intrenched behind their moneybags as behind an impregnable

fort. Formerly isolated, they have managed to gather around them powerful interests, accomplices high in

office, and friends whose commanding situation protects them. Having succeeded, they are absolved. They

have in their favor what is called public consideration,that idiotic thing which is made up of the admiration

of the fools, the approbation of the knaves, and the concert of all interested vanities. When they pass, their

horses at full trot, their carriage raising a cloud of dust, insolent, impudent, swelled with the vulgar fatuity of

wealth, people bow to the ground, and say, 'Those are smart fellows!' And in fact, yes, skill or luck, they have

hitherto avoided the policecourts where so many others have come to grief. Those who despise them fear

them) and shake hands with them. Moreover, they are rich enough not to steal any more themselves. They

have employes to do that. I take Heaven to witness that never until lately had the idea come to me to disturb

in their possession the men who robbed my father. Alone, what need had I of money? Later, 0 my friend! I

thought I could succeed in conquering the fortune I needed to obtain your hand. You had promised to wait;

and I was happy to think that I should owe you to my sole exertions. Events have crushed my hopes. I am

today compelled to acknowledge that all my efforts would be in vain. To wait would be to run the risk of

losing you. Therefore I hesitate no longer. I want what's mine: I wish to recover that of which I have been

robbed. Whatever I may do, for, alas! I know not to what I may be driven, what role I may have to play,

remember that of all my acts, of all my thoughts, there will not be a single one that does not aim to bring

There was in his voice so much unspeakable affection, that the young girl could hardly restrain her tears.

"And I," he exclaimed, "I swear, that, sustained by the thought of you, there is no disgust that I will not

He spoke so loud, that two or three persons stopped. He noticed it, and was brought suddenly from sentiment

"Wretches that we are," he said in a low voice, and very fast, "we forget what this interview may cost us!

And he led Mlle. Gilberte across the Boulevard; and, whilst making their way to the Rue St. Gilles, through

"It is a dreadful imprudence we have just committed," resumed M. de Tregars. "But it was indispensable that

we should see each other; and we had not the choice of means. Now, and for a long time, we shall be

separated. Every thing you wish me to know, say it to that worthy Gismondo, who repeats faithfully to me

every word you utter. Through him, also, you shall hear from me. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays,

about nightfall, I shall pass by your house; and, if I am lucky enough to have a glimpse of you, I shall return

home fired with fresh energy. Should any thing extraordinary happen, beckon to me, and I'll wait for you in

the Rue des Minimes. But this is an expedient to which we must only resort in the last extremity. I should

But then only Mlle. Gilberte remembered M. de Tregars' letter, which she had in her pocket. Taking it out,

"No," he answered, repelling her gently, "keep that letter: it must never be opened now, except by the

Mlle. Gilberte was soon far away; and Marius de Tregars remained motionless at the corner of the street,

She was walking fast, staggering over the rough pavement. Leaving Marius, she fell back upon the earth from

the height of her dreams. The deceiving illusion had vanished, and, returned to the world of sad reality, she

How long had she been out? She knew not, and found it impossible to reckon. But it was evidently getting

Meantime, she had reached the house. Stepping back, and looking up, she saw that there was light in the

She hurried up, nevertheless; and, just as she reached the landing, Mme. Favoral opened the door, preparing

"At last you are restored to me!" exclaimed the poor mother, whose sinister apprehensions were revealed by

that single exclamation. "I was going out to look for you at random, in the streets, anywhere."

And, drawing her daughter within the parlor, she clasped her in her arms with convulsive tenderness,

"Where were you? Where do you come from? Do you know that it is after nine o'clock?"

Such had been Mlle. Gilberte's state of mind during the whole of that evening, that she had not even thought

of finding a pretext to justify her absence. Now it was too late. Besides, what explanation would have been

"Why, dear mother," she said with a forced smile, "has it not happened to me twenty times to go out in the

"I have been blind, Gilberte," she interrupted; "but this time my eyes must open to evidence. There is in your

Mlle. Gilberte drew herself up, and, looking her mother straight in the eyes, with her beautiful, clear glance,

"A young girl who conceals something from her mother always does wrong," she uttered. "It is a long while

since I have had for the first time the presentiment that you were hiding something from me. But, when I

questioned you, you succeeded in quieting my suspicions. You have abused my confidence and my

This reproach was the most cruel that could be addressed to Mlle. Gilberte. The blood rushed to her face, and,

"And, if I did not confide it to you, it is because it is also the secret of another. Yes, I confess it, I have been

imprudent in the extreme; I have stepped beyond all the limits of propriety and social custom; I have exposed

myself to the worst calumnies. But never, I swear it, never have I done any thing of which my conscience

can reproach me, nothing that I have to blush for, nothing that I regret, nothing that I am not ready to do again

"I said nothing, 'tis true; but it was my duty. Alone I had to suffer the responsibility of my acts. Having alone

freely engaged my future, I wished to bear alone the weight of my anxiety. I should never have forgiven

"Don't you see, then," she stammered, "that all my past suffering is as nothing compared to what I endure

today? Good heavens! what have I ever done to deserve so many trials? Am I to be spared none of the

troubles of this world? And it is through my own daughter that I am the most cruelly stricken!"

This was more than Mlle. Gilberte could bear. Her heart was breaking at the sight of her mother's tears, that

angel of meekness and resignation. Throwing her arms around her neck, and kissing her on the eyes,

"Mother," she murmured, "adored mother, I beg of you do not weep thus! Speak to me! What do you wish

Was it not certain that this was the very, thing she would ask; in fact, the only thing she could ask? Ah! how

much would the young girl have preferred one of her father's violent scenes, and brutalities which would have

"Well, yes," she answered," I'll tell you every thing, mother, but not now, tomorrow, later."

She was about to yield, however, when her father's arrival cut short their conversation.

The cashier of the Mutual Credit was quite lively that night. He was humming a tune, a thing which did not

happen to him four times a year, and which was indicative of the most extreme satisfaction. But he stopped

"Then you are crying for your amusement," he said. "Come, be candid for once, and confess that Maxence

He asked no further questions, being in his nature not very curious, whether because family matters were of

so little consequence to him, or because he had a vague idea that his general behavior deprived him of all

"Very well, then," he said in a gruff tone, "let us all go to bed. I have worked so hard today, that I am quite

exhausted. People who pretend that business is dull make me laugh. Never has M. de Thaller been in the way

When he spoke, they obeyed. So that Mlle. Gilberte was thus going to have the whole night before her to

resume possession of herself, to pass over in her mind the events of the evening, and deliberate coolly upon

the decision she must come to; for, she could not doubt it, Mme. Favoral would, the very next day, renew her

What should she say? All? Mlle. Gilberte felt disposed to do so by all the aspirations of her heart, by the

certainty of indulgent complicity, by the thought of finding in a sympathetic soul the echo of her joys, of her

Yes. But Mme. Favoral was still the same woman, whose firmest resolutions vanished under the gaze of her

husband. Let a pretender come; let a struggle begin, as in the case of M. Costeclar, would she have strength

Then it would be a fearful scene with M. Favoral. He might, perhaps, even go to M. de Tregars. What

scandal! For he was a man who spared no one; and then a new obstacle would rise between them, more

Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius's projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of

which was to decide their fate. He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single

indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months' labor and patience. Besides, to speak,

was it not to abuse Marius's confidence. How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable

At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would

It was in vain, then, that, on the next and the following days, Mme. Favoral tried to obtain that confession

which she had seen, as it were, rise to her daughter's lips. To her passionate adjurations, to her tears, to her

ruses even, Mlle. Gilberte invariably opposed equivocal answers, a story through which nothing could be

guessed, save one of those childish romances which stop at the preface, a schoolgirl love for a chimerical

There was nothing in this very reassuring to a mother; but Mme. Favoral knew her daughter too well to hope

to conquer her invincible obstinacy. She insisted no more, appeared convinced, but resolved to exercise the

utmost vigilance. In vain, however, did she display all the penetration of which she was capable. The severest

attention did not reveal to her a single suspicious fact, not a circumstance from which she could draw an

The fact is, that Mlle. Gilberte had not been long in feeling herself watched; and she observed herself with a

tenacious circumspection that could hardly have been expected of her resolute and impatient nature. She had

trained herself to a sort of cheerful carelessness, to which she strictly adhered, watching every expression of

her countenance, and avoiding carefully those hours of vague revery in which she formerly indulged.

For two successive weeks, fearing to be betrayed by her looks, she had the courage not to show herself at the

window at the hour when she knew Marius would pass. Moreover, she was very minutely informed of the

More enthusiastic than ever about his pupil, the Signor Gismondo Pulei never tired of singing his praise, and

with such pomp of expression, and so curious an exuberance of gesticulation, that Mme. Favoral was much

amused; and, on the days when she was present at her daughter's lesson, she was the first to inquire,

"He is swimming in the purest satisfaction," answered the candid maestro. "Every thing succeeds

"He was sad yesterday," he said, "owing to an unexpected disappointment; but he does not lose courage. We

The young girl could not help smiling to see her mother assisting thus the unconscious complicity of the

Signor Gismondo. Then she reproached herself for having smiled, and for having thus come, through a

gradual and fatal descent, to laugh at a duplicity at which she would have blushed in former times. In spite of

herself, however, she took a passionate interest in the game that was being played between her mother and

herself, and of which her secret was the stake. It was an everpalpitating interest in her hitherto monotonous

The days became weeks, and the weeks months; and Mme. Favoral relaxed her useless surveillance, and,

little by little, gave it up almost entirely. She still thought, that, at a certain moment, something unusual had

occurred to her daughter; but she felt persuaded, that, whatever that was, it had been forgotten.

So that, on the stated days, Mlle. Gilberte could go and lean upon the window, without fear of being called to

account for the emotion which she felt when M. de Tregars appeared. At the expected hour, invariably, and

with a punctuality to shame M. Favoral himself, he turned the corner of the Rue Turenne, exchanged a rapid

His health was completely restored; and with it he had recovered that graceful virility which results from the

perfect blending of suppleness and strength. But he no longer wore the plain garments of former days. He

was dressed now with that elegant simplicity which reveals at first sight that rarest of objects, a "perfect

gentleman." And, whilst she accompanied him with her eyes as he walked towards the Boulevard, she felt

"Who would ever imagine," thought she, "that this young gentleman walking away yonder is my affianced

husband, and that the day is perhaps not far, when, having become his wife, I shall lean upon his arm? Who

would think that all my thoughts belong to him, that it is for my sake that he has given up the ambition of his

life, and is now prosecuting another object? Who would suspect that it is for Gilberte Favoral's sake that the

And, indeed, Marius did deserve some credit for these walks; for winter had come, spreading a thick coat of

mud over the pavement of all those little streets which are always forgotten by the streetcleaners.

The cashier's home had resumed its habits of before the war, its drowsy monotony scarcely disturbed by the

Maxence, in the mean time, had ceased to live with his parents. He had returned to Paris immediately after

the Commune; and, feeling no longer in the humor to submit to the paternal despotism, he had taken a small

apartment on the Boulevard du Temple; but, at the pressing instance, of his mother, he had consented to come

Faithful to his oath, he was working hard, though without getting on very fast. The moment was far from

propitious; and the occasion, which he had so often allowed to escape, did not offer itself again. For lack of

any thing better, he had kept his clerkship at the railway; and, as two hundred francs a month were not quite

sufficient for his wants, he spent a portion of his nights copying documents for M. Chapelain's successor.

"What do you need so much money for?" his mother said to him when she noticed his eyes a little red.

"Every thing is so dear!" he answered with a smile, which was equivalent to a confidence, and yet which

He had, nevertheless, managed to pay all his debts, little by little. The day when, at last, he held in his hand

the last receipted bill, he showed it proudly to his father, begging him to find him a place at the Mutual

"Do you take me for a fool, like your mother?" he exclaimed. "And do you think I don't know what life you

"Indeed! How is it, then, that women are constantly seen at your house, whose dresses and manners are a

No, you would have your trouble for nothing. You are, and you will ever remain, the same; and it would be

folly on my part to introduce into an office where I enjoy the esteem of all, a fellow, who, some day or other,

Such discussions were not calculated to make the relations between father and son more cordial. Several

times M. Favoral had insinuated, that, since Maxence lodged away from home, he might as well dine away

too. And he would evidently have notified him to do so, had he not been prevented by a remnant of human

On the other hand, the bitter regret of having, perhaps, spoiled his life, the uncertainty of the future, the

penury of the moment, all the unsatisfied desires of youth, kept Maxence in a state of perpetual irritation.

"Your father is harsh for us," she said; "but is he less harsh for himself? He forgives nothing; but he has never

needed to be forgiven himself. He does not understand youth, but he has never been young himself; and at

twenty he was as grave and as cold as you see him now. How could he know what pleasure is? he to whom

"Have I, then, been guilty of any crimes, to be thus treated by my father?" exclaimed Maxence, flushed with

anger. "Our existence here is an unheardof thing. You, poor, dear mother! you have never had the free

disposition of a fivefrancpiece. Gilberte spends her days turning her dresses, after having had them dyed. I

am driven to a petty clerkship. And my father has fifty thousand francs a year!"

Such, indeed, was the figure at which the most moderate estimated M. Favoral's fortune. M. Chapelain, who

was supposed to be well informed, insinuated freely that his friend Vincent, besides being the cashier of the

Mutual Credit, must also be one of its principal stockholders. Now, judging from the dividend which had

just been paid, the Mutual Credit must, since the war, have realized enormous profits. All its enterprises were

successful; and it was on the point of negotiating a foreign loan which would infallibly fill its exchequer to

M. FAVORAL, moreover, defended himself feebly from these accusations of concealed opulence. When M.

Desormeaux told him, "Come, now, between us, candidly, how many millions have you?" he had such a

strange way of affirming that people were very much mistaken, that his friends' convictions became only the

more settled. And, as soon as they had a few thousand francs of savings, they promptly brought them to him,

imitated in this by a goodly number of the small capitalists of the neighborhood, who were wont to remark

Millionaire or otherwise, the cashier of the Mutual Credit became daily more difficult to live with. If

strangers, those who had with him but a superficial intercourse, if the Saturday guests themselves, discovered

in him no appreciable change, his wife and his children followed with anxious surprise the modifications of

If outwardly he still appeared the same impassible, precise, and grave man, he showed himself at home more

fretful than an old maid, nervous, agitated, and subject to the oddest whims. After remaining three or four

days without opening his lips, he would begin to speak upon all sorts of subjects with amazing volubility.

Instead of watering his wine freely, as formerly, he had begun to drink it pure; and he often took two bottles

at his meal, excusing himself upon the necessity that he felt the need of stimulating himself a little after his

Then he would be taken with fits of coarse gayety; and he related singular anecdotes, intermingled with slang

On the morning of the first day of January, 1872, as he sat down to breakfast, he threw upon the table a roll of

"Well, what of it?" he added with an oath. "Isn't it well, once in a while, to scatter the coins a little?"

Those unexpected thousand francs Maxence and Mlle. Gilberte applied to the purchase of a shawl, which

She laughed and she cried with pleasure and emotion, the poor woman; and, whilst draping it over her

"Well, well, my dear children," she said: "your father, after all, is not such a bad man."

Of which they did not seem very well convinced. "One thing is sure," remarked Mlle. Gilberte: "to permit

M. FAVORAL was not present at this scene. The yearly accounts kept him so closely confined to his office,

that he remained fortyeight hours without coming home. A journey which he was compelled to undertake

But on his return he seemed satisfied and quiet. Without giving up his situation at the Mutual Credit, he was

about, he stated, to associate himself with the Messrs. Jottras, M. Saint Pavin of "The Financial Pilot," and M.

M. Costeclar was at the head of this enterprise, the enormous profits of which were so certain and so clear;

"You were very wrong," he said to Mlle. Gilberte, "not to make haste and marry Costeclar when he was

willing to have you. You will never find another such match, a man who, before ten years, will be a

"So we had," he replied with some embarrassment, "because he has never been willing to tell me why he had

Formerly, before the war, M. Favoral would certainly never have condescended to enter into all these details.

But he was becoming almost communicative. Mile. Gilberte, who was observing him with interested

attention, fancied she could see that he was yielding to that necessity of expansion, more powerful than the

Whilst for twenty years he had, so to speak, never breathed a word on the subject of the Thaller family, now

he was continually speaking of them. He told his Saturday friends all about the princely style of the baron, the

number of his servants and horses, the color of his liveries, the parties that he gave, what he spent for pictures

and objects of art, and even the very names of his mistresses; for the baron had too much respect for himself

not to lay every year a few thousand napoleons at the feet of some young lady sufficiently conspicuous to be

M. Favoral confessed that he did not approve the baron; but it was with a sort of bitter hatred that he spoke of

the baroness. It was impossible, he affirmed to his guests, to estimate even approximately the fabulous sums

squandered by her, scattered, thrown to the four winds. For she was not prodigal, she was prodigality itself,

that idiotic, absurd, unconscious prodigality which melts a fortune in a turn of the hand; which cannot even

He said incredible things of her, things which made Mme. Desclavettes jump upon her seat, explaining that

he learned all these details from M. de Thaller, who had often commissioned him to pay his wife's debts, and

also from the baroness herself, who did not hesitate to call sometimes at the office for twenty francs; for such

was her want of order, that, after borrowing all the savings of her servants, she frequently had not two cents

Neither did the cashier of the Mutual Credit seem to have a very good opinion of Mademoiselle de Thaller.

Brought up at haphazard, in the kitchen much more than in the parlor, until she was twelve, and, later,

dragged by her mother anywhere, to the races, to the first representations, to the wateringplaces, always

escorted by a squadron of the young men of the bourse, Mlle. de Thaller had adopted a style which would

have been deemed detestable in a man. As soon as some questionable fashion appeared, she appropriated it at

once, never finding any thing eccentric enough to make herself conspicuous. She rode on horseback, fenced,

frequented pigeonshooting matches, spoke slang, sang Theresa's songs, emptied neatly her glass of

He changed the conversation that evening; but on the following Saturday, from the very beginning of the

I believe," he said, "that M. de Thaller has just discovered a husband for his daughter."

"A nobleman, of course," he replied. "Isn't that the tradition? As soon as a financier has made his little

One of those painful presentiments, such as arise in the inmost recesses of the soul, made Mlle. Gilberte turn

pale. This presentiment suggested to her an absurd, ridiculous, unlikely thing; and yet she was sure that it

would not deceive her, so sure, indeed, that she rose under the pretext of looking for something in the

sideboard, but in reality to conceal the terrible emotion which she anticipated.

Well, yes, it was this very name that Mlle. Gilberte was expecting, and well that she did; for she was thus

able to command enough control over herself to check the cry that rose to her throat.

"But this marriage is not made yet," pursued M. Favoral. "This marquis is not yet so completely ruined, that

he can be made to do any thing they please. Sure, the baroness has set her heart upon it, oh! but with all her

A discussion which now arose prevented Gilberte from learning any more; and as soon as the dinner, which

seemed eternal to her, was over, she complained of a violent headache, and withdrew to her room.

She shook with fever; her teeth chattered. And yet she could not believe that Marius was betraying her, nor

that he could have the thought of marrying such a girl as M. Favoral had described, and for money too! Poor,

ah! No, that was not admissible. Although she remembered well that Marius had made her swear to believe

nothing that might be said of him, she spent a horrible Sunday, and she felt like throwing herself in the Signor

My poor pupil," he said, "feels miserable. A marriage has been spoken of for him, for which he has a perfect

horror; and he trembles lest the rumor may reach his intended, whom he loves exclusively."

Mlle. Gilberte felt reassured after that. And yet there remained in her heart an invincible sadness. She could

hardly doubt that this matrimonial scheme was a part of the plan planned by Marius to recover his fortune.

But why, then, had he applied to M. de Thaller? Who could be the man who had despoiled the Marquis de

Such were the thoughts which occupied her mind on that Saturday evening when the commissary of police

presented himself in the Rue St. Gilles to arrest M. Favoral, charged with embezzling ten or twelve millions.

The hour had now come for the denouement of that home tragedy which was being enacted in the Rue St.

The reader will remember the incidents narrated at the beginning of this story, M. de Thaller's visit and

angry words with M. Favoral, his departure after leaving a package of banknotes in Mlle. Gilberte's hands,

the advent of the commissary of police, M. Favoral's escape, and finally the departure of the Saturday

The disaster which struck Mme. Favoral and her children had been so sudden and so crushing, that they had

been, on the moment, too stupefied to realize it. What had happened went so far beyond the limits of the

probable, of the possible even, that they could not believe it. The too cruel scenes which had just taken place

But when their guests had retired after a few commonplace protestations, when they found themselves alone,

all three, in that house whose master had just fled, tracked by the police, then only, as the disturbed

equilibrium of their minds became somewhat restored, did they fully realize the extent of the disaster, and the

Whilst Mme. Favoral lay apparently lifeless on an armchair, Gilberte kneeling at her feet, Maxence was

walking up and down the parlor with furious steps. He was whiter than the plaster on the halls; and a cold

And in fact never had the slightest suspicion arisen in his mind. In these days of doubtful reputations, he had

been proud indeed of M. Favoral's reputation of austere integrity. And he had endured many a cruel reproach,

saying to himself that his father had, by his own spotless conduct, acquired the right to be harsh and exacting.

And he went on, trying to calculate all the luxury and splendor which such a sum represents, all the cravings

gratified, all the dreams realized, all it can procure of things that may be bought. And what things are not for

Then he examined the gloomy home in the Rue St. Gilles, the contracted dwelling, the faded furniture the

prodigies of a parsimonious industry, his mother's privations, his sister's penury, and his own distress. And he

The words of the commissary of police had opened his eyes; and he now fancied the most wonderful things.

M. Favoral, in his mind, assumed fabulous proportions. By what miracles of hypocrisy and dissimulation had

he succeeded in making himself ubiquitous as it were, and, without awaking a suspicion, living two lives so

distinct and so different, here, in the midst of his family, parsimonious, methodic, and severe; elsewhere, in

some illicit household, doubtless facile, smiling, and generous, like a successful thief.

For Maxence considered the bills found in the secretary as a flagrant, irrefutable and material proof.

Upon the brink of that abyss of shame into which his father had just tumbled, he thought he could see, not the

inevitable woman, that incentive of all human actions, but the entire legion of those bewitching courtesans

who possess unknown crucibles wherein to swell fortunes, and who have secret filters to stupefy their dupes,

"And I," said Maxence, " I, because at twenty I was fond of pleasure, I was called a bad son! Because I had

made some three hundred francs of debts, I was deemed a swindler! Because I love a poor girl who has for

me the most disinterested affection, I am one of those rascals whom their family disown, and from whom

And at the thought of all the bitter reproaches which had been addressed to him by his father, and of all the

As pale as her brother, her face bathed in tears, and her beautiful hair hanging undone, Mlle. Gilberte drew

But he interrupted her with a wild burst of laughter. "True," he answered; "and, by virtue of the law which is

"Maxence! "murmured the girl in a beseeching tone. But he went on, nevertheless,

"Yes, he is our father, unfortunately. But I should like to know his titles to our respect and our affection.

After making our mother the most miserable of creatures, he has embittered our existence, withered our

youth, ruined my future, and done his best to spoil yours by compelling you to marry Costeclar. And, to

crown all these deeds of kindness, he runs away now, after stealing twelve millions, leaving us nothing but

"And yet," he added, "is it possible that a cashier should take twelve millions, and his employer know nothing

Then came back to the mind of Maxence and Mlle. Gilberte the last words of their father at the moment of his

And his sincerity could hardly be called in question; for he was then in one of those moments of decisive

Although he had spoken very low, Mme. Favoral overheard him. To defend her husband, she found a

"Ah! do not doubt it," she stammered out. "Of his own inspiration, Vincent could never have committed an

"By the Messrs. Jottras, the bankers," said Mme. Favoral, "and also by M. Saint Pavin, the editor of 'the

"By all of them, evidently," interrupted Maxence, "even by his manager, M. de Thaller."

When a man is at the bottom of a precipice, what is the use of finding out how he has got there, whether by

stumbling over a stone, or slipping on a tuft of grass! And yet it is always our foremost thought. It was with

an eager obstinacy that Mme. Favoral and her children ascended the course of their existence, seeking in the

past the incidents and the merest words which might throw some light upon their disaster; for it was quite

manifest that it was not in one day and at the same time that twelve millions had been subtracted from the

Mutual Credit. This enormous deficit must have been, as usual, made gradually, with infinite caution at first,

whilst there was a desire, and some hope, to make it good again, then with mad recklessness towards the end

"Alas!" murmured Mme. Favoral, "why did not Vincent listen to my presentiments on that ever fatal day

when he brought M. de Thaller, M. Jottras, and M. Saint Pavin to dine here? They promised him a fortune."

Maxence and Mlle. Gilberte were too young at the time of that dinner to have preserved any remembrance of

it; but they remembered many other circumstances, which, at the time they had taken place, had not struck

them. They understood now the temper of their father, his perpetual irritation, and the spasms of his humor.

"Be it so! let them arrest me; and tonight, for the first time in many years, I shall sleep in peace."

There were years, then, that he lived, as it were upon burning coals, trembling at the fear of discovery, and

wondering, as he went to sleep each night, whether he would not be awakened by the rude hand of the police

"Your father, my children," she said, "had long since lost his sleep. There was hardly ever a night that he did

They understood, now, his efforts to compel Mlle. Gilberte to marry M. Costeclar.

"He thought that Costeclar would help him out of the scrape," suggested Maxence to his sister.

The poor girl shuddered at the thought, and she could not help feeling thankful to her father for not having

told her his situation; for would she have had the sublime courage to refuse the sacrifice, if her father had told

"I have stolen! I am lost! Costeclar alone can save me; and he will save me if you become his wife."

M. Favoral's pleasant behavior during the siege was quite natural. Then he had no fears; and one could

understand how in the most critical hours of the Commune, when Paris was in flames, he could have

Doubtless, in the bottom of his heart, he wished that Paris might be destroyed, and, with it, the evidences of

"That's why, then," exclaimed Maxence, "that's why my father treated me so rudely: that's why he so

He was interrupted by a violent ringing of the doorbell. He looked at the clock: ten o'clock was about to

Something like a discussion was heard in the hall, a voice hoarse with anger, and the servant's voice.

"It's M. Bertan," she commenced, "the baker He had followed her, and, pushing her aside with his robust

arm, he appeared himself. He was a man about forty years of age, tall, thin, already bald, and wearing his

"Why, my ten thousand francs! Ten thousand francs which I brought to M. Favoral, in gold, you hear? in ten

rolls, which I placed there, on that very table, and for which he gave me a receipt. Here it is, his receipt."

"I do not doubt your word, sir," he replied; "but my father's business is not ours."

"And you think you are going to pay me off in that way?" he exclaimed. "You have nothing! Poor little

fellow! And will you tell me, then, what has become of the twenty millions your father has stolen? for he has

"The police?" interrupted the baker, "the seals? What do I care for that? It's my money I want: do you hear?

Justice is going to take a hand in it, is it? Arrest your father, try him? What good will that do me? He will be

condemned to two or three years' imprisonment. Will that give me a cent? He will serve out his time quietly;

and, when he gets out of prison, he'll get hold of the pile that he's got hidden somewhere; and while I starve,

he'll spend my money under my very nose. No, no! Things won't 'suit me that way. It's at once that I want to

It was not without the greatest efforts that Maxence managed to keep his temper.

"Insults!" he cried in a voice that could have been heard all through the house. "Do you call it an insult when

a man claims his own? If you think you can make me hush, you are mistaken in your man, M. Favoral, Jun. I

am not rich myself: my father has not stolen to leave me an income. It is not in gambling at the bourse that I

made these ten thousand francs. It is by the sweat of my body, by working hard night and day for years, by

depriving myself of a glass of wine when I was thirsty. And I am to lose them? By the holy name of heaven,

we'll have to see about that! If everybody was like me, there would not be so many scoundrels going about,

their pockets filled with other people's money, and from the top of their carriage laughing at the poor fools

they have ruined. Come, my ten thousand francs, canaille, or I take my pay on your back."

Maxence, enraged, was about to throw himself upon the man, and a disgusting struggle was about to begin,

"Your threats are as cowardly as your insults, Monsieur Bertan," she uttered in a quivering voice. "You have

known us long enough to be aware that we know nothing of our father's business, and that we have nothing

ourselves. All we can do is to give up to our creditors our very last crumb. Thus it shall be done. And now,

There was so much dignity in her sorrow, and so imposing was her attitude, that the baker stood abashed.

"Ah! if that's the way," he stammered awkwardly; "and since you meddle with it, mademoiselle" And he

retreated precipitately, growling at the same time threats and excuses, and slamming the doors after him hard

"What a disgrace!" murmured Mme. Favoral. Crushed by this last scene, she was choking; and her children

had to carry her to the open window. She recovered almost at once; but thus, through the darkness, bleak and

"0 great heavens!" she uttered, "where did he go when he left us? Where is he now? What is he doing? What

Her married life had been for Mme. Favoral but a slow torture. It was in vain that she would have looked

back through her past life for some of those happy days which leave their luminous track in life, and towards

which the mind turns in the hours of grief. Vincent Favoral had never been aught but a brutal despot, abusing

the resignation of his victim. And yet, had he died, she would have wept bitterly over him in all the sincerity

of her honest and simple soul. Habit! Prisoners have been known to shed tears over the grave of their jailer.

Then he was her husband, after all, the father of her children, the only man who existed for her. For

twentysix years they had never been separated: they had sat at the same table: they had slept side by side.

Yes, she would have wept over him. But how much less poignant would her grief have been than at this

moment, when it was complicated by all the torments of uncertainty, and by the most frightful apprehensions!

Fearing lest she might take cold, her children had removed her to the sofa, and there, all shivering,

"Isn't it horrible," she said, "not to know any thing of your father? to think that at this very moment,

perhaps, pursued by the police, he is wandering in despair through the streets, without daring to ask anywhere

Her children had no time to answer and comfort her; for at this moment the doorbe11 rang again.

This time there was no discussion in the hall. Steps sounded on the floor of the diningroom; the door

opened; and M. Desclavettes, the old bronzemerchant, walked, or rather slipped into the parlor.

Hope, fear, anger, all the sentiments which agitated his soul, could be read on his pale and catlike face.

"No," answered the old merchant, "I confess I have not; and I was just coming to see if you had yourselves.

Oh, I know very well that this is not exactly the hour to call at a house; but I thought, that, after what took

place this evening, you would not be in bed yet. I could not sleep myself. You understand a friendship of

"I am glad you do. The fact is, you see, I take a good deal of interest in the misfortune that strikes you, a

greater interest than any one else. For, after all, I, too, am a victim. I had intrusted one hundred and twenty

But the worthy man did not allow her to proceed. "I have no fault to find with him," he went on "absolutely

none. Why, dear me! haven't I been in business myself? and don't I know what it is? First, we borrow a

thousand francs or so from the cash account, then ten thousand, then a hundred thousand. Oh! without any

bad intention, to be sure, and with the firm resolution to return them. But we don't always do what we wish to

do. Circumstances sometimes work against us, if we operate at the bourse to make up the deficit we lose.

Then we must borrow again, draw from Peter to pay Paul. We are afraid of being caught: we are compelled,

reluctantly of course, to alter the books. At last a day comes when we find that millions are gone, and the

bombshell bursts. Does it follow from this that a man is dishonest? Not the least in the world: he is simply

"I repeat, I have no fault to find with Favoral. Only then, now, between us, to lose these hundred and twenty

thousand francs would simply be a disaster for me. I know very well that both Chapelain and Desormeaux

had also deposited funds with Favoral. But they are rich: one of them owns three houses in Paris, and the

other has a good situation; whereas I, these hundred and twenty thousand francs gone, I'd have nothing left

but my eyes to weep with. My wife is dying about it. I assure you our position is a terrible one."

"I know it," exclaimed the old merchant. "I know it as well as you do yourself. And so I have come to beg a

little favor of you, which will cost you nothing. When you see Favoral, remember me to him, explain my

situation to him, and try to make him give me back my money. He is a hard one to fetch, that's a fact. But if

you go right about it, above all, if our dear Gilberte will take the matter in hand "

"Oh! I swear I sha'n't say a word about it, either to Desormeaux or Chapelain, nor to any one else. Although

reimbursed, I'll make as much noise as the rest, more noise, even. Come, now, my dear friends, what do

"And where the deuse," exclaimed Maxence, "do you expect my father to take a hundred and twenty

thousand francs? Didn't you see him go without even taking the money that M. de Thaller had brought?"

"That will do very well to say, my dear Maxence;" he said, "and some people may believe it. But don't say it

to your old friend, who knows too much about business for that. When a man, puts off, after borrowing

twelve millions from his employers, he would be a great fool if he had not put away two or three in safety.

"Why so?" he answered. "In Vincent's place, I should not have hesitated to do what he has certainly done.

And I am an honest man too. I was in business for twenty years; and I dare any one to prove that a note

signed Desclavettes ever went to protest. And so, my dear friends, I beseech you, consent to serve your old

"You just give up all such ugly ideas," he said. "You will see him again, that dear Vincent; for he is much too

sharp to allow himself to be caught. Of course, he'll stay away as long as it may be necessary; but, as soon as

he can return without danger, he will do so. The Statute of Limitations has not been invented for the Grand

Turk. Why, the Boulevard is crowded with people who have all had their little difficulty, and who have spent

five or ten years abroad for their health. Does any one think any thing of it? Not in the least; and no one

hesitates to shake hands with them. Besides, those things are so soon forgotten."

He kept on as if he never intended to stop; and it was not without trouble that Maxence and Gilberte

succeeded in sending him off, very much dissatisfied to see his request so ill received. It was after twelve

o'clock. Maxence was anxious to return to his own home; but, at the pressing instances of his mother, he

consented to remain, and threw himself, without undressing, on the bed in his old room.

After a few hours of that leaden sleep which follows great catastrophes, Mme. Favoral and her children were

awakened on the morning of the next day, which was Sunday, by the furious clamors of an exasperated

crowd. Each one, from his own room, understood that the apartment had just been invaded. Loud blows upon

the door were mingled with the noise of feet, the oaths of men, and the screams of women. And, above this

Occasionally there were moments of silence, during which the plaintive voice of the servant could be heard;

but almost at once the cries and the threats commenced again, louder than ever. Maxence, being ready first,

ran to the parlor, where his mother and sister joined him directly, their eyes swollen by sleep and by tears.

Mme. Favoral was trembling so much that she could not succeed in fastening her dress.

From the parlor, which was divided from the diningroom by foldingdoors, they did not miss a single insult.

"Well," said Mlle. Gilberte coldly, "what else could we expect? If Bertan came alone last night, it is because

But Maxence did not stir. The idea of facing the insults and the curses of these enraged creditors was too

"Would you rather let them break in the door?" said Mlle. Gilberte. "That won't take long."

He hesitated no more. Gathering all his courage, he stepped into the diningroom. The disorder was beyond

limits. The table had been pushed towards one of the corners, the chairs were upset. They were there some

thirty men and women, concierges, shopkeepers, and retired bourgeois of the neighborhood, their cheeks

flushed, their eyes staring, gesticulating as if they had a fit, shaking their clinched fists at the ceiling.

But his voice was drowned by the most frightful shouts. He had hardly got in, when he was so closely

surrounded, that he had been unable to close the parlordoor after him, and had been driven and backed

Again he was interrupted. There were three or four before him, who were endeavoring before all to establish

They were speaking all at once, each one raising his own voice so as to drown that of the others. And yet,

through their confused explanations, it was easy to understand the way in which the cashier of the Mutual

Formerly it was only with great reluctance that he consented to take charge of the funds which were offered

to him; and then he never accepted sums less than ten thousand francs, being always careful to say, that, not

being a prophet, he could not answer for any thing, and might be mistaken, like any one else. Since the

Commune, on the contrary, and with a duplicity, that could never have been suspected, he had used all his

ingenuity to attract deposits. Under some pretext or other, he would call among the neighbors, the

shopkeepers; and, after lamenting with them about the hard times and the difficulty of making money, he

always ended by holding up to them the dazzling profits which are yielded by certain investments unknown

If these very proceedings had not betrayed him, it is because he recommended to each the most inviolable

secrecy, saying, that, at the slightest indiscretion, he would be assailed with demands, and that it would be

At any rate, he took every thing that was offered, even the most insignificant sums, affirming, with the most

imperturbable assurance, that he could double or treble them without the slightest risk.

The catastrophe having come, the smaller creditors showed themselves, as usual, the most angry and the most

intractable. The less money one has, the more anxious one is to keep it. There was there an old

newspapervender, who had placed in M. Favoral's hands all she had in the world, the savings of her entire

life, five hundred francs. Clinging desperately to Maxence's garments, she begged him to give them back to

her, swearing, that, if he did not, there was nothing left for her to do, except to throw herself in the river. Her

That the cashier of the Mutual Credit should have embezzled millions, they could well understand, they said.

But that he could have robbed this poor woman of her five hundred francs, nothing more low, more

cowardly, and more vile could be imagined; and the law had no chastisement severe enough for such a crime.

"Give her back her five hundred francs;" they cried. For there was not one of them but would have wagered

his head that M. Favoral had lots of money put away; and some went even so far as to say that he must have

Maxence, bewildered, was at a loss what to do, when, in the midst of this hostile crowd, he perceived M.

Driven from his bed at daylight by the bitter regrets at the heavy loss he had just sustained, the old lawyer had

arrived in the Rue St. Gilles at the very moment when the creditors invaded M. Favoral's apartment. Standing

behind the crowd, he had seen and heard every thing without breathing a word; and, if he interfered now, it

was because he thought things were about to take an ugly turn. He was well known; and, as soon as he

But he was not the man to be so easily frightened. He had seen many a worse case during twenty years that he

had practised law,, and had witnessed all the sinister comedies and all the grotesque dramas of money. He

knew how to speak to infuriated creditors, how to handle them, and what strings can be made to vibrate

"Certainly," he answered, "I was Favoral's intimate friend; and the proof of it is, that he has treated me more

By this mere declaration he conquered the sympathies of the crowd. He was a brother in misfortune; they

At once, and in a short and trenchant tone, he asked these invaders what they were doing there, and what they

wanted. Did they not know to what they exposed themselves in violating a domicile? What would have

happened, if, instead of stopping to parley, Maxence had sent for the commissary of police? Was it to Mme.

Favoral and her children that they had intrusted their funds? No! What did they want with them then? Was

there by chance among them some of those shrewd fellows who always try to get themselves paid in full, to

This last insinuation proved sufficient to break up the perfect accord that had hitherto existed among all the

creditors. Distrust arose; suspicious glances were exchanged; and, as the old newspaper woman was keeping

"I should like to know why you should be paid before us," two women told her roughly. "Our rights are just

"And, moreover," resumed the old lawyer, "in whom did we place our confidence? Was it in Favoral the

private individual? To a certain extent, yes; but it was much more to the cashier of the Mutual Credit.

Therefore that establishment owes us, at least, some explanations. And this is .not all. Are we really so badly

burned, that we should scream so loud? What do we know about it? That Favoral is charged with

embezzlement, that they came to arrest him, and that he has run away. Is that any reason why our money

should be lost? I hope not. And so what should we do? Act prudently, and wait patiently for the work of

Already, by this time, the creditors had slipped out one by one; and soon the servant closed the door on the

Then Mme. Favoral, Maxence, and Mlle. Gilberte surrounded M. Chapelain, and, pressing his hands,

"Do not thank me," he said. "I have only done my duty, what any honest man would have done in my

And yet, under the appearance of impassible coldness, which he owed to the long practice of a profession

"It is you whom I pity," he added, "and with all my soul, you, madame, you, my dear Gilberte, and you,

too, Maxence. Never had I so well understood to what degree is guilty the head of a family who leaves his

He stopped. The servant was trying her best to put the diningroom in some sort of order wheeling the table

"What pillage!" she grumbled. "Neighbors too, people from whom we bought our things! But they were

"Don't trouble yourself, my good girl," said M. Chapelain: "they won't come back any more!"

Mme. Favoral looked as if she wished to drop on her knees before the old lawyer.

"How, very kind you are!" she murmured: "you are not too angry with my poor Vincent!"

With the look of a man who has made up his mind to make the best of a disaster that he cannot help, M.

"I am angry with no one but myself," he uttered in a bluff tone. "An old bird like me should not have allowed

himself to be caught in a pigeontrap. I am inexcusable. But we want to get rich. It's slow work getting rich

by working, and it's so much easier to get the money already made out of our neighbor's pockets! I have been

unable to resist the temptation myself. It's my own fault; and I should say it was a good lesson, if it did not

"All my father's friends are not as indulgent as you are," said Maxence, "M. Desclavettes, for instance."

"Yes, last night, about twelve o'clock. He came to ask us to get father to pay him back, if we should ever see

"What!" said she, "you, too, sir, can imagine that my father has run away with millions?"

"I believe nothing," he answered. "Favoral has taken me in so completely, me, who had the pretension of

being a judge of men, that nothing from him, either for good or for evil, could surprise me hereafter."

Mme. Favoral was about to offer some objection; but he stopped her with a gesture.

"And yet," he went on, "I'd bet that he has gone off with empty pockets. His recent operations reveal a

frightful distress. Had he had a few thousand francs at his command, would he have extorted five hundred

francs from a poor old woman, a newspapervender? What did he want with the money? Try his luck once

He was seated, his elbow upon the arm of the chair, his head resting upon his hands, thinking; and the

"But why," he exclaimed, "why wander in idle conjectures? What do we know about Favoral? Nothing. One

entire side of his existence escapes us, that fantastic side, of which the insane prodigalities and

inconceivable disorders have been revealed to us by the bills found in his desk. He is certainly guilty; but is

he as guilty as we think? and, above all, is he alone guilty? Was it for himself alone that he drew all this

money? Are the missing millions really lost? and wouldn't it be possible to find the biggest share of them in

the pockets of some accomplice? Skilful men do not expose themselves. They have at their command poor

wretches, sacrificed in advance, and who, in exchange for a few crumbs that are thrown to them, risk the

"That's just what I was telling my mother and sister, sir," interrupted Maxence.

"And that's what I am telling myself," continued the old lawyer. "I have been thinking over and over again of

last evening's scene; and strange doubts have occurred to my mind. For a man who has been robbed of a

dozen millions, M. de Thaller was remarkably quiet and selfpossessed. Favoral appeared to me singularly

calm for a man charged with embezzlement and forgery. M. de Thaller, as manager of the Mutual Credit, is

really responsible for the stolen funds, and, as such, should have been anxious to secure the guilty party, and

to produce him. Instead of that, he wished him to go, and actually brought him the money to enable him to

leave. Was he in hopes of hushing up the affair? Evidently not, since the police had been notified. On the

other hand, Favoral seemed much more angry than surprised by the occurrence. It was only on the appearance

of the commissary of police that he seems to have lost his head; and then some very strange things escaped

He was walking at random through the parlor, apparently rather answering the objections of his own mind

than addressing himself to his interlocutors, who were listening, nevertheless, with all the attention of which

"I don't know," he went on. "An old traveler like me to be taken in thus! Evidently there is under all this one

of those diabolical combinations which time even fails to unravel. We ought to see, to inquire "

"After the occurrences of yesterday, M. de Thaller must be at his office. Besides, haven't you his private

The old lawyer's small eyes were shining with unusual brilliancy. He certainly felt deeply the loss of his

money; but the idea that he had been swindled for the benefit of some clever rascal was absolutely

"If we were wise," he said again, "we'd do this. Mme. Favoral would take these fifteen thousand francs, and

It was an unexpected goodfortune for Mme. Favoral, that M. Chapelain should consent to assist her. So,

"The time to dress, sir," she said, "and I am ready." She left the parlor; but as she reached her room, her son

"I am obliged to go out, dear mother," he said; "and I shall probably not be home to breakfast."

She looked at him with an air of painful surprise. "What," she said, "at such a moment!"

"And it is for that woman's sake that you want to leave your sister alone at home?"

But his resolution had been taken. He went off; and a few moments later Mme. Favoral and M. Chapelain

Left alone, Mlle. Gilberte had but one thought, to notify M. de Tregars, and obtain word from him. Any

thing seemed preferable to the horrible anxiety which oppressed her. She had just commenced a letter, which

she intended to have taken to the Count de Villegre, when a violent ring of the bell made her start; and almost

"It is a gentleman who wishes to see you, a friend of monsieur's, M. Costeclar, you know."

"That's too much impudence!" she exclaimed. She was hesitating whether to refuse him the door, or to see

him, and dismiss him shamefully herself, when she had a sudden inspiration. "What does he want?" she

thought. "Why not see him, and try and find out what he knows? For he certainly must know the truth."

But it was no longer time to deliberate. Above the servant's shoulder M. Costeclar,s pale and impudent face

The girl having stepped to one side, he appeared, hat in hand. Although it was not yet nine o'clock, his

morning toilet was irreproachably correct. He had already passed through the hairdresser's hands; and his

scanty hair was brought forward over his low forehead with the usual elaborate care.

He wore a pair of those ridiculous trousers which grow wide from the knee down, and which were invented

by Prussian tailors to hide their customers' ugly feet. Under his lightcolored overcoat could be seen a

Meantime, he remained motionless on the threshold of the door, trying to smile, and muttering one of those

"I beg you to believe, mademoiselle your mother's absence my most respectful admiration "

In fact, he was taken aback by the disorder of the girl's toilet, disorder which she had had no time to repair

She wore a long brown cashmere wrapper, fitting quite close over the hips setting off the vigorous elegance

of her figure, the maidenly perfections of her waist, and the exquisite contour of her neck. Gathered up in

haste, her thick blonde hair escaped from beneath the pins, and spread over her shoulders in luminous

cascades. Never had she appeared to M. Costeclar as lovely as at this moment, when her whole frame was

He stepped forward, no longer bowing humbly as formerly, but with legs outstretched, chest thrown out, with

an illconcealed look of gratified vanity. "I did not expect the honor of your visit, sir," said the young girl.

Passing rapidly his hat and his cane from the right hand into the left, and then the right hand upon his heart,

his eyes raised to the ceiling, and with all the depth of expression of which he was capable,

"It is in times of adversity that we know our real friends, mademoiselle," he uttered. "Those upon whom we

thought we could rely the most, often, at the first reverse, take flight forever!"

"It's only last night that I heard of poor Favoral's discomfiture, at the bourse where I had gone for news. It

was the general topic of conversation. Twelve millions! That's pretty hard. The Mutual Credit Society might

not be able to stand it. From 580 at which it was selling before the news, it dropped at once to 300. At nine

o'clock, there were no takers at 180 And yet, if there is nothing beyond what they say, at 180, I am in."

"But please excuse me, mademoiselle," he resumed: "that's not what I came to tell you."

Observing M. Costeclar with all her power of penetration, Mlle. Gilberte fancied she discovered in him

"They accuse him of having carried away millions, sir; but I would swear that it is not so."

"I am of the same opinion he declared, "unless but no, he was not the man to try such a game. And yet

but again no, he was too closely watched. Besides, he was carrying a very heavy load, a load that exhausted

Mlle. Gilberte, hoping that she was going to learn something, made an effort to preserve her indifference.

"That is not the object of my visit either," he uttered. "Favoral is overboard: don't let us say any thing more

about him. Whether he has got 'the bag' or not, you'll never see him again: he is as good as dead. Let us,

"It is perfectly limpid, nevertheless. I am asking myself how you are going to live, your mother and yourself?

M. Costeclar had crossed his legs, and with the end of his cane he was negligently tapping his immaculate

"Providence!" he giggled; "that's very good on the stage, in a play, with low music in the orchestra. I can just

see it. In real life, unfortunately, the life which we both live, you and I, it is not with words, were they a yard

long, that the baker, the grocer, and those rascally landlords, can be paid, or that dresses and shoes can be

"Now, then," he went on, "here you are without a penny. Is it Maxence who will supply you with money?

Poor fellow! Where would he get it? He has hardly enough for himself. Therefore, what are you going to

"My sincere compliments," he said. "There is but one obstacle to that fine resolution: it is impossible for a

woman to live by her labor alone. Servants are about the only ones who ever get their full to eat."

"How different things would be," he resumed in an insinuating tone, "if you had not rejected me when I

wanted to become your husband! But you couldn't bear the sight of me. And yet, 'pon my word, I was in love

with you, oh, but for good and earnest! You see, I am a judge of women; and I saw very well how you would

look, handsomely dressed and got up, leaning back in a fine carriage in the Bois "

"You are regretting all that," he continued. "I see it. Formerly, eh, you would never have consented to receive

me thus, alone with you, which proves that girls should not be headstrong, my dear child."

He, Costeclar, he dared to call her, "My dear child." Indignant and insulted, "Oh!" she exclaimed. But he had

"Well, such as I was, I am still. To be sure, there probably would be nothing further said about marriage

between us; but, frankly, what would you care if the conditions were the same, a fine house, carriages,

Up to this moment, she, had not fully understood him. Drawing herself up to her fullest height, and pointing

But he seemed in no wise disposed to do so: on the contrary, paler than usual, his eyes bloodshot, his lips

"What!" said he. "You are in trouble, I kindly come to offer my services, and this is the way you receive me!

You prefer to work, do you? Go ahead then, my lovely one, prick your pretty fingers, and redden your eyes.

My time will come. Fatigue and want, cold in the winter, hunger in all seasons, will speak to your little heart

of that kind Costeclar who adores you, like a big fool that he is, who is a serious man and who has money,

"Marius!" murmured Mlle. Gilberte, rooted to the spot by a surprise hardly less immense than her joy.

To behold him thus suddenly, when she was wondering whether she would ever see him again; to see him

appear at the very moment when she found herself alone, and exposed to the basest outrages, it was one of

those fortunate occurrences which one can scarcely realize; and from the depth of her soul rose something

Nevertheless, she was confounded at M. Costeclar's attitude. According to her, and from what she thought

And he did not even seem to know him. He seemed shocked, annoyed at being interrupted, slightly surprised,

M. de Tregars stepped forward. He was somewhat pale, but unnaturally calm, cool, and collected. Bowing to

"If I have thus ventured to enter your apartment, mademoiselle," he uttered gently, " it is because, as I was

"Now," he went on, "I had reason to be somewhat astonished at this, after the positive orders I had given him

never to set his feet, not only in this house, but in this part of the city. I wished to find out exactly. I came up:

All this was said in a tone of such crushing contempt, that a slap on the face would have been less cruel. All

"Are you quite certain of that?" he replied. "Come, you certainly know my old friend, M. de Villegre?"

"Well, 'twas I who sent him to you; and the commands which he delivered to you were mine."

A nervous shudder shook M. Costeclar's lean frame. Instinctively his eye turned towards the door.

"You see," Marius went on with the same gentleness, "we are, you and I, old acquaintances. For you quite

remember me now, don't you? I am the son of that poor Marquis de Tregars who came to Paris, all the way

"On the advice of certain clever people, the Marquis de Tregars ventured into business. Poor old man! He

was not very sharp. He was firmly persuaded that he had already more than doubled his capital, when his

honorable partners demonstrated to him that he was ruined, and, besides, compromised by certain signatures

Mlle. Gilberte was listening, her mouth open, and wondering what Marius was aiming at, and how he could

"That disaster," he went on, "was at the time the subject of an enormous number of very witty jokes. The

people of the bourse could hardly admire enough these bold financiers who had, so deftly relieved that candid

marquis of his money. That was well done for him; what was he meddling with? As to myself, to stop the

prosecutions with which my father was threatened, I gave up all I had. I was quite young, and, as you see,

quite what you call, I believe, 'green.' I am no longer so now. Were such a thing to happen to me today, I

should want to know at once what had become of the millions: I would feel all the pockets around me. I

"I know now," he replied, "among whom the spoils were divided. You, M. Costeclar, you took what you

could get, timidly, and according to your means. Sharks are always accompanied by small fishes, to which

they abandon the crumbs they disdain. You were but a small fish then: you accommodated yourself with what

your patrons, the sharks, did not care about. But, when you tried to operate alone, you were not shrewd

enough: you left proofs of your excessive appetite for other people's money. Those proofs I have in my

"Besides, after what has occurred, after Favoral's flight, I thought myself relieved of my engagement."

"Not only you are wrong," uttered Marius still perfectly cool, "but you have committed a great imprudence.

By failing to keep your engagements, you have relieved me of mine. The pact is broken. According to the

"And that's the reason why you were coming to propose to Mlle. Favoral to become your mistress? There she

is, you thought, without resources, literally without bread, without relatives, without friends to protect her:

this is the time to come forward. And thinking you could be cowardly, vile, and infamous with impunity, you

To be thus treated, he, the successful man, in presence of this young girl, whom, a moment before, he was

crushing with his impudent opulence, no M. Costeclar could not stand it. Losing completely his head,

"You should have let me know, then," he exclaimed, "that she was your mistress."

Something like a flame passed over M. de Tregars' face. His eyes flashed. Rising in all the height of his

And, seizing him by the collar with an iron grip, he lifted him clear off the floor, and then threw him down

M. Costeclar had expected worse from M. de Tregars' look. A horrible fear had instantly crushed within him

"Mademoiselle," he stuttered in a choking voice. "I am the vilest of wretches," continued Marius. M.

Feeling no longer upon his shoulders the heavy hand of M. de Tregars, the stockbroker rose with difficulty

to his feet. So livid was his face, that one might have thought that his whole blood had turned to gall.

Dusting with the end of his glove the knees of his trousers, and restoring as best he could the harmony of his

M. de Tregars had already recovered his selfpossession; and Mlle. Gilberte thought she could read upon his

"Would it be better to make use of what you know?" M. Costeclar joined his hands.

And, looking straight into M. Costeclar's eyes, "If you could be of service to me," he inquired, "would you

"After what has just taken place," he said at last, "an explanation is necessary between us. I will be at your

M. Costeclar had become more pliable than his own lavender kid gloves: in fact, alarmingly pliable.

And, bowing to the ground before Mlle. Gilberte, he left the parlor; and, a few moments after, the streetdoor

"Ah, what a wretch!" exclaimed the, girl, dreadfully agitated. "Marius, did you see what a look he gave us as

"That man hates us: he will not hesitate to commit a crime to avenge the atrocious humiliation you have just

"I had intended to remain calm, and it would have been politic to have done so. But there are some insults

A long pause followed; and they remained standing, facing each other, somewhat embarrassed. Mlle. Gilberte

felt ashamed of the disorder of her dress. M. de Tregars wondered how he could have been bold enough to

"At first," went on M. de Tregars, "I could hardly believe what I read. I hastened to come; and the first

shopkeeper I questioned confirmed only too well what I had seen in the papers. From that moment, I had but

one wish, to see and speak to you. When I reached the door, I recognized M. Costeclar's equipage, and I

had a presentiment of the truth. I inquired from the concierge for your mother or your brother, and heard that

Maxence had gone out a few moments before, and that Mme. Favoral had just left in a carriage with M.

Chapelain, the old lawyer. At the idea that you were alone with Costeclar, I hesitated no longer. I ran up

"I never hoped to see you again," she stammered; "and you'll find there on the table the letter I had just

M. de Tregars took it up quickly. Two lines only were written. He read: "I release you from your

"Is it not my duty? Ah! if it had only been our fortune, I should perhaps have rejoiced to lose it. I know your

heart. Poverty would have brought us nearer together. But it's honor, Marius, honor that is lost too! The name

I bear is forever stained. Whether my father is caught, or whether he escapes, he will be tried all the same,

If M. de Tregars was allowing her to proceed thus, it was because he felt all his thoughts whirling in his

brain; because she looked so beautiful thus, all in tears, and her hair loose; because there arose from her

person so subtle a charm, that words failed him to express the sensations that agitated him.

"Can you," she went on, "take for your wife the daughter of a dishonored man? No, you cannot. Forgive me,

then, for having for a moment turned away your life from its object; forgive the sorrow which I have caused

"Would it be easy for you to forget me then? Were I to be struck by misfortune, would you break our

"To cease loving you no longer depends on my will," she murmured with quivering lips. "Poor, abandoned of

With a passionate gesture, Marius threw his arm around her waist, and, drawing her to his breast, covered her

"Well, 'tis thus that I love you too!" he exclaimed, "and with all my soul, exclusively, and for life! What do I

care for your parents? Do I know them? Your father does he exist? Your name it is mine, the spotless

She was struggling feebly: an almost invincible stupor was creeping over her. She felt her reason disturbed,

her energy giving way, a film before her eyes, the air failing to her heaving chest.

A great effort o er will restored her to consciousness. She withdrew gently, and sank upon a chair, less strong

M. de Tregars was not much less agitated than Mlle. Gilberte: but he was a man; and the springs of his energy

were of a superior temper. In less than a minute he had fully recovered his selfpossession and imposed upon

his features their accustomed expression. Drawing a chair by the side of Mlle. Gilberte,

"Permit me, my friend," he said, "to remind you that our moments are numbered, and that there are many

"Do you not know more about it than I do?" she replied, "more than my mother, more than any of us? Did

you not, whilst following up the people who robbed your father, strike mine unwittingly? And 'tis I, wretch

that I am, who inspired you to that fatal resolution; and I have not the heart to regret it."

"Never," he exclaimed, "has this marriage existed, except in the brain of M. de Thaller, and, more still, of the

Baroness de Thaller. That ridiculous idea occurred to her because she likes my name, and would be delighted

to see her daughter Marquise de Tregars. She has never breathed a word of it to me; but she has spoken of it

everywhere, with just enough secrecy to give rise to a good piece of parlor gossip. She went so far as to

confide to several persons of my acquaintance the amount of the dowry, thinking thus to encourage me. As

far as I could, I warned you against this false news through the Signor Gismondo."

"The Signor Gismondo relieved me of cruel anxieties," she replied; "but I had suspected the truth from the

first. Was I not the confidante of your hopes? Did I not know your projects? I had taken for granted that all

this talk about a marriage was but a means to advance yourself in M. de Thaller's intimacy without awaking

"Perhaps, indeed, I have not been wholly foreign to M. Favoral's disaster. At least I may have hastened it a

few months, a few days only, perhaps; for it was inevitable, fatal. Nevertheless, had I suspected the real facts,

I would have given up my designs Gilberte, I swear it rather than risk injuring your father. There is no

Better than any one else, Mlle. Gilberte must have been convinced of her father's guilt. Had she not seen him

humiliated and trembling before M. de Thaller? Had she not heard him, as it were, acknowledge the truth of

the charge that was brought against him? But at twenty hope never forsakes us, even in presence of facts.

"I feel it but too well. But the heart speaks louder than reason. It is so cruel to be driven to despise one's

"What happens is so incomprehensible!" she went on. How can I help imagining some one of those mysteries

which time alone unravels. For twentyfour hours we have been losing ourselves in idle conjectures, and,

always and fatally, we come to this conclusion, that my father must be the victim of some mysterious

"M. Chapelain, whom a loss of a hundred and sixty thousand francs has not made particularly indulgent, is of

"Let me tell you all," he interrupted, "and try with you to find an issue to this horrible situation. Strange

rumors are afloat about M. Favoral. It is said that his austerity was but a mask, his sordid economy a means

of gaining confidence. It is affirmed that in fact he abandoned himself to all sorts of disorders; that he had,

somewhere in Paris, an establishment, where he lavished the money of which he was so sparing here. Is it so?

"I believe that is true," she replied. "The commissary of police stated so to us. He found among my father's

papers receipted bills for a number of costly articles, which could only have been intended for a woman.

"Whoever she may be, I admit that she may have cost M. Favoral considerable sums. But can she have cost

"And which every sensible man must also make. I know very well that to conceal for years a considerable

deficit is a costly operation, requiring purchases and sales, the handling and shifting of funds, all of which is

ruinous in the extreme. But, on the other hand, M. Favoral was making money, a great deal of money. He was

rich: he was supposed to be worth millions. Otherwise, Costeclar would never have asked your hand."

"M. Chapelain pretends that at a certain time my father had at least fifty thousand francs a year."

For two or three minutes M. de Tregars remained silent, reviewing in his mind every imaginable eventuality,

"But no matter," he resumed. "As soon as I heard this morning the amount of the deficit, doubts came to my

mind. And it is for that reason, dear friend, that I was so anxious to see you and speak to you. It would be

Rapidly, but without omitting a single useful detail, Mlle. Gilberte narrated the scenes of the previous night

the sudden appearance of M. de Thaller, the arrival of the commissary of police, M. Favoral's escape, thanks

to Maxence's presence of mind. Every one of her father's words had remained present to her mind; and it was

almost literally that she repeated his strange speeches to his indignant friends, and his incoherent remarks at

the moment of flight, when, whilst acknowledging his fault, he said that he was not as guilty as they thought;

that, at any rate, he was not alone guilty; and that he had been shamefully sacrificed. When she had finished,

"M. Favoral accepted a role in one of those terrible financial dramas which ruin a thousand poor dupes to the

benefit of two or three clever rascals. Your father wanted to be rich: he needed money to carry on his

intrigues. He allowed himself to be tempted. But whilst he believed himself one of the managers, called upon

to divide the receipts, he was but a sceneshifter with a stated salary. The moment of this denouement having

come, his socalled partners disappeared through a trapdoor with the cash, leaving him alone, as they say,

"And suppose he had no proofs of their complicity to offer? He was the cashier of the Mutual Credit; and it is

Mlle. Gilberte's conjectures had run far ahead of that sentence. Looking straight at Marius,

A singular smile curled M. de Tregars' lips. "Quite possible," he replied: "that's quite possible."

For the past few moments Mlle. Gilberte's embarrassment was quite evident in her look. At last, overcoming

"Pardon me," said she, "I had imagined that M. de Thaller was one of those men whom you wished to strike;

and I had indulged in the hope, that, whilst having justice done to your father, you were thinking, perhaps, of

M. de Tregars stood up, as if moved by a spring. "Well, yes!" he exclaimed. "Yes, you have correctly

guessed. But how can we obtain this double result? A single misstep at this moment might lose all. Ah, if I

only knew your father's real situation; if I could only see him and speak to him! In one word he might,

perhaps, place in my hands a sure weapon, the weapon that I have as yet been unable to find."

"Unfortunately," replied Mlle. Gilberte with a gesture of despair, "we are without news of my father; and he

"But he will write, perhaps. Besides, we might look for him, quietly, so as not to excite the suspicions of the

"Alas! I fear that Maxence may have other cares. He insisted upon going out this morning, in spite of

But Marius stopped her, and, in the tone of a man who knows much more than he is willing to say, "Do not

calumniate Maxence," he said: "it is through him, perhaps, that we will receive the help that we need."

M. de Tregars might as well have waited for her. Henceforth he had nothing to conceal. Yet, after duly

deliberating with the young girl, they decided that he should withdraw, and that he would send M. de Villegre

to declare his intentions. He then left, and, five minutes later, Mine: Favoral and M. Capelan appeared.

The exattorney was furious; and he threw the package of banknotes upon the table with a movement of

"In order to return them to M. de Thaller," he exclaimed, "it was at least necessary to see him. But the

gentleman is invisible; keeps himself under lock and key, guarded by a perfect cloud of servants in livery."

"Dear me!" sighed the poor mother: "at such a time he forsakes us, and for whose sake?"

Mme. Favoral, usually so indulgent, was too severe this time; and it was very unjustly that she accused her

son. She forgot, and what mother does not forget, that he was twentyfive years of age, that he was a man,

and that, outside of the family and of herself, he must have his own interests and his passions, his affections

and his duties. Because he happened to leave the house for a few hours, Maxence was surely not forsaking

either his mother or his sister. It was not without a severe internal struggle that he had made up his mind to go

"Poor mother," he thought. "I am sure I am making her very unhappy; but how can I help it?"

This was the first time that he had been in the street since his farther's disaster had been known; and the

impression produced upon him was painful in the extreme. Formerly, when he walked through the Rue St.

Gilles, that street where he was born, and where he used to play as a boy, every one met him with a friendly

nod or a familiar smile. True he was then the son of a man rich and highly esteemed; whereas this morning

not a hand was extended, not a hat raised, on his passage. People whispered among themselves, and pointed

him out with looks of hatred and irony. That was because he was now the son of the dishonest cashier tracked

by the police, of the man whose crime brought disaster upon so many innocent parties.

Mortified and ashamed, Maxence was hurrying on, his head down, his cheek burning, his throat parched,

"I tell you what," said a woman in the midst of a group, "they still have more than we have."

Then, for the first time, he understood with what crushing weight his father's crime would weigh upon his

"It's all over," he thought: "I can never get over it." And he was thinking of changing his name, of emigrating

to America, and hiding himself in the deserts of the Far West, when, a little farther on, he noticed a group of

some thirty persons in front of a newspaperstand. The vender, a fat little man with a red face and an

"Here are the morning papers! The last editions! All about the robbery of twelve millions by a poor cashier.

And, to stimulate the sale of his wares, he added all sorts of jokes of his own invention, saying that the thief

"The cashier Favoral's robbery! twelve millions! Buy the paper, and see how it's done."

And so the scandal was public, irreparable. Maxence was listening a few steps off. He felt like going; but an

imperative feeling, stronger than his will, made him anxious to see what the papers said.

Suddenly he made up his mind, and, stepping up briskly, he threw down three sous, seized a paper, and ran as

"Not very polite, the gentleman," remarked two idlers whom he had pushed a little roughly.

Quick as he had been, a shopkeeper of the Rue Terrain had had time to recognize him.

Half a dozen curious fellows, more eager than the rest, ran after him to try and see his face. But he was

Leaning against a gaslamp on the Boulevard, he unfolded the paper he had just bought. He had no trouble

looking for the article. In the middle of the first page, in the most prominent position, he read in large letters,

"At the moment of going to press, the greatest agitation prevails among the stockbrokers and operators at

the bourse generally, owing to the news that one of our great banking establishments has just been the victim

"At about five o'clock in the afternoon, the manager of the Mutual Credit Society, having need of some

documents, went to look for them in the office of the head cashier, who was then absent. A memorandum

forgotten on the table excited his suspicions. Sending at once for a locksmith, he had all the drawers broken

open, and soon acquired the irrefutable evidence that the Mutual Credit had been defrauded of sums, which,

"At once the police was notified; and M. Brosse, commissary of police, duly provided with a warrant, called

"That cashier, named Favoral, we do not hesitate to name him, since his name has already been made

public, had just sat down to dinner with some friends. Warned, no one knows how, he succeeded in

escaping through a window into the yard of the adjoining house, and up to this hour has succeeded in eluding

"It seems that these embezzlements had been going on for years, but had been skillfully concealed by false

"M. Favoral had managed to secure the esteem of all who knew him. He led at home a more than modest

existence. But that was only, as it were, his official life. Elsewhere, and under another name, he indulged in

the most reckless expenses for the benefit of a woman with whom he was madly in love.

"Some mention a very fascinating young actress, who performs at a theatre not a hundred miles from the Rue

Vivienne; others, a lady of the financial high life, whose equipages, diamonds, and dresses are justly famed.

"We might easily, in this respect, give particulars which would astonish many people; for we know all; but, at

the risk of seeming less well informed than some others of our morning contemporaries, we will observe a

silence which our readers will surely appreciate. We do not wish to add, by a premature indiscretion, any

thing to the grief of a family already so cruelly stricken; for M. Favoral leaves behind him in the deepest

sorrow a wife and two children, a son of twentyfive, employed in a railroad office, and a daughter of

twenty, remarkably handsome, who, a few months ago, came very near marrying M. C. .

Tears of rage obscured Maxence's sight whilst reading the last few lines of this terrible article. To find

himself thus held up to public curiosity, though innocent, was more than he could bear.

And yet he was, perhaps, still more surprised than indignant. He had just learned in that paper more than his

father's most intimate friends knew, more than he knew himself. Where had it got its information? And what

could be these other details which the writer pretended to know, but did not wish to publish as yet? Maxence

felt like running to the office of the paper, fancying that they could tell him there exactly where and under

what name M. Favoral led that existence of pleasure and luxury, and who the woman was to whom the article

But in the mean time he had reached his hotel, the Hotel des Folies. After a moment of hesitation,

And he started in the corridor of the hotel, a corridor that was so long, so dark, and so narrow, that it gave an

idea of the shaft of a mine, and that it was prudent, before entering it, to make sure that no one was coming in

the opposite direction. It was from the neighboring theatre, des FoliesNouvelles (now the Theatre Dejazet),

It consists of the rear building of a large old house, and has no frontage on the Boulevard, where nothing

betrays its existence, except a lantern hung over a low and narrow door, between a caf and a

confectioneryshop. It is one of those hotels, as there are a good many in Paris, somewhat mysterious and

suspicious, illkept, and whose profits remain a mystery for simpleminded folks. Who occupy the

apartments of the first and second story? No one knows. Never have the most curious of the neighbors

discovered the face of a tenant. And yet they are occupied; for often, in the afternoon, a curtain is drawn

aside, and a shadow is seen to move. In the evening, lights are noticed within; and sometimes the sound of a

Above the second story, the mystery ceases. All the upper rooms, the price of which is relatively modest, are

occupied by tenants who may be seen and heard, clerks like Maxence, shopgirls from the neighborhood, a

few restaurantwaiters, and sometimes some poor devil of an actor or chorussinger from the Theatre

Dejazet, the Circus, or the Chateau d'Eau. One of the great advantages of the Hotel des Folies and Mme.

Fortin, the landlady, never failed to point it out to the new tenants, an inestimable advantage, she declared

"And everybody knows," she concluded, "that there is no chance of being caught, when one has the good luck

When Maxence entered the office, a small, dark, and dirty room, the proprietors, M. and Mme. Fortin were

just finishing their breakfast with an immense bowl of coffee of doubtful color, of which an enormous red cat

There was no mistaking their tone. They knew the catastrophe; and the newspaper lying on the table showed

"Some one called to see you last night," said Mme. Fortin, a large fat woman, whose nose was always

besmeared with snuff, and whose honeyed voice made a marked contrast with her birdofprey look.

"A gentleman of about fifty, tall and thin, with a long overcoat, coming down to his heels."

Maxence imagined, from this description, that he recognized his own father. And yet it seemed impossible,

after what had happened, that he should dare to show himself on the Boulevard du Temple, where everybody

knew him, within a step of the Caf Turc, of which he was one of the oldest customers.

"I really can't tell," answered the landlady. "I was half asleep at the time; but Fortin can tell us."

M. Fortin, who looked about twenty years younger than his wife, was one of those small men, blonde, with

scanty beard, a suspicious glance, and uneasy smile, such as the Madame Fortins know how, to find, Heaven

"The confectioner had just put up his shutters," he replied: "consequently, it must have been between eleven

"Nothing, except that he was very sorry not to find you in. And, in fact, he did look quite annoyed. We asked

him to leave his name; but he said it wasn't worth while, and that he would call again."

At the glance which the landlady was throwing toward him from the corner of her eyes, Maxence understood

"Oh! I don't know, an idea of mine, that's all. Besides, Mlle. Lucienne can probably tell you more about it; for

she was there when the gentleman came, and I even think that they exchanged a few words in the yard."

Maxence, seeing that they were only seeking a pretext to question him, took his key, and inquired,

"Can't tell. She has been going and coming all the morning, and I don't know whether she finally staid in or

out. One thing is sure, she waited for you last night until after twelve; and she didn't like it much, I can tell

Maxence started up the steep stairs; and, as he reached the upper stories, a woman's voice, fresh and

She was singing a popular tune, one of those songs which are monthly put in circulation by the singing

Reaching the fourth story, he stopped before the door which faced the stairs, and knocked lightly.

At once, the voice, which had just commenced another verse stopped short, and inquired, "Who's there?"

"At this hour!" replied the voice with an ironical laugh. "That's lucky. You have probably forgotten that we

were to go to the theatre last night, and start for St. Germain at seven o'clock this morning."

"Impossible, I am dressing. Go to your own room: as soon as I am dressed, I'll join you."

It was on the opposite side of the landing that what Mme. Fortin pompously called" Maxence's apartment"

It consisted of a sort of antechamber, almost as large as a handkerchief (decorated by the Fortins with the

name of diningroom), a bedroom, and a closet called a dressingroom in the lease. Nothing could be more

gloomy than this lodging, in which the ragged paper and soiled paint retained the traces of all the wanderers

who had occupied it since the opening of the Hotel des Folies. The dislocated ceiling was scaling off in large

pieces; the floor seemed affected with the dryrot; and the doors and windows were so much warped and

sprung, that it required an effort to close them. The furniture was on a par with the rest.

"How everything does wear out!" sighed Mme. Fortin. "It isn't ten years since I bought that furniture."

In point of fact it was over fifteen, and even then she had bought it secondhanded, and almost unfit for use.

The curtains retained but a vague shade of their original color. The veneer was almost entirely off the

bedstead. Not a single lock was in order, whether in the bureau or the secretary. The rug had become a

nameless rag; and the broken springs of the sofa, cutting through the threadbare stuff, stood up threateningly

The most sumptuous object was an enormous China stove, which occupied almost onehalf of the

halldiningroom. It could not be used to make a fire; for it had no pipe. Nevertheless, Mme. Fortin refused

obstinately to take it out, under the pretext that it gave such a comfortable appearance to the apartment. All

this elegance cost Maxence fortyfive francs a month, and five francs for the service; the whole payable in

advance from the 1st to the 3d of the month. If, on the 4th, a tenant came in without money, Mme. Fortin

"I have been caught too often," she replied to those who tried to obtain twentyfour hours' grace from her. "I

wouldn't trust my own father till the 5th, he who was a superior officer in Napoleon's armies, and the very

It was chance alone which had brought Maxence, after the Commune, to the Hotel des Folies; and he had not

been there a week, before he had fully made up his mind not to wear out Mme. Fortin's furniture very long.

He had even already found another and more suitable lodging, when, about a year ago, a certain meeting on

the stairs had modified all his views, and lent a charm to his apartment which he did not suspect.

As he was going out one morning to his office, he met on the very landing a rather tall and very dark girl,

who had just come running up stairs. She passed before him like a flash, opened the opposite door, and

disappeared. But, rapid as the apparition had been, it had left in Maxence's mind one of those impressions

which are never obliterated. He could not think of any thing else the whole day; and after businesshours,

instead of going to dine in Rue St. Gilles, as usual, he sent a despatch to his mother to tell her not to wait for

But it was in vain, that, during the whole evening, he kept watch behind his door, left slyly ajar: he did not

get a glimpse of the neighbor. Neither did she show herself on the next or the three following days; and

Maxence was beginning to despair, when at last, on Sunday, as he was going down stairs, he met her again

face to face. He had thought her quite pretty at the first glance: this time he was dazzled to that extent, that he

And certainly it was not her dress that helped setting off her beauty. She wore a poor dress of black merino, a

narrow collar, and plain cuffs, and a bonnet of the utmost simplicity. She had nevertheless an air of

incomparable dignity, a grace that charmed, and yet inspired respect, and the carriage of a queen. This was on

"My apartment suits me well enough," said Maxence to Mme. Fortin: "I shall keep it. And here are fifty

"You never told me," he began with his most indifferent look, "that I had a neighbor."

Mme. Fortin straightened herself up like an old warhorse that hears the sound of the bugle.

The worthy landlady jumped on her chair. "Rather good looking!" she interrupted. "You must be hard to

please, my dear sir; for I, who am a judge, I affirm that you might hunt Paris over for four whole days without

finding such a handsome girl. Rather good looking! A girl who has hair that comes down to her knees, a

dazzling complexion, eyes as big as this, and teeth whiter than that cat's. All right, my friend. You'll wear out

"A little over a year. She was here during the siege; and just then, as she could not pay her rent, I was, of

course, going to send her off; but she went straight to the commissary of police, who came here, and forbade

me to turn out either her or anybody else. As if people were not masters in their own house!"

"That was perfectly absurd!" objected Maxence, who was determined to gain the good graces of the landlady.

"Never heard of such a thing!" she went on. "Compel you to lodge people free! Why not feed them too? In

short, she remained so long, that, after the Commune, she owed me a hundred and eighty francs. Then she

said, that, if I would let her stay, she would pay me each month in advance, besides the rent, ten francs on the

"Really," she replied, "I don't pity her much; for, if she only wanted, in fortyeight hours I should be paid,

and she would have something else on her back besides that old black rag. I tell her every day, 'In these days,

my child, there is but one reliable friend, which is better than all others, and which must be taken as it comes,

without making any faces if it is a little dirty: that's money.' But all my preaching goes for nothing. I might as

"That's more than I know," replied Mme. Fortin. "The young lady has not much to say. All I know is, that she

leaves every morning bright and early, and rarely gets home before eleven. On Sunday she stays home,

reading; and sometimes, in the evening, she goes out, always alone, to some theatre or ball. Ah! she is an odd

A lodger who came in interrupted the landlady; and Maxence walked off dreaming how he could manage to

Because he had once spent some hundreds of napoleons in the company of young ladies with yellow

chignons, Maxence fancied himself a man of experience, and had but little faith in the virtue of a girl of

twenty, living alone in a hotel, and left sole mistress of her own fancy. He began to watch for every occasion

of meeting her; and, towards the last of the month, he had got so far as to bow to her, and to inquire after her

But, the first time he ventured to make love to her, she looked at him head to foot, and turned her back upon

him with so much contempt, that he remained, his mouth wide open, perfectly stupefied.

Great, then, was his surprise, when the following week, on a fine afternoon, he saw Mlle. Lucienne leave her

room, no longer clad in her eternal black dress, but wearing a brilliant and extremely rich toilet. With a

As soon as Mlle. Lucienne appeared, a footman opened respectfully the carriagedoor. She went in; and the

Maxence watched the carriage disappear in the distance, like a child who sees the bird fly upon which he

But, when he turned around, he found himself face to face with the Fortins, man and wife; who were laughing

"What did I tell you?" exclaimed Mine Fortin. "There she is, started at last. Get up, horse! She'll do well, the

The magnificent equipage and elegant dress had already produced quite an effect among the neighbors. The

customers sitting in front of the caf were laughing among themselves. The confectioner and his wife were

"You see, M. Favoral," replied Mme. Fortin, "such a girl as that was not made for our neighborhood. You

must make up your mind to it; you won't see much more of her on the Boulevard du Temple."

Without saying a word, Maxence ran to his room, the hot tears streaming from his eyes. He felt ashamed of

But, despite all his efforts at philosophy, he felt an immense sadness invading his heart: illdefined regrets

and spasms of anger agitated him. He was thinking what a fool he had been to believe in the grand airs of the

young lady, and that, if he had had dresses and horses to give her, she might not have received him so

harshly. At last he made up his mind to think no more of her, one of those fine resolutions which are always

taken, and never kept; and in the evening he left his room to go and dine in the Rue St. Gilles.

But, as was often his custom, he stopped at the caf next door, and called for a drink. He was mixing his

absinthe when he saw the carriage that had carried off Mlle. Lucienne in the morning returning at a rapid gait,

and stopping short in front of the hotel. Mlle. Lucienne got out slowly, crossed the sidewalk, and entered the

"What does it mean?" thought Maxence, who was actually forgetting to swallow his absinthe.

He was losing himself in absurd conjectures, when, some fifteen minutes later, he saw the girl coming out

again. Already she had taken off her elegant clothes, and resumed her cheap black dress. She had a basket on

her arm, and was going towards the Rue Chariot. Without further reflections, Maxence rose suddenly, and

started to follow her, being very careful that she should not see him. After walking for five or six minutes, she

entered a shop, halfeating house, and half wineshop, in the window of which a large sign could be read:

"Ordinary at all hours for forty centimes. Hard boiled eggs, and salad of the season."

Maxence, having crept up as close as he could, saw Mlle. Lucienne take a tin box out of her basket, and have

what is called an "ordinaire" poured into it; that is, half a pint of soup, a piece of beef as large as the fist, and

a few vegetables. She then had a small bottle halffilled with wine, paid, and walked out with that same look

"Funny dinner," murmured Maxence, "for a woman who was spreading herself just now in a

From that moment she became the sole and only object of his thoughts. A passion, which he no longer

attempted to resist, was penetrating like a subtle poison to the innermost depths of his being. He thought

himself happy, when, after watching for hours, he caught a glimpse of this singular creature, who, after that

extraordinary expedition, seemed to have resumed her usual mode of life. Mme. Fortin was dumfounded.

"She has been too exacting," she said to Maxence, "and the thing has fallen through."

He made no answer. He felt a perfect horror for the honorable landlady's insinuations; and yet he never

ceased to repeat to himself that he must be a great simpleton to have faith for a moment in that young lady's

virtue. What would he not have given to be able to question her? But he dared not. Often he would gather up

his courage, and wait for her on the stairs; but, as soon as she fixed upon him her great black eye, all the

phrases he had prepared took flight from his brain, his tongue clove to his mouth, and he could barely

He felt so angry with himself, that he was almost on the point of leaving the Hotel des Folies, when one

"Well," said Mme. Fortin to him, "all is made up again, it seems. The beautiful carriage called again today."

"It's always a pleasure," she grumbled, "to have one more woman to torment the men. Those are the girls, you

The sequel seemed at first to justify her worst previsions. Three times during that week, Mlle. Lucienne rode

out in grand style; but as she always returned, and always resumed her eternal black woolen dress,

"I can't make head or tail of it," thought Maxence. But never mind, I'll clear the matter up yet."

He applied, and obtained leave of absence; and from the very next day he took up a position behind the

window of the adjoining caf . On the first day he lost his time; but on the second day, at about three o'clock,

the famous equipage made its appearance; and, a few moments later, Mlle. Lucienne took a seat in it. Her

toilet was richer, and more showy still, than the first time. Maxence jumped into a cab.

"You see that carriage," he said to the coachman, "Wherever it goes, you must follow it. I give ten francs

And much need he had, too, of whipping them; for the carriage that carried off Mlle. Lucienne started at full

trot down the Boulevards, to the Madeleine, then along the Rue Royale, and through the Place de la

Concorde, to the Avenue des ChampsE1ysees, where the horses were brought down to a walk. It was the

end of September, and one of those lovely autumnal days which are a last smile of the blue sky and the last

There were races in the Bois de Boulogne; and the equipages were five and six abreast on the avenue. The

sidealleys were crowded with idlers. Maxence, from the inside of his cab, never lost sight of Mlle.

She was evidently creating a sensation. The men stopped to look at her with gaping admiration: the women

She was going to the Bois; and soon her carriage joined the interminable line of equipages which were

following the grand drive at a walk. It became easier now to follow on foot. Maxence sent off his cab to wait

for him at a particular spot, and took the pedestrians' road, that follows the edge of the lakes. He had not gone

fifty steps, however, before he heard some one call him. He turned around, and, within two lengths of his

cane, saw M. Saint Pavin and M. Costeclar. Maxence hardly knew M. Saint Pavin, whom he had only seen

two or three times in the Rue St. Gilles, and execrated M. Costeclar. Still he advanced towards them.

Mlle. Lucienne's carriage was now caught in the file; and he was sure of joining it whenever he thought

"It is a miracle to see you here, my dear Maxence!" exclaimed M. Costeclar, loud enough to attract the

To occupy the attention of others, anyhow and at any cost, was M. Costeclar's leading object in life.. That

was evident from the style of his dress, the shape of his hat, the bright stripes of his shirt, his ridiculous

"If you see us on foot," he added, "it is because we wanted to walk a little. The doctor's prescription, my dear.

My carriage is yonder, behind those trees. Do you recognize my dapplegrays?" And he extended his cane in

that direction, as if he were addressing himself, not to Maxence alone, but to all those who were passing by.

"Very well, very well! everybody knows you have a carriage," interrupted M. Saint Pavin.

The editor of "The Financial Pilot" was the living contrast of his companion. More slovenly still than M.

Costeclar was careful of his dress, he exhibited cynically a loose cravat rolled over a shirt worn two or three

days, a coat white with lint and plush, muddy boots, though it had not rained for a week, and large red hands,

He was but the more proud ; and he wore, cocked up to one side, a hat that had not known a brush since the

"That fellow Costeclar," he went on, "he won't believe that there are in France a number of people who live

and die without ever having owned a horse or a coupe; which is a fact, nevertheless. Those fellows who were

born with fifty or sixty thousand francs' income in their babyclothes are all alike."

The unpleasant intention was evident; but M. Costeclar was not the man to get angry for such a trifle.

"You are in bad humor today, old fellow," he said. The editor of "The Financial Pilot" made a threatening

"Well, yes," he answered, "I am in bad humor, like a man who for ten years past has been beating the drum in

front of your dd financial shops, and who does not pay expenses. Yes, for ten years I have shouted myself

hoarse for your benefit: 'Walk in, ladies and gentlemen, and, for every twentycentpiece you deposit with

us, we will return you a fivefrancpiece. Walk in, follow the crowd, step up to the office: this is the time.'

They go in. You receive mountains of twentycentpieces: you never return anything, neither a

fivefrancpiece, nor even a centime. The trick is done, the public is sold. You drive your own carriage; you

suspend diamonds to your mistress' ears; and I, the organizer of success, whose puffs open the tightest closed

pockets, and start up the old louis from the bottom of the old woolen stocking, I am driven to have my

boots halfsoled. You stint me my existence; you kick as soon as I ask you to pay for the big drums bursted

He spoke so loud, that three or four idlers had stopped. Without being very shrewd, Maxence understood

readily that he had happened in the midst of an acrimonious discussion. Closely pressed, and desirous of

gaining time, M. Costeclar had called him in the hopes of effecting a diversion.

"Don't go," he declared; "you must come down and take a glass of Madeira with us, down at the Cascade."

Peace being made, the gentlemen continued their walk in the most friendly manner, M. Costeclar pointing out

He had just designated to his attention Mme. and Mlle. de Thaller, accompanied by two gigantic footmen,

Without too much affectation, Maxence fell back a step or two. He felt himself blushing to his very ears, and

trembled lest his sudden emotion were noticed, and he were questioned; for it was Mlle. Lucienne who thus

excited M. Costeclar's noisy enthusiasm. Once already she had been around the lake; and she was continuing

"Positively," approved the editor of "The Financial Pilot," "she is somewhat better than the rest of those

"And I don't know her!" he went on. "A lovely woman rides in the Bois, and I don't know who she is! That is

A little ways off stood a group of gentlemen, who had also just left their carriages, and were looking on this

"Who is that?" inquired M. Costeclar, "that dark person, whose carriage follows Mme. de Thaller's?"

An old young man, with scanty hair, dyed beard, and a most impudent smile, answered him,

"I must and shall find out," interrupted M. Costeclar. "I have a very intelligent servant"

Already he was starting in the direction of the spot where his carriage was waiting for him. The old beau

Don't bother yourself, my dear friend," he said. " I have also a servant who is no fool; and he has had orders

"Distanced, Costeclar!" exclaimed M. Saint Pavin, who, notwithstanding his slovenly dress and cynic

No one was now paying any attention to Maxence; and he slipped off without the slightest care as to what M.

"Which way, boss?" inquired the driver. Maxence hesitated. What better had he to do than to go home? And

"We'll wait for that same carriage," he answered; and we'll follow it on the return."

But he learned nothing further. Mlle. Lucienne drove straight to the Boulevard du Temple, and, as before,

immediately resumed her eternal black dress; and Maxence saw, her go to the little restaurant for her modest

Almost on the heels of the girl, a servant in livery entered the hotel corridor, and only went off after

"It's all over," thought the poor fellow. "Lucienne will not be much longer my neighbor."

He was mistaken. A month went by without bringing about any change. As in the past, she went out early,

came home late, and on Sundays remained alone all day in her room. Once or twice a week, when the

weather was fine, the carriage came for her at about three o'clock, and brought her home at nightfall.

Maxence had exhausted all conjectures, when one evening, it was the 31st of October, as he was coming in to

go to bed, he heard a loud sound of voices in the office of the hotel. Led by an instinctive curiosity, he

approached on tiptoe, so as to see and hear every thing. The Fortins and Mlle. Lucienne were having a great

"Well," she replied: "don't I pay you? Here are forty francs, thirty in advance for my room, and ten on the

"Yes. After the Commune, it was understood that I would give you ten francs a month on the old account; as

"Formerly," she interrupted, "I presumed I had to deal with a poor workinggirl, an honest girl."

"Well, then," vociferated the other, "you must go and ask it of those who pay for your carriages and your

Still impassible, the girl, instead of answering, stretched her hand towards her key; but M. Fortin stopped her

"No, no!" he said with a giggle. "People who don't pay their hotelbill sleep out, my darling."

Maxence, that very morning, had received his month's pay, and he felt, as it were, his two hundred francs

Yielding to a sudden inspiration, he threw open the officedoor, and, throwing down one hundred and fifty

Maxence had not spoken to Mlle. Lucienne for nearly a month. He tried to persuade himself that she despised

him because he was poor. He kept watching for her, for he could not help it; but as much as possible he

"I shall be miserable," he thought, "the day when she does not come home; and yet it would be the very best

Nevertheless, he spent all his time trying to find some explanations for the conduct of this strange girl, who,

beneath her woolen dress, had the haughty manners of a great lady. Then he delighted to imagine between her

and himself some of those subjects of confidence, some of those facilities which chance never fails to supply

to attentive passion, or some event which would enable him to emerge from his obscurity, and to acquire

But never had he dared to hope for an occasion as propitious as the one he had just seized. And yet, after he

had returned to his room, he hardly dared to congratulate himself upon the promptitude of his decision. He

"I should not be surprised if she were angry with me for what I've done," he thought.

The evening being quite chilly, he had lighted a few sticks; and, sitting by the fireside, he was waiting, his

mind filled with vague hopes. It seemed to him that his neighbor could not absolve herself from coming to

thank him; and he was listening intently to all the noises of the house, starting at the sound of footsteps on the

stairs, and at the slamming of doors. Ten times, at least, he went out on tiptoe to lean out of the window on

the landing, to make sure that there was no light in Mlle. Lucienne's room. At eleven o'clock she had not yet

come home; and he was deliberating whether he would not start out in quest of information, when there was a

"Come in! "he cried, in a voice choked with emotion. Mlle. Lucienne came in. She was somewhat paler than

usual, but calm and perfectly selfpossessed. Having bowed without the slightest shade of embarrassment,

she laid upon the mantelpiece the thirty fivefrancnotes which Maxence had thrown down to the Fortins;

"Here are your hundred and fifty francs, sir," she uttered. "I am more grateful than I can express for your

Maxence had risen from his seat, and was making every effort to control his own feelings.

"Yes," she interrupted, "Mme. Fortin and her husband were trying to frighten me. But they were losing their

time. When, after the Commune, I settled with them the manner in which I would discharge my debt towards

them, having a just estimate of their worth, I made them write out and sign our agreement. Being in the right,

I could resist them, and was resisting them when you threw them those hundred and fifty francs. Having laid

hands upon them, they had the pretension to keep them. That's what I could not suffer. Not being able to

recover them by main force, I went at once to the commissary of police. He was luckily at his office. He is an

honest man, who already, once before, helped me out of a scrape. He listened to me kindly, and was moved

by my explanations. Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, he put on his overcoat, and came with me to

see our landlord. After compelling them to return me your money, he signified to them to observe strictly our

"What? Should my right be less respected because I am but a woman? And, because I have no one to protect

me, am I outside the law, and condemned in advance to suffer the iniquitous fancies of every scoundrel? No,

thank Heaven! Henceforth I shall feel easy. People like the Fortins, who live of I know not what shameful

The resentment of the insult could be read in her great black eyes; and a bitter disgust contracted her lips.

"Besides," she added, "the commissary had no need of my explanations to understand what abject

inspirations the Fortins were following. The wretches had in their pocket the wages of their infamy. In

refusing me my key, in throwing me out in the street at ten o'clock at night, they hoped to drive me to seek

the assistance of the base coward who paid their odious treason. And we know the price which men demand

Maxence turned pale. The idea flashed upon his mind that it was to him, perhaps, that these last words were

"Ah, I swear it! "he exclaimed, "it is without afterthought that I tried to help you. You do not owe me any

"I do not thank you any the less, though," she said gently, "and from the bottom of my heart"

"Intention alone makes the value of a service, neighbor. And, besides, do not say that a hundred and fifty

"You see, then? No, it was not to you that my words were addressed, but to the man who has paid the Fortins.

He was waiting on the Boulevard, the result of the manoeuvre, which, they thought, was about to place me at

his mercy. He ran quickly to me when I went out, and followed me all the way to the office of the

commissary of police, as he follows me everywhere for the past month, with his sickening gallantries and his

"What would you have done? " she said. "You cannot impart intelligence to a fool, heart to a coward, or

"Bash!" she interrupted. "What are insults to me? I am so accustomed to them, that they no longer have any

effect upon me. I am eighteen: I have neither family, relatives, friends, nor any one in the world who even

knows my existence; and I live by my labor. Can't you see what must be the humiliations of each day? Since I

was eight years old, I have been earning the bread I eat, the dress I wear, and the rent of the den where I

sleep. Can you understand what I have endured, to what ignominies I have been exposed, what traps have

been set for me, and how it has happened to me sometimes to owe my safety to mere physical force? And yet

I do not complain, since through it all I have been able to retain the respect of myself, and to remain virtuous

"That seems strange to you, doesn't it?" she resumed. "A girl of eighteen, without a sou, free as air, very

pretty, and yet virtuous in the midst of Paris. Probably you don't believe it, or, if you do, you just think, 'What

"And really you are right; for, after all, who cares, and who thinks any the more of me, if I work sixteen hours

a day to remain virtuous? But it's a fancy of my own; and don't imagine for a moment that I am deterred by

any scruples, or by timidity, or ignorance. No, no! I believe in nothing. I fear nothing; and I know as much as

the oldest libertines, the most vicious, and the most depraved. And I don't say that I have not been tempted

sometimes, when, coming home from work, I'd see some of them coming out of the restaurants, splendidly

dressed, on their lover's arm, and getting into carriages to go to the theatre. There were moments when I was

cold and hungry, and when, not knowing where to sleep, I wandered all night through the streets like a lost

dog. There were hours when I felt sick of all this misery, and when I said to myself, that, since it was my fate

to end in the hospital, I might as well make the trip gayly. But what! I should have had to traffic my person,

It was difficult to reconcile words such as these with certain circumstances of Mlle. Lucienne's existence,

her rides around the lake, for instance, in that carriage that came for her two or three times a week; her ever

renewed costumes, each time more eccentric and more showy. But Maxence was not thinking of that. What

she told him he accepted as absolutely true and indisputable. And he felt penetrated with an almost religious

admiration for this young and beautiful girl, possessed of so much vivid energy, who alone, through the

hazards, the perils, and the temptations of Paris, had succeeded in protecting and defending herself.

She shuddered; and a pale smile flitted upon her lips. She knew well enough what friendship means between

"Yes, a friend," he repeated, "a comrade, a brother." And thinking to touch her, and gain her confidence,

But he was singularly mistaken. She looked at him with an astonished air, and slowly,

"You unhappy!" she uttered, "you who have a family, relations, a mother who adores you, a sister." Less

excited, Maxence might have wondered how she had found this out, and would have concluded that she must

feel some interest in him, since she had doubtless taken the trouble of getting information.

"Besides, you are a man," she went on; "and I do not understand how a man can complain. Have you not the

freedom, the strength, and the right to undertake and to dare any thing? Isn't the world open to your activity

This was hurting the dearest pretensions of Maxence, who seriously thought that he had exhausted the rigors

"Do not insist," she said, "or else I might think that you lack energy. What are you talking of circumstances?

There are none so adverse but that can be overcome. What would you like, then? To be born with a hundred

thousand francs a year, and have nothing to do but to live according to your whim of each day, idle, satiated,

a burden upon yourself, useless, or offensive to others? Ah! If I were a man, I would dream of another fate. I

should like to start from the Foundling Asylum, without a name, and by my will, my intelligence, my daring,

and my labor, make something and somebody of myself. I would start from nothing, and become every

With flashing eyes and quivering nostrils, she drew herself up proudly. But almost at once, dropping her

"The misfortune is," she added, "that I am but a woman; and you who complain, if you only knew "

She sat down, and with her elbow on the little table, her head resting upon her hand, she remained lost in her

meditations, her eyes fixed, as if following through space all the phases of the eighteen years of her life.

There is no energy but unbends at some given moment, no will but has its hour of weakness; and, strong and

energetic as was Mlle. Lucienne, she had been deeply touched by Maxence's act. Had she, then, found at last

upon her path the companion of whom she had often dreamed in the despairing hours of solitude and

wretchedness? After a few moments, she raised her head, and, looking into Maxence's eyes with a gaze that

"Doubtless," she said, in a tone of indifference somewhat forced, "you think you have in me a strange

neighbor. Well, as between neighbors; it is well to know each other. Before you judge me, listen."

The recommendation was useless. Maxence was listening with all the powers of his attention.

"I was brought up," she began, "in a village of the neighborhood of Paris, in Louveciennes. My mother had

put me out to nurse with some honest gardeners, poor, and burdened with a large family. After two months,

hearing nothing of my mother, they wrote to her: she made no answer. They then went to Paris, and called at

the address she had given them. She had just moved out; and no one knew what had become of her. They

could no longer, therefore, expect a single sou for the cares they would bestow upon me. They kept me,

nevertheless, thinking that one child the more would not make much difference. I know nothing of my

parents, therefore, except what I heard through these kind gardeners; and, as I was still quite young when I

had the misfortune to lose them, I have but a very vague remembrance of what they told me. I remember very

well, however, that according to their statements, my mother was a young workingwoman of rare beauty,

and that, very likely, she was not my father's wife. If I was ever told the name of my mother or my father, if I

ever knew it, I have quite forgotten it. I had myself no name. My adopted parents called me the Parisian. I

was happy, nevertheless, with these kind people, and treated exactly like their own children. In winter, they

sent me to school; in summer, I helped weeding the garden. I drove a sheep or two along the road, or else I

"This was the happiest, indeed, the only happy time of my life, towards which my thoughts may turn when I

feel despair and discouragement getting the better of me. Alas! I was but eight, when, within the same week,

the gardener and his wife were both carried off by the same disease, inflammation of the lungs.

"On a freezing December morning, in that house upon which the hand of death had just fallen, we found

ourselves, six children, the oldest of whom was not eleven, crying with grief, fright, cold, and hunger.

"Neither the gardener nor his wife had any relatives; and they left nothing but a few wretched pieces of

furniture, the sale of which barely sufficed to pay the expenses of their funeral. The two younger children

"It was a laundress of Marly who took me. I was quite tall and strong for my age. She made an apprentice of

me. She was not unkind by nature; but she was violent and brutal in the extreme. She compelled me to do an

"Fifty times a day, I had to go from the river to the house, carrying on my shoulders enormous bundles of wet

napkins or sheets, wring them, spread them out, and then run to Rueil to get the soiled clothes from the

customers. I did not complain (I was already too proud to complain); but, if I was ordered to do something

that seemed to me too unjust, I refused obstinately to obey, and then I was unmercifully beaten. In spite of all,

I might, perhaps, have become attached to the woman, had she not had the disgusting habit of drinking. Every

week regularly, on the day when she took the clothes to Paris (it was on Wednesdays), she came home drunk.

And then, according as, with the fumes of the wine, anger or gayety rose to her brain, there were atrocious

"When she was in that condition, she inspired me with horror. And one Wednesday, as I showed my feelings

too plainly, she struck me so hard, that she broke my arm. I had been with, her for twenty months. The injury

she had done me sobered her at once. She became frightened, overpowered me with caresses, begging me to

But a physician had to be called in. There had been witnesses who spoke. The story spread along the river, as

far as Bougival and Rueil. And one morning an officer of gendarmes called at the house; and I don't exactly

know what would have happened, if I had not obstinately maintained that I had broken my arm in falling

What surprised Maxence most was Mlle. Lucienne's simple and natural tone. No emphasis, scarcely an

appearance of emotion. One might have thought it was somebody's else life that she was narrating. Meantime

"Thanks to my obstinate denials the woman was not disturbed. But the truth was known; and her reputation,

which was not good before, became altogether bad. I became an object of interest. The very same people who

had seen me twenty times staggering painfully under a load of wet clothes, which was terrible, began to pity

"At last a number of our customers arranged to take me out of a house, in which, they said, I must end by

"And, after many fruitless efforts, they discovered, at last, at La Jonchere, an old Jewess lady, very rich, and a

"I hesitated at first to accept these offers; but noticing that the laundress, since she had hurt me, had

"It was on the day when I was introduced to my new mistress that I first discovered I had no name. After

examining me at length, turning me around and around, making me walk, and sit down, 'Now,' she inquired,

"I stared at her in surprise; for indeed I was then like a savage, not having the slightest notions of the things

"She burst out laughing, as also another old lady, a friend of hers, who assisted at my presentation; and I

remember that my little pride was quite offended at their hilarity. I thought they were laughing at me.

"They seemed dumfounded, repeating over and over that such a thing was unheard of; and on the spot they

"A long discussion followed, which irritated me so much that I felt like running away; and it was agreed at

last, that I should be called, not Louvecienne, but Lucienne; and Lucienne I have remained.

"She was an excellent woman, although the grief she had felt at the loss of her husband had somewhat

"As soon as it was decided that I was to remain, she desired to inspect my trousseau. I had none to show her,

possessing nothing in the world but the rags on my back. As long as I had remained with the laundress, I had

finished wearing out her old dresses; and I had never worn any other underclothing save that which I

borrowed, 'by authority,' from the clients, an economical system adopted by many laundresses.

"Dismayed at my state of destitution, my new mistress sent for a seamstress, and at once ordered wherewith

"Since the death of the poor gardeners, this was the first time that any one paid any attention to me, except to

exact some service of me. I was moved to tears; and, in the excess of my gratitude, I would gladly have died

"This feeling gave me the courage and the constancy required to bear with her whimsical nature. She had

singular manias, disconcerting fancies, ridiculous and often exorbitant exactions. I lent myself to it all as best

"As she already had two servants, a cook and a chambermaid, I had myself no special duties in the house. I

accompanied her when she went out riding. I helped to wait on her at table, and to dress her. I picked up her

handkerchief when she dropped it; and, above all, I looked for her snuffbox, which she was continually

"She was pleased with my docility, took much interest in me, and, that I might read to her, she made me learn

to read, for I hardly knew my letters. And the old man whom she gave me for a teacher, finding me

intelligent, taught me all he knew, I imagine, of French, of geography, and of history.

"The chambermaid, on the other hand, had been commissioned to teach me to sew, to embroider, and to

execute all sorts of fancywork; and she took the more interest in her lessons, that little by little she shifted

"I would have been happy in that pretty house at La Jonchere, if I had only had some society better suited to

my age than the old women with whom I was compelled to live, and who scolded me for a loud word or a

somewhat abrupt gesture. What would I not have given to have been allowed to play with the young girls

"As time went on, my old mistress became more and more attached to me, and endeavored in every way to

give me proofs of her affection. I sat at table with her, instead of waiting on her, as at first. She had given me

"She went about repeating everywhere that she was as fond of me as of a daughter; that she intended to set

"Alas! She said it too loud, for my misfortune, so loud, that the news reached at last the ears of some

"They had never paid much attention to me up to this time. Those speeches opened their eyes: they noticed

what progress I had made in the heart of their relative; and their cupidity became alarmed.

"Trembling lest they should lose an inheritance which they considered as theirs, they united against me,

determined to put a stop to their aunt's generous intentions by having me sent off.

"But it was in vain, that, for nearly a year, their hatred exhausted itself in skillful manceuvres.

"The instinct of preservation stimulating my perspicacity I had penetrated their intentions, and I was

struggling with all my might. Every day, to make myself more indispensable, I invented some novel

"They only came once a week to La Jonchere: I was there all the time. I had the advantage. I struggled

successfully, and was probably approaching the end of my troubles, when my poor old mistress was taken

sick. After fortyeight hours, she was very low. She was fully conscious, but for that very reason she could

"Her nieces had come to sit by her bedside; and I was expressly forbidden to enter the room. They had

"Evidently gained in advance, the physicians declared to my poor benefactress that the air of La Jonchere was

fatal to her, and that her only chance of recovery was to establish herself in Paris. One of her nephews offered

to have her taken to his house in a litter. She would soon get well, they said; and she could then go to finish

"Her first word was for me. She did not wish to be separated from me, she protested, and insisted absolutely

upon taking me with her. Her nephews represented gravely to her that this was an impossibility; that she must

not think of burdening herself with me; that the simplest thing was to leave me at La Jonchere; and that,

"The sick woman struggled for a long time, and with an energy of which I would not have thought her

"But the others were pressing. The physicians kept repeating that they could not answer for any thing, if she

"The very next morning, a sort of litter, carried by eight men, stopped in front of the door. My poor mistress

was laid into it; and they carried her off, without even permitting me to kiss her for the last time.

"Two hours later, the cook and the chambermaid were dismissed. As to myself, the nephew who had

promised to look after me put a twentyfrancpiece in my hand saying, 'Here are your eight days in advance.

It was impossible that Mlle. Lucienne should not be deeply moved whilst thus stirring the ashes of her past.

She showed no evidence of it, however, except, now and then, a slight alteration in her voice.

As to Maxence, he would vainly have tried to conceal the passionate interest with which he was listening to

"Never," replied Mlle. Lucienne. "All my efforts to reach her have proved fruitless. She does not live in Paris

now. I have written to her: my letters have remained without answer. Did she ever get them? I think not.

She remained silent for a few moments, as if collecting herself before resuming the thread of her narrative.

"It was thus brutally," she resumed, "that I was sent off. It would have been useless to beg, I knew; and,

moreover, I have never known how to beg. I piled up hurriedly in two trunks and in some bandboxes all I had

in the world, all I had received from the generosity of my poor mistress; and, before the stated hour, I was

ready. The cook and the chambermaid had already gone. The man who was treating me so cruelly was

waiting for me. He helped me carry out my boxes and trunks, after which he locked the door, put the key in

his pocket; and, as the American omnibus was passing, he beckoned to it to stop. And then, before entering it,

"This was in the month of January, 1866. I was just thirteen. I have had since more terrible trials, and I have

found myself in much more desperate situations: but I do not remember ever feeling such intense

discouragement as I did that day, when I found myself alone upon that road, not knowing which way to go. I

sat down on one of my trunks. The weather was cold and gloomy: there were few persons on the road. They

looked at me, doubtless wondering what I was doing there. I wept. I had a vague feeling that the wellmeant

kindness of my poor benefactress, in bestowing upon me the blessings of education, would in reality prove a

serious impediment in the lifestruggle which I was about to begin again. I thought of what I suffered with

the laundress; and, at the idea of the tortures which the future still held in store for me, I desired death. The

Seine was near: why not put an end at once to the miserable existence which I foresaw?

"Such were my reflections, when a woman from Rueil, a vegetablevender, whom I knew by sight, happened

to pass, pushing her handcart before her over the muddy pavement. She stopped when she saw me; and, in

"In a few words I explained to her my situation. She seemed more surprised than moved.

"'What do you expect to do now?' she interrogated in a tone of voice so different from that in which she had

"'You can't stay there,' she resumed: 'the gendarmes would arrest you. Come with me. We will talk things

"I was so completely crushed, that I had neither strength nor will. Besides, what was the use of thinking? Had

I any choice of resolutions? Finally, the woman's offer seemed to me a last favor of destiny.

"She proceeded at once to load up my little baggage on her cart. We started; and soon we arrived 'home.'

"What she called thus was a sort of cellar, at least twelve inches lower than the street, receiving its only light

through the glass door, in which several broken panes had been replaced by sheets of paper. It was

revoltingly filthy, and filled with a sickening odor. On all sides were heaps of vegetables, cabbages,

potatoes, onions. In one corner a nameless heap of decaying rags, which she called her bed; in the centre, a

small castiron stove, the wornout pipe of which allowed the smoke to escape in the room.

"I helped her to unload the cart. She filled the stove with coal, and at once declared that she wanted to inspect

"My trunks were opened; and it was with exclamations of surprise that the woman handled my dresses, my

"Her eyes sparkled so, that a strong feeling of mistrust arose in my mind. She seemed to consider all my

property as an unexpected godsend to herself. Her hands trembled as she handled some piece of jewelry; and

she took me to the light that she might better estimate the value of my earrings.

"And so, when she asked me if I had any money, determined to hide at least my twentyfrancpiece, which

"But she wished to know my history, and I was compelled to tell it to her. One thing only surprised her, my

"'Never mind!' she said. 'It was lucky for you that you met me. You are at least certain now of eating every

day; for I am going to take charge of you. I am getting old: you'll help me to drag my cart. If you are as smart

"Nothing could suit me less. But how could I resist? She threw a few rags upon the floor; and on them I had

to sleep. The next day, wearing my meanest dress, and a pair of wooden shoes which she had bought for me,

and which bruised my feet horribly, I had to harness myself to the cart by means of a leather strap, which cut

my shoulders and my chest. She was an abominable creature, that woman; and I soon found out that her

repulsive features indicated but too well her ignoble instincts. After leading a life of vice and shame, she had,

with the approach of hold age, fallen into the most abject poverty, and had adopted the trade of

vegetablevender, which she carried on just enough to escape absolute starvation. Enraged at her fate, she

found a detestable pleasure in illtreating me, or in endeavoring to stain my imagination by the foulest

"Ah, if I had only known where to fly, and where to take refuge! But, abusing my ignorance, that execrable

woman had persuaded me, that, if I attempted to go out alone, I would be arrested. And I knew no one to

whom I could apply for protection and advice. And then I began to learn that beauty, to a poor girl, is a fatal

gift. One by one, the woman had sold every thing I had, dresses, underclothes, jewels; and I was now

"Every morning, rain or shine, hot or cold, we started, wheeling our cart from village to village, all along the

Seine, from Courbevoie to PontMarly. I could see no end to this wretched existence, when one evening the

commissary of police presented himself at our hovel, and ordered us to follow him.

"We were taken to prison; and there I found myself thrown among some hundred women, whose faces,

words, and gestures frightened me. The vegetablewoman had committed a theft; and I was accused of

complicity. Fortunately I was easily able to demonstrate my innocence; and, at the end of two weeks, a jailer

Maxence understood now the gently ironical smile with which Mlle. Lucienne had heard him assert that he,

too, had been very unhappy. What a life hers had been! And how could such things be within a step of Paris,

in the midst of a society which deems its organization too perfect to consent to modify it!

"I was indeed free; but of what use could my freedom be to me? I knew not which way to go. A mechanical

instinct took me back to Rueil. I fancied I would be safer among people who all knew me, and that I might

find shelter in our old lodgings. But this last hope was disappointed. Immediately after our arrest, the owner

of the building had thrown out every thing it contained, and had rented it to a hideous beggar, who offered

"The situation was certainly more horrible now than the day when I had been turned out of my benefactress'

house. But the eight months I had just spent with the horrible woman had taught me anew how to bear

"I took out from a fold of my dress, where I had kept it constantly hid, the twentyfrancpiece I had

received; and, as I was hungry, I entered a sort of eating and lodging house, where I had occasionally taken a

meal. The proprietor was a kindhearted man. When I had told him my situation, he invited me to remain

with him until I could find something better. On Sundays and Mondays the customers were plenty; and he

was obliged to take an extra servant. He offered me that work to do, promising, in exchange, my lodging and

one meal a day. I accepted. The next day being Sunday, I commenced the arduous duties of a barmaid in a

low drinking house. My pourboires amounted sometimes to five or ten francs; I had my board and lodging

free; and at the end of three months I had been able to provide myself with some decent clothing, and was

commencing to accumulate a little reserve, when the lodginghouse keeper, whose business had

unexpectedly developed itself to a considerable extent, concluded to engage a manwaiter, and urged me to

look elsewhere for work. I did so. An old neighbor of ours told me of a situation at Bougival, where she said I

would be very comfortable. Overcoming my repugnance, I applied, and was accepted. I was to get thirty

"The place might have been a good one. There were only three in the family, the gentleman and his wife,

and a son of twentyfive. Every morning, father and son left for Paris by the first train, and only came home

to dinner at about six o'clock. I was therefore alone all day with the woman. Unfortunately, she was a cross

and disagreeable person, who, never having had a servant before, felt an insatiable desire of showing and

exercising her authority. She was, moreover, extremely suspicious, and found some pretext to visit regularly

my trunks once or twice a week, to see if I had not concealed some of her napkins or silver spoons. Having

told her that I had once been a laundress, she made me wash and iron all the clothes in the house, and was

forever accusing me of using too much soap and too much coal. Still I liked the place well enough; and I had

a little room in the attic; which I thought charming, and where I spent delightful evenings reading or sewing.

"But luck was against me. The young gentleman of the house took a fancy to me, and determined to make me

his mistress. I discouraged him in a way; but he persisted in his loathsome attention, until one night he broke

into my room, and I was compelled to shout for help with all my might, before I could get rid of him.

"The next day I left that house; but I tried in vain to find another situation in Bougival. I resolved then to seek

a place in Paris. I had a big trunk full of good clothes, and about a hundred francs of savings; and I felt no

"When I arrived in Paris, I went straight to an intelligenceoffice. I was extremely well received by a very

affable old woman who promised to get me a good place, and, in the mean time, solicited me to board with

her. She kept a sort of boardinghouse for servants out of place; and there were there some fifty or sixty of

"Time went by, and still I did not find that famous place. The board was expensive, too, for my scanty means;

and I determined to leave. I started in quest of new lodgings, followed by a porter, carrying my trunk; but as I

was crossing the Boulevard, not getting quick enough out of the way of a handsome private carriage which

was coming at full trot, I was knocked down, and trampled under the horses's feet."

"I had lost consciousness," went on Mlle. Lucienne. "When I came to my senses, I was sitting in a drugstore;

and three or four persons were busy around me. I had no fracture, but only some severe contusions, and a

"The physician who had attended me requested me to try and walk; but I could not even stand on my feet.

Then he asked me where I lived, that I might be taken there; and I was compelled to own that I was a poor

In that case,' said the doctor to the druggist, 'we must send her to the hospital.'

"In the mean time, quite a crowd had gathered outside, and the conduct of the person who was in the carriage

that had run over me was being indignantly criticised. It was a woman; and I had caught a glimpse of her at

the very moment I was falling under the horses' feet. She had not even condescended to get out of her

carriage; but, calling a policeman, she had given him her name and address, adding, loud enough to be heard

by the crowd, 'I am in too great a hurry to stop. My coachman is an awkward fellow, whom I shall dismiss as

"She had also sent one of her cards for me. A policeman handed it to me; and I read the name, Baronne de

"That's lucky for you,' said the doctor. 'That lady is the wife of a very rich banker; and she will be able to help

"The cab had now come. I was carried into it; and, an hour later, I was admitted at the hospital, and laid on a

"But my trunk! my trunk, which contained all my things, all I had in the world, and, worse still, all the

money I had left. I asked for it, my heart filled with anxiety. No one had either seen or heard of it. Had the

porter missed me in the crowd? or had he basely availed himself of the accident to rob me? This was hard to

"The good sisters promised that they would have it looked after, and that the police would certainly be able to

find that man whom I had engaged near the intelligenceoffice. But all these assurances failed to console me.

This blow was the finishing one. I was taken with fever; and for more than two weeks my life was despaired

of. I was saved at last: but my convalescence was long and tedious; and for over two months I lingered with

"Yet such had been my misery for the past two years, that this gloomy stay in a hospital was for me like an

oasis in the desert. The good sisters were very kind to me; and, when I was able, I helped them with their

lighter work, or went to the chapel with them. I shuddered at the thought that I must leave them as soon as I

was entirely well; and then what would become of me? For my trunk had not been found, and I was destitute

"And yet I had, at the hospital, more than one subject for gloomy reflections. Twice a week, on Thursdays

and Sundays, visitors were admitted; and there was not on those days a single patient who did not receive a

"But I am mistaken. I was commencing to get well, when one Sunday I saw by my bedside an old man,

dressed all in black, of alarming appearance, wearing blue spectacles, and holding under his arm an enormous

"You are the person who was knocked down by a carriage on the corner of the Boulevard and the Faubourg

"Luckily for you I am here,' be said. 'Several times already I have called; but you were too unwell to hear me.

"He was a sort of broker; and accidents were his specialty. As soon as one took place, he was notified by

some friends of his at police headquarters. At once he started in quest of the victim, overtook her at home or

at the hospital, and offered his services. For a moderate commission he undertook, if needs be, to recover

damages. He commenced suit when necessary; and, if he thought the case tolerably safe, he made advances.

He stated, for instance, that my case was a plain one, and that he would undertake to obtain four or five

thousand francs, at least, from Mme. de Thaller. All he wanted was my power of attorney. But, in spite of his

pressing instances, I declined his offers; and he withdrew, very much displeased, assuring me that I would

"Upon second thought, indeed, I regretted to have followed the first inspiration of my pride, and the more so,

that the good sisters whom I consulted on the subject told me that I was wrong, and that my reclamation

would be perfectly proper. At their suggestion, I then adopted another line of conduct, which, they thought,

"As briefly as possible, I wrote out the history of my life from the day I had been left with the gardeners at

Louveciennes. I added to it a faithful account of my present situation; and I addressed the whole to Mme. de

"They were mistaken. Mme. de Thaller came neither the next nor the following days; and I was still awaiting

her answer, when, one morning, the doctor announced that I was well enough to leave the hospital.

I cannot say that I was very sorry. I had lately made the acquaintance of a young workwoman, who had been

sent to the hospital in consequence of a fall, and who occupied the bed next to mine. She was a girl of about

twenty, very gentle, very obliging, and whose amiable countenance had attracted me from the first.

"Like myself, she had no parents. But she was rich, very rich. She owned the furniture of the room, a

sewingmachine, which had cost her three hundred francs, and, like a true child of Paris, she understood five

or six trades, the least lucrative of which yielded her twentyfive or thirty cents a day. In less than a week, we

"'Believe me,' she said: 'when you come out yourself, don't waste your time looking for a place. Come to me:

I can accommodate you. I'll teach you what I know; and, if you are industrious, you'll make your living, and

"It was to her room that I went straight from the hospital, carrying, tied in a handkerchief, my entire baggage,

"She received me like a sister, and after showing me her lodging, two little atticrooms shining with

It was getting late. M. Fortin had long ago come up and put out the gas on the stairs. One by one, every noise

had died away in the hotel. Nothing now disturbed the silence of the night save the distant sound of some

belated cab on the Boulevard. But neither Maxence nor Mlle. Lucienne were noticing the flight of time, so

interested were they, one in telling, and the other in listening to, this story of a wonderful existence. However,

Mlle. Lucienne' s voice had become hoarse with fatigue. She poured herself a glass of water, which she

"Never yet," she resumed, "had I been agitated by such a sweet sensation. My eyes were full of tears; but they

were tears of gratitude and joy. After so many years of isolation, to meet with such a friend, so generous, and

so devoted: it was like finding a family. For a few weeks, I thought that fate had relented at last. My friend

was an excellent workwoman; but with some intelligence, and the will to learn, I soon knew as much as she

"There was plenty of work. By working twelve hours, with the help of the thriceblessed sewingmachine,

we succeeded in making six, seven, and even eight francs a day. It was a fortune.

"Once more I was afloat, and I had more clothes than I had lost in my trunk. I liked the life I was leading; and

I would be leading it still, if my friend had not one day fallen desperately in love with a young man she had

meet at a ball. I disliked him very much, and took no trouble to conceal my feelings: nevertheless, my friend

imagined that I had designs upon him, and became fiercely, jealous of me. Jealousy does not reason; and I

soon understood that we would no longer be able to live in common, and that I must look elsewhere for

Coming home one Monday night at about eleven, she notified me to clear out at once. I attempted to

expostulate: she replied with abuse. Rather than enter upon a degrading struggle, I yielded, and went out.

That night I spent on a chair in a neighbor's room. But the next day, when I went for my things, my former

friend refused to give them, and presumed to keep every thing. I was compelled, though reluctantly, to resort

I gained my point. But the good days had gone. Luck did not follow me to the wretched furnished house

where I hired a room. I had no sewingmachine, and but few acquaintances. By working fifteen or sixteen

hours a day, I made thirty or forty cents. That was not enough to live on. Then work failed me altogether,

and, piece by piece, every thing I had went to the pawnbroker's. On a gloomy December morning, I was

turned out of my room, and left on the pavement with a tencentpiece for my fortune.

Never had I been so low; and I know not to what extremities I might have come at last, when I happened to

'think of that wealthy lady whose horses had upset me on the Boulevard. I had kept her card. Without

hesitation, I went unto a grocery, and calling for some paper and a pen, I wrote, overcoming the last struggle

"'Do you remember, madame, a poor girl whom your carriage came near crushing to death? Once before she

applied to you, and received no answer. She is today without shelter and without bread; and you are her

"I placed these few lines in an envelope, and ran to the address indicated on the card. It was a magnificent

residence, with a vast courtyard in front. In the porter's lodge, five or six servants were talking as I came in,

and looked at me impudently, from head to foot, when I requested them to take my letter to Mme. de Thaller.

Maxence was about to express the thoughts which Mme. de Thaller's name naturally suggested to his mind,

"In all my life," she went on, "I had never seen any thing so magnificent as that vestibule with its tall

columns, its tessellated floor, its large bronze vases filled with the rarest flowers, and its red velvet benches,

"I was, I confess, somewhat intimidated by all of this splendor; and I remained awkwardly standing, when

"A door had just opened, through which appeared a man already past middle age, tall, thin, dressed in the

"The attitude of the servants," she went on, "had made me easily guess that he was the master. I was bowing

to him, blushing and embarrassed, when, noticing me, he stopped short, shuddering from head to foot.

"I attributed his manner to the sad condition of my dress, which appeared more miserable and more

dilapidated still amid the surrounding splendors; and, in a scarcely intelligible voice, I began,

"'I am awaiting an answer, sir, to a request which I have just forwarded to the baroness.'

"'Once sir, I was run over in the street by the baroness's carriage: I was severely wounded, and had to be

"It is you, then, who once before sent a long letter to my wife, in which you told the story of your life?'

"'You stated in that letter that you had no parents, having been left by your mother with some gardeners at

"To M. de Thaller's first surprise had succeeded a feeling of evident irritation; but, the more haughty and

"Indeed, it seemed to me that my firmness alarmed him. With a feverish haste, he began to feel in his pockets.

He took out their contents of gold and banknotes all in a heap, and, thrusting it into my hands without

"I observed to him, that, having sent a letter to Mme. de Thaller, it would perhaps be proper to await her

answer. But he replied that it was not necessary, and, pushing me towards the door,

"I started to go out; but I had not gone ten steps across the yard, when I heard him crying excitedly to his

"'You see that beggar, don't you? Well, the first one who allows her to cross the threshold of my door shall be

"A beggar, I! Ah the wretch! I turned round to cast his alms into his face; but already he had disappeared, and

"I went out; and, as my anger gradually passed off, I felt thankful that I had been unable to follow the dictates

"'Poor girl,' I thought to myself, 'where would you be at this hour? You would only have to select between

"I was passing before a small restaurant. I went in; for I was very hungry, having, so to speak, eaten nothing

for several days past. Besides, I felt anxious to count my treasure. The Baron de Thaller had given me nine

"This sum, which exceeded the utmost limits of my ambition, seemed inexhaustible to me: I was dazzled by

"'And yet,' I thought, 'had M. de Thaller happened to have ten thousand francs in his pockets he would have

"I was at a loss to explain this strange generosity. Why his surprise when he first saw me, then his anger, and

his haste to get rid of me? How was it that a man whose mind must be filled with the gravest cares had so

distinctly remembered me, and the letter I had written to his wife? Why, after showing himself so generous,

"After vainly trying for some time to solve this riddle, I concluded that I must be the victim of my own

imagination; and I turned my attention to making the best possible use of my sudden fortune. On the same

day, I took a little room in the Faubourg St. Denis; and I bought myself a sewingmachine. Before the week

was over, I had work before me for several months. Ah! this time it seemed indeed that I had nothing more to

apprehend from destiny; and I looked forward, without fear, to the future. At the end of a month, I was

earning four to five francs a day, when, one afternoon, a stout man, very well dressed, looking honest and

goodnatured, and speaking French with some difficulty, made his appearance at my room. He was an

American he stated, and had been sent to me by the woman for whom I worked. Having need of a skilled

Parisian workwoman, he came to propose to me to follow him to New York, where he would insure me a

"But I knew several poor girls, who, on the faith of dazzling promises, had expatriated themselves. Once

abroad, they had been shamefully abandoned, and had been driven, to escape starvation, to resort to the vilest

"My visitor at once protested indignantly. Whom did I take him for? It was a fortune that I was refusing. He

guaranteed me in New York board, lodging, and two hundred francs a month. He would pay all traveling and

moving expenses. And, to prove to me the fairness of his intentions, he was ready, he said, to sign an

"Well,' I said, 'give me twentyfour hours to decide. I wish to see my employer.'

"He seemed very much annoyed; but, as I remained firm in my purpose, he left, promising to return the next

"I ran at once to my employer. She did not know what I was talking about. She had sent no one, and was not

"Of course, I never saw him again; and I couldn't help thinking of this singular adventure, when, one evening

during the following week, as I was coming home at about eleven o'clock, two policemen arrested me, and, in

spite of my earnest protestations, took me to the stationhouse, where I was locked up with a dozen

unfortunates who had just been taken up on the Boulevards. I spent the night crying with shame and anger;

and I don't know what would have become of me, if the justice of the peace, who examined me the next

morning, had not happened to be a just and kind man. As soon as I had explained to him that I was the victim

of a most humiliating error he sent an agent in quest of information, and having satisfied himself that I was an

honest girl, working for my living, he discharged me. But, before permitting me to go,

"'Beware, my child,' he said to me: 'it is upon a formal and wellauthenticated declaration that you were

arrested. Therefore you must have enemies. People have an interest in getting rid of you'"

Mademoiselle Lucienne was evidently almost exhausted with fatigue: her voice was failing her. But it was in

"I returned home, my mind all disturbed by the judge's warnings. I am no coward; but it is a terrible thing to

feel one's self incessantly threatened by an unknown and mysterious danger, against which nothing can be

"In vain did I search my past life: I could think of no one who could have any interest in effecting my ruin.

Those alone have enemies who have had friends. I had never had but one friend, the kindhearted girl who

had turned me out of her home in a fit of absurd jealousy. But I knew her well enough to knew that she was

incapable of malice, and that she must long since have forgotten the unlucky cause of our rupture.

"Weeks after weeks passed without any new incident. I had plenty of work and was earning enough money to

begin saving. So I felt comfortable, laughed at my former fears, and neglected the precautions which I had

taken at first; when, one evening, my employer, having a very important and pressing order, sent for me. We

"She wished me to spend the rest of the night with her; but it would have been necessary to make up a bed for

'Bash!' I said, 'this will not be the first time I cross Paris in the middle of the night.'

"I started; and I was going along, walking as fast as I could, when, from the angle of a dark, narrow street, a

man sprang upon me, threw me down, struck me, and would doubtless have killed me, but for two brave

gentlemen who heard my screams and rushed to my assistance. The man ran off; and I was able to walk the

"But the very next morning I ran to see my friend, the justice of the peace. He listened to me gravely, and,

"'Then,' he uttered, knitting his brows, 'it is not a fortuitous crime: it is another attempt on the part of your

"'But, sir,' I exclaimed, 'who can have any interest to destroy me, a poor obscure girl as I am? I have

thought carefully and well, and I have not a single enemy that I can think of.' And, as I had full confidence in

"'You are a natural child,' he said as soon as I had done, 'and you have been basely abandoned. That fact

alone would be sufficient to justify every supposition. You do not know your parents; but it is quite possible

that they may knew you, and that they may never have lost sight of you. Your mother was a workinggirl,

you think? That may be. But your father? Do you know what interests your existence may threaten? Do you

know what elaborate edifice of falsehood and infamy your sudden appearance might tumble to the ground?'

"Never had such conjectures crossed my mind; and, whilst I doubted their probability, I had, at least, to admit

"'Indeed, my poor child, I hardly know what to advise. The police is not omnipotent. It can do nothing to

"'In your place,' he added, "I would change my domicile. You might, perhaps, thus make them lose your

track. And, above all, do not fail to give me your new address. Whatever I can do to protect you, and insure

"That excellent man has kept his word; and once again I owed my safety to him. Tis he who is now

commissary of police in this district, and who protected me against Mme. Fortin. I hastened to follow his

advice, and two days later I had hired the room in this house in which I am still living. In order to avoid every

chance of discovery, I left my employer, and requested her to say, if any one came to inquire after me, that I

"I soon found work again in a very fashionable dressmaking establishment, the name of, which you must

have heard, Van Klopen's. Unfortunately, war had just been declared. Every day announced a new defeat.

The Prussians were coming; then the siege began. Van Klopen had closed his shop, and left Paris. I had a few

savings, thank heaven; and I husbanded them as carefully as shipwrecked mariners do their last ration of

"It was one Sunday, and I had gone out to see some battalions of National Guards passing along the

Boulevard, when suddenly I saw one of the vivandieres, who was marching behind the band, stop, and run

towards me with open arms. It was my old friend from the Batignolles, who had recognized me. She threw

her arms around my neck, and, as we had at once become the centre of a group of at least five hundred idlers,

"I must speak to you,' she said. 'If you live in the neighborhood, let's go to your room. The service can wait.'

"I brought her here,; and at once she commenced to excuse herself for her past conduct, begging me to restore

her my friendship. As I expected, she had long since forgotten the young man, cause of our rupture. But she

was now in love, and seriously this time, she declared, with a furnituremaker, who was a captain in the

National Guards. It was through him that she had become a vivandiere; and she offered me a similar position,

if I wished it. But I did not wish it; and, as I was complaining that I could find no work, she swore that she

"Through him, I did in fact obtain a few dozen jackets to make. This work was very poorly paid; but the little

I earned was that much less to take from my humble resources. In that way I managed to get through the

"After the armistice, unfortunately, M. Van Klopen had not yet returned. I was unable to procure any work;

my resources were exhausted; and I would have starved during the Commune, but for my old friend, who

several times brought me a little money, and some provisions. Her captain was now a colonel, and was about

to become a member of the government; at least, so she assured me. The entrance of the troops into Paris put

an end to her dream. One night she came to me livid with fright. She supposed herself gravely compromised,

and begged me to hide her. For four days she remained with me. On the fifth, just as we were sitting down to

dinner, my room was invaded by a number of policeagents, who showed us an order of arrest, and

"My friend sank down upon a chair, stupid with fright. But I retained my presence of mind, and persuaded

one of the agents to go and notify my friend the justice. He happened luckily to be at home, and at once

hastened to my assistance. He could do nothing, however, for the moment; the agents having positive orders

"From the very first steps he took the next morning, he discovered that my position was indeed grave. But he

also and very clearly recognized a new device of the enemy to bring about my destruction. The information

filed against me stated that I had remained in the service of the Commune to the last moment; that I had been

seen behind the barricades with a gun in my hand; and that I had formed one of a band of vile incendiaries.

This infamous scheme had evidently been suggested by my relations with my friend from the Batignolles,

who was still more terribly compromised than she thought, the poor girl; her colonel having been captured,

"Isolated as I was, without resources, and without relatives, I would certainly have perished, but for the

devoted efforts of my friend the justice, whose official position gave him access everywhere, and enabled

him to reach my judges. He succeeded in demonstrating my entire innocence; and after fortyeight hours'

"At the door; I found the man who had just saved me. He was waiting for me, but would not suffer me to

"'You will thank me,' he said, 'when I have deserved it better. I have done nothing as yet that any honest man

wouldn't have done in my place. What I wish is to discover what interests you are threatening without

knowing it, and which must be considerable, if I may judge by the passion and the tenacity of those who are

pursuing you. What I desire to do is to lay hands upon the cowardly rascals in whose way you seem to stand.'

"This,' he said, 'is the letter which caused your arrest. I have examined it attentively; and I am certain that the

handwriting is not disguised. That's something to start with, and may enable me to verify my suspicions,

should any occur to my mind. In the mean time, return quietly to Paris, resume your ordinary occupations,

answer vaguely any questions that may be asked about this matter, and above all, never mention my name.

Remain at the Hotel des Folies: it is in my district, in my legitimate sphere of action; besides, the proprietors

are in a position where they dare not disobey my orders. Never come to my office, unless something grave

and unforeseen should occur. Our chances of success would be seriously compromised, if they could suspect

the interest I take in your welfare. Keep your eyes open on every thing that is going on around you, and, if

you notice any thing suspicious, write to me. I will myself organize a secret surveillance around you. If I can

"Unfortunately he had not thought of offering me a little money: I had not dared to ask him for any, and I had

but eight sous left. It was on foot, therefore, that I was compelled to return to Paris.

"Mme. Fortin received me with open arms. With me returned the hope of recovering the hundred and odd

francs which I owed her, and which she had given up for lost. Moreover, she had excellent news for me. M.

Van Kiopen had sent for me during my absence, requesting me to call at his shop. Tired as I was, I went to

see him at once. found him very much downcast by the poor prospects of business. Still he was determined to

go on, and offered to employ me, not as workwoman, as heretofore, but to try on garments for customers, at

a salary of one hundred and twenty francs a month. I was not in a position to be very particular. I accepted;

"Every morning, when I get to the shop, I take off this simple costume, and I put on a sort of livery that

"Then whenever a customer comes who wants a cloak, a mantle, or some other 'wrapping,' I step up and put

on the garment, that the purchaser may see how it looks. I have to walk, to turn around, sit down, etc. It is

absurdly ridiculous, often humiliating; and many a time, during the first days, I felt tempted to give back to

"But the conjectures of my friend the peaceofficer were constantly agitating my brain. Since I thought I had

discovered a mystery in my existence, I indulged in all sorts of fancies, and was momentarily expecting some

Since she had been speaking of M. Van Klopen, Mlle. Lucienne seemed to have lost her tone of haughty

assurance and imperturbable coolness; and it was with a look of mingled confusion and sadness that she went

"What I was doing at Van Klopen's was exceedingly painful to me; and yet he very soon asked me to do

something more painful still. Gradually Paris was filling up again. The hotels had reopened; foreigners were

pouring in; and the Bois Boulogne was resuming its wonted animation. Still but few orders came in, and

those for dresses of the utmost simplicity, of dark color and plain material, on which it was hard to make

twentyfive per cent profit. Van Kiopen was disconsolate. He kept speaking to me of the good old days,

when some of his customers spent as much as thirty thousand francs a month for dresses and trifles, until one

"'You are the only one,' he told me, 'who can help me out just now. You are really good looking; and I am

sure that in full dress, spread over the cushions of a handsome carriage, you would create quite a sensation,

and that all the rest of the women would be jealous of you, and would wish to look like you. There needs but

"I thought that Van Klopen was jesting." went on the young girl. "But he had never been more in earnest;

and, to prove it, he commenced explaining to me what he wanted. He proposed to get up for me some of

those costumes which are sure to attract attention; and two or three times a week he would send me a fine

"'You are wrong,' he said. 'You are not rich, and I would give you twenty francs for each ride. At the rate of

eight rides a month, it would be one hundred and sixty francs added to your wages. Besides,' he added with a

wink, ' it would be an excellent opportunity to make your fortune. Pretty as you are, who knows but what

"'You are a little fool,' he replied. 'If you do not accept, you cease being in my employment. Reflect!'

"My mind was already made up, and I was thinking of looking out for some other occupation, when I

received a note from my friend the peaceofficer, requesting me to call at his office.

"'My agents have not detected any thing, either,' he grumbled. 'And yet it is evident that your enemies cannot

have given it up so. They are sharp ones: if they keep quiet, it is because they are preparing some good trick.

What it is I must and shall find out. Already I have an idea which would be an excellent one, if I could

"I explained to him, that, being employed at Van Klopen's, I had an opportunity to see there many ladies of

"Then M. Van Klopen's propositions came back to my mind, and I stated them to him.

"'Just the thing!' he exclaimed, starting upon his chair: 'a manifest proof that luck is with us. You must

"'I know but too well,' I said, 'what must happen if I accept this odious duty. Before I have been four times to

the Bois, I shall be noticed, and every one will imagine that they know for what purpose I come there. I shall

be assailed with vile offers. True, I have no fears for myself. I shall always be better guarded by my pride

"'I know very well that you are an honest girl,' he said to me; 'but, for that very reason, what do you care what

all these people will think, whom you do not know? Your future is at stake. I repeat it, you must accept.'

For the first time, Mlle. Lucienne manifested some reticence, and omitted to repeat the explanations of the

"You know the rest, neighbor," she said, "since you have seen me yourself in that inept and ridiculous role of

living advertisement, of fashionable layfigure; and the result has been just as I expected. Can you find any

one who believes in my honesty of purpose? You have heard Mme. Fortin tonight? Yourself, neighbor

what did you take me for? And yet you should have noticed something of my suffering and my humiliation

"Have I not just told you that I always fear being watched and followed, and that I am always on the lookout?

"That will do for the present," she uttered. "You wish to be my friend, you say? Now that you know my

whole life almost as well as I do myself, reflect, and tomorrow you will tell me the result of your thoughts."

For about a minute Maxence remained stupefied at this sudden denouement; and, when he had recovered his

presence of mind and his voice, Mlle. Lucienne had disappeared, and he could hear her bolting her door, and

He might also have thought that he was awaking from a dream, had he not had, to attest the reality, the vague

perfume which filled his room, and the light shawl, which Mlle. Lucienne wore as she came in, and which

The night was almost ended: six o'clock had just struck. Still he did not feel in the least sleepy. His head was

heavy, his temples throbbing, his eyes smarting. Opening his window, he leaned out to breathe the morning

air. The day was dawning pale and cold. A furtive and livid light glanced along the damp walls of the narrow

court of the Hotel des Folies, as at the bottom of a well. Already arose those confused noises which announce

the waking of Paris, and above which can be heard the sonorous rolling of the milkmen's carts, the loud

But soon Maxence felt a chill coming over him. He closed the window, threw some wood in the chimney,

and stretched himself on his chair, his feet towards the fire. It was a most serious event which had just

occurred in his existence; and, as much as he could, he endeavored to measure its bearings, and to calculate

He kept thinking of the story of that strange girl, her haughty frankness when unrolling certain phases of her

life, of her wonderful impassibility, and of the implacable contempt for humanity which her every word

betrayed.. Where had she learned that dignity, so simple and so noble, that measured speech, that admirable

respect of herself, which had enabled her to pass through so much filth without receiving a stain?.

Before knowing her, he loved her. Now he was convulsed by one of those exclusive passions which master

the whole being. Already he felt himself so much under the charm, subjugated, dominated, fascinated; he

understood so well that he was going to cease being his own master; that his free will was about escaping

from him; that he would be in Mlle. Lucienne's hands like wax under the modeler's fingers; he saw himself so

thoroughly at the discretion of an energy superior to his own, that he was almost frightened.

And there was no middle path. Either he must fly at once, without waiting for Mlle. Lucienne to awake, fly

without looking behind, or else stay, and then accept all the chances of an incurable passion for a woman

who, perhaps, might never care for him. And he remained wavering, like the traveler who finds himself at the

intersection of two roads, and, knowing that one leads to the goal, and the other to an abyss, hesitates which

With this difference, however, that if the traveler errs, and discovers his error, he is always free to retrace his

steps; whereas man, in life, can never return to his startingpoint. Every step he takes is final; and if he has

"Well, no matter!" exclaimed Maxence. "It shall not be said that through cowardice I have allowed that

happiness to escape which passes within my reach. I shall stay." And at once he began to examine what

reasonably he might expect; for there was no mistaking Mlle. Lucienne's intentions. When she had said, "Do

you wish to be friends?" she had meant exactly that, and nothing else, friends, and only friends.

"And yet," thought Maxence, "if I had not inspired her with a real interest, would she have so wholly

confided unto me? She is not ignorant of the fact that I love her; and she knows life too well to suppose that I

But the very next moment he became a prey to the bitterest discouragement. He thought that perhaps Mlle.

Lucienne might have some capital interest in thus making a confidant of him. She had not told him the

explanation given her by the peaceofficer. Had she not, perhaps, succeeded in lifting a corner of the veil

which covered the secret of her birth? Was she on the track of her enemies? and had she discovered the

"Is it possible," thought Maxence, "that I should be but one of the powers in the game she is playing? How do

In the midst of these thoughts, he had gradually fallen asleep, murmuring to the last the name of Lucienne.

The creaking of his opening door woke him up suddenly. He started to his feet, and met Mlle. Lucienne

All the doubts that besieged him at the moment when he had been overcome by sleep now came back to his

"And not only have I been sleeping," he went on, "but I have been dreaming too."

He hesitated. Had he had but one minute to reflect, perhaps he would not have spoken; but he was taken

"I dreamed," he replied, "that we were friends in the noblest and purest acceptance of that word. Intelligence,

heart, will, all that I am, and all that I can, I laid every thing at your feet. You accepted the most entire

devotion the most respectful and the most tender that man is capable of. Yes, we were friends indeed; and

upon a glimpse of love, never expressed, I planned a whole future of love." He stopped.

"Well, when my hopes seemed on the point of being realized, it happened that the mystery of your birth was

suddenly revealed to you. You found a noble, powerful, and wealthy family. You resumed the illustrious

name of which you had been robbed; your enemies were crushed; and your rights were restored to you. It was

no longer Van Klopen's hired carriage that stopped in front of the Hotel des Folies, but a carriage bearing a

gorgeous coat of arms. That carriage was yours; and it came to take you to your own residence in the

Maxence repressed one of those nervous spasms which frequently break out in tears, and, with a gloomy

"I," he answered, "standing on the edge of the pavement, I waited for a word or a look from you. You had

forgotten my very existence. Your coachman whipped his horses; they started at a gallop; and soon I lost

sight of you. And then a voice, the inexorable voice of fate, cried to me, 'Never more shalt thou see her!'"

"It is not with your heart, I trust, that you judge me, M. Maxence Favoral," she uttered.

"I am not of those who basely deny their past. Your dream will never be realized. Those things are only seen

on the stage. If it did realize itself, however, if the carriage with the coatofarms did come to the door, the

companion of the evil days, the friend who offered me his month's salary to pay my debt, would have a seat

That was more happiness than Maxence would have dared to hope for. He tried, in order to express his

gratitude, to find some of those words which always seem to be lacking at the most critical moments. But he

was suffocating; and the tears, accumulated by so many successive emotions, were rising to his eyes.

With a passionate impulse, he seized Mlle. Lucienne's hand, and, taking it to his lips, he covered it with

kisses. Gently but resolutely she withdrew her hand, and, fixing upon him her beautiful clear gaze,

Her accent alone would have been sufficient to dissipate the presumptuous illusions of Maxence, had he had

"Friends only," he replied, "until the day when you shall be my wife. You cannot forbid me to hope. You love

"Well since we are going to tread the path of life, let me think that we may find love at some turn of the

She made no answer. And thus was sealed between them a treaty of friendship, to which they were to remain

Every morning, at seven o'clock, Mlle. Lucienne went to M. Van Klopen's, and an hour later Maxence started

for his office. They returned home at night, and spent their evenings together by the fireside.

Weak and undecided by nature, Maxence began very soon to feel the influence of the obstinate and energetic

character of the girl. She infused, as it were, in his veins, a warmer and more generous blood. Gradually she

He had told her in all sincerity his history, the miseries of his home, M. Favoral's parsimony and exaggerated

He had concealed nothing of his past life, of his errors and his follies, confessing even the worst of his

actions; as, for instance, having abused his mother's and sister's affection to extort from them all the money

He had admitted to her that it was only with great reluctance and under pressure of necessity, that he worked

at all; that he was far from being rich; that although he took his dinner with his parents, his salary barely

He hoped, however, he added, that it would not be always thus, and that, sooner or later, he would see the

termination of all this misery and privation; for his father had at least fifty thousand francs a year and some

"Ah! your father is a millionaire, is he?" she interrupted. "Well, I understand now how, at twentyfive, after

refusing all the positions which have been offered to you, you have no position. You relied on your father,

instead of relying on yourself. Judging that he worked hard enough for two, you bravely folded your arms,

waiting for the fortune which he is amassing, and which you seem to consider yours."

Such morality seemed a little steep to Maxence. "I think," he began, "that, if one is the son of a rich man "

"There is no but about it. And the proof that your views are wrong, is that they have brought you where you

are, and deprived you of your own free will. To place one's self at the mercy of another, be that other your

own father, is always silly; and one is always at the mercy of the man from whom he expects money that he

has not earned. Your father would never have been so harsh, had he not believed that you could not do

"Do you wish the proof that you are at M. Favoral's mercy?" she said. "Very well. You spoke of marrying

"You don't suppose any thing at all: you are absolutely certain that he will refuse you his consent."

"I admit that you could. But do you know what he would do then? He would arrange things in such a way

"Therefore," the young girl went on gayly, "though there is as yet no question of marriage, learn to secure

your independence; that is, the means of living. And to that effect let us work."

It was from that moment, that Mme. Favoral had noticed in her son the change that had surprised her so

Under the inspiration, under the impulsion, of Mlle. Lucienne, Maxence had been suddenly taken with a zeal

for work, and a desire to earn money, of which he could not have been suspected.

He was no longer late at his office, and had not, at the end of each month, ten or fifteen francs' fines to pay.

Every morning, as soon as she was up, Mlle. Lucienne came to knock at his door. "Come, get up!" she cried

And quick he jumped out of bed and dressed, so that he might bid her goodmorning before she left.

In the evening, the last mouthful of his dinner was hardly swallowed, before he began copying the documents

And often he worked quite late in the night whilst by his side Mlle. Lucienne applied herself to some work of

The girl was the cashier of the association; and she administered the common capital with such skillful and

such scrupulous economy, that Maxence soon succeeded in paying off his creditors.

"Do you know," she was saying at the end of December, "that, between us, we have earned over six hundred

On Sundays only, after a week of which not a minute had been lost, they indulged in some little recreation.

If the weather was not too bad, they went out together, dined in some modest restaurant, and finished the day

Having thus a common existence, both young, free, and having their rooms divided only by a narrow passage

it was difficult that people should believe in the innocence of their intercourse. The proprietors of the Hotel

des Folies believed nothing of the kind; and they were not alone in that opinion.

Mlle. Lucienne having continued to show herself in the Bois on the afternoons when the weather was fine,

the number of fools who annoyed her with their attentions had greatly increased. Among the most obstinate

could be numbered M. Costeclar, who was pleased to declare, upon his word of honor, that he had lost his

sleep, and his taste for business, since the day when, together with M. Saint Pavin, he had first seen Mlle.

The efforts of his valet, and the letters which he had written, having proved useless, M. Costeclar had made

up his mind to act in person; and gallantly he had come to put himself on guard in front of the Hotel des

Great was his surprise, when he saw Mlle. Lucienne coming out arm in arm with Maxence; and greater still

"That girl is a fool," he thought, "to prefer to me a fellow who has not two hundred francs a month to spend.

And, as he was a man fertile in expedients, he went the next day to take a walk in the neighborhood of the

Mutual Credit; and, having met M. Favoral by chance, he told him how his son Maxence was ruining himself

for a young lady whose toilets were a scandal, insinuating delicately that it was his duty, as the head of the

This was precisely the time when Maxence was endeavoring to obtain a situation in the office of the Mutual

It is true that the idea was not original with him, and that he had even vehemently rejected it, when, for the

"What!" had he exclaimed, "be employed in the same establishment as my father? Suffer at the office the

But Mlle. Lucienne was not the girl to give up so easily a project conceived and carefully matured by herself.

She returned to the charge with that infinite art of women, who understand so marvelously well how to turn a

position which they cannot carry in front. She kept the matter so well before him, she spoke of it so often and

so much, on every occasion, and under all pretexts, that he ended by persuading himself that it was the only

reasonable and practical thing he could do, the only way in which he had any chance of making his fortune;

But whether he had been influenced by M. Costeclar's insinuations, or for some other reason, M. Favoral had

rejected indignantly his son's request, saying that it was impossible to trust a young man who was ruining

Maxence had become crimson with rage on hearing the woman spoken of thus, whom he loved to madness,

"There's the result," he said to Mlle. Lucienne, "of the step which you have urged me so strongly to take."

But Maxence could not resign himself so quietly to such a cruel disappointment; and, not having the slightest

"And such is," he added, "the result of all the gossip of these stupid shopkeepers who run to see you every

The girl shrugged her shoulders contemptuously. "I expected it," she said, "the day when I accepted M. Van

Maxence did not dare to confess that this was precisely what made him doubly angry; and he shuddered at the

thought of the ridicule that would certainly be heaped upon him, if the true state of the case was known.

"What's the use? Wherever we should go, it would be the same thing. Besides, I don't want to leave this

"And I am too much your friend not to tell you, that your reputation in it is absolutely lost."

Maxence insisted no more; but, by the sharp pang that he felt, he realized how dear Mlle. Lucienne had

"She has secrets from me," thought he, "from me who would deem it a crime to have any from her."

What secrets? Had she concealed from him that she was pursuing an object which had become, as it were,

that of her whole life. Had she not told him, that with the assistance of her friend the peaceofficer, who had

now become commissary of police of the district, she hoped to penetrate the mystery of her birth, and to

revenge herself on the villains, who, three times, had attempted to do away with her?

She had never mentioned her projects again; but it was evident that she had not abandoned them, for she

would at the same time have given up her rides to the bois, which were to her an abominable torment.

And the idea was so painful to him, that he resolved to clear his doubts at any cost, preferring the worst

And as soon as he found himself alone with Mlle. Lucienne, arming himself with all his courage, and looking

"Extraordinary as it may seem to you, I must confess that I know nothing about it. My friend the commissary

has his plan, I am certain; and he is following it with an indefatigable obstinacy. I am but an instrument in his

hands. I never do any thing without consulting him; and what he advises me to do I do."

"Was it he, then," he said in a tone of bitter irony, "who suggested to you the idea of our fraternal

A frown appeared upon the girl's countenance. She evidently felt hurt by the tone of this species of

"Was it from him too," he went on "that came the lovely idea of having me enter the Mutual Credit?"

"And so," he resumed, "it is that man, that policeagent, who is the real arbiter of my fate; and if tomorrow

"Enough!" she interrupted in a brief tone, enough! There is not in my whole existence a single act which

would give to my bitterest enemy the right to suspect my loyalty; and now you accuse me of the basest

treason. What have you to reproach me with? Have I not been faithful to the pact sworn between us. Have I

not always been for you the best of comrades and the most devoted of friends? I remained silent, because the

man in whom I have the fullest confidence requested me to do so; but he knew, that, if you questioned me, I

would speak. Did you question me? And now what more do you want? That I should stoop to quiet the

She was not, perhaps, entirely right; but Maxence was certainly wrong. He acknowledged it, wept, implored

her pardon, which was granted; and this explanation only served to rivet more closely the fetters that bound

It is true, that, availing himself of the permission that had been granted him, he kept himself constantly

informed of Mlle. Lucienne's doings. He learnt from her that her friend the commissary had held a most

minute investigation at Louveciennes, and that the footman who went to the bois with her was now, in reality,

Such was the exact situation of Maxence and Mlle. Lucienne on that eventful Saturday evening in the month

of April, 1872, when the police came to arrest M. Vincent Favoral, on the charge of embezzlement and

It will be remembered, how, at his mother's request, Maxence had spent that night in the Rue St. Gilles, and

how, the next morning, unable any longer to resist his eager desire to see Mlle. Lucienne, he had started for

He retired to his room, as she had requested him, and, sinking upon his old armchair in a fit of the deepest

And at the same moment Mlle. Lucienne had resumed her song, the words of which reached him like a bitter

And he felt a cold perspiration starting on his temples when he remembered Mlle. Lucienne's pride, and that

honor has her only faith, the safetyplank to which she had desperately clung in the midst of the storms of

her life. What if she should leave him, now that the name he bore was disgraced!

A rapid and light step on the landing drew him from his gloomy thoughts. Almost immediately, the door

She must have dressed in haste; for she was just finishing hooking her dress, the simplicity of which seemed

studied, so marvelously did it set off the elegance of her figure, the splendors of her waist, and the rare

A look of intense dissatisfaction could be read upon her lovely features; but, as soon as she had seen

And, in fact, his look of utter distress, the disorder of his garments, his livid paleness, and the sinister look of

his eyes, showed plainly enough that a great misfortune had befallen him. In a voice whose agitation betrayed

He was hesitating: he wished to tell every thing at once, and knew not how to begin.

"Well, we have nothing left, absolutely nothing!' She seemed to breathe more freely, and, in a tone of friendly

"Yes. For years he has been using the money that was intrusted to him, until the deficit now amounts to

"And, notwithstanding the enormity of that sum, he was reduced, during the latter months, to the most

miserable expedients, going from door to door in the neighborhood, soliciting deposits, until he actually

"Last night they came to arrest him. Fortunately we had been notified; and I helped him to escape through a

"Everybody thinks that he carries off millions. I do not believe it. He even refused to take the few thousand

"He got to the house a few moment in advance of the commissary of police; and a terrible scene took place

"He stammered incoherent phrases. He was like a man who has received a stunning blow. But we have

discovered incredible things. My father, so austere and so parsimonious at home, led a merry life elsewhere,

"No. But I can find out from the writer of the article in this paper, who says that he knows her. See!"

Mlle. Lucienne took the paper which Maxence was holding out to her: but she hardly condescended to look at

"I do not believe that my father is innocent; but I believe that there are people more guilty than he, skillful

and prudent knaves, who have made use of him as a man of straw, villains who will quietly digest their

share of the millions (the biggest one, of course), while he will be sent to prison."

"I don't know yet. At any rate, I must first of all run to the newspaper office, and get that woman's address."

"No," she uttered: "it isn't there that you must go. You must come with me to see my friend the commissary."

"Why, how can you think of such a thing?" he exclaimed. "My father is fleeing from justice; and you want

me to take for my confidant a commissary of police, the very man whose duty it is to arrest him, if he can

But he interrupted himself for a moment, staring and gaping, as if the truth had suddenly flashed upon his

"For my father has not gone abroad," he went on. "It is in Paris that he is hiding: I am sure of it. You have

"Yes, last evening. How could I have forgotten it? While you were waiting for me down stairs, between

eleven and halfpast eleven a middleaged man, thin, wearing a long overcoat, came and asked for me."

"Nothing," she replied, "that he had not already said before the Fortins; that he wanted to see you on

important business, and was sorry not to find you in. What surprised me, though, is, that he was speaking as

if he knew me, and knew that I was a friend of yours." Then, striking her forehead,

" Perhaps you are right," she went on. "Perhaps that man was indeed your father. Wait a minute. Yes, he

seemed quite excited, and at every moment he looked around towards the door. He said it would be

impossible for him to return, but that he would write to you, and that probably he would require your

"You see," exclaimed Maxence, almost crazy with subdued excitement, "it was my father. He is going to

write; to return, perhaps; and, under the circumstances, to apply to a commissary of police would be sheer

"So much the more reason," she uttered, "why you should follow my advice. Have you ever had occasion to

She expressed herself in a tone of such absolutecertainty, that Maxence, in the disorder of his mind, was at a

"Because I should have no proofs to furnish you of my assertions. Because I should have to go into details

which you would not understand. Because, above all, I am following one of those inexplicable presentiments

It was evident that she was not willing to unveil her whole mind; and yet Maxence felt himself terribly

"Would my own be less? Can any misfortune strike you without reaching me? Let us reason a little. What

were you saying a moment since? That certainly your father is not as guilty as people think; at any rate, that

he is not alone guilty; that he has been but the instrument of rascals more skillful and more powerful than

"And that you would like to deliver up to justice the villains who have benefitted by your father's crime, and

"No; but I wish to demonstrate to you the necessity of the step which I advise you to take. The end justifies

the means; and we have not the choice of means. Come, 'tis to an honest man and a tried friend that I shall

take you. Fear nothing. If he remembers that he is commissary of police, it will be to serve us, not to injure

you. You hesitate? Perhaps at this moment he already knows more than we do ourselves."

In less than five minutes they were off; and, as they went out, they had to disturb Mme. Fortin, who stood at

"You see that young man," said the honorable proprietress of the Hotel des Folies to her interlocutors. "Well,

he is the son of that famous cashier who has just run off with twelve millions, after ruining a thousand

families. It don't seem to trouble him, either; for there he is, going out to spend a pleasant day with his

Meantime, Maxence and Lucienne reached the commissary's house. He was at home; they walked in. And, as

He was a man already past middle age, but active and vigorous still. With his white cravat and long

frockcoat, he looked like a notary. Benign was the expression of his countenance; but the lustre of his little

gray eyes, and the mobility of his nostrils, showed that it should not be trusted too far.

"Yes, I expected you," he repeated, addressing himself as much to Maxence as to Mlle. Lucienne. "It is the

"I am Vincent Favoral's son, sir," he replied. "I have still my mother and a sister. Our situation is horrible.

Mlle. Lucienne suggested that you might be willing to give me some advice; and here we are."

"Mlle. Lucienne did well to bring you," he said; "for it may be, that, whilst rendering her an important

service, I may also render you one. But I have no time to lose. Sit down, and tell me all about it." With the

most scrupulous exactness Maxence told the history of his family, and the events of the past twentyfour

"Tell me your father's interview with M. de Thaller all over again," he requested, "and, especially, do not

omit any thing that you have heard or seen, not a word, not a gesture, not a look."

"Now," said the commissary, "repeat every thing your father said at the moment of going."

"What were," he inquired, "the relations of your family with the Thaller family?"

The usual clients of the commissary would have hesitated to recognize him, so completely had he set aside

his professional stiffness, so much had his freezing reserve given way to the most encouraging kindness.

"Now, then," he resumed, "never mind M. de Tregars: let us talk of the woman, who, you seem to think, has

On the table before him lay the paper in which Maxence had read in the morning the terrible article headed:

"I know nothing of that woman," he replied; "but it must be easy to find out, since the writer of this article

The commissary smiled, not having quite as much faith in newspapers as Maxence seemed to have.

And, without noticing the surprise of Maxence and of the young girl, he rang the bell, and asked whether his

"I have attended to the matter, sir," he replied. "I saw the reporter who wrote the article in question; and, after

beating about the bush for some time, he finally confessed that he knew nothing more than had been

published, and that he had obtained his information from two intimate friends of the cashier, M. Costeclar

"Unfortunately, M. Costeclar had just gone out. As to M. Saint Pavin, I found him at the office of his paper,

'The Financial Pilot.' He is a coarse and vulgar personage, and received me like a pickpocket. I had even a

"He was closeted with another gentleman, a banker, named Jottras, of the house of Jottras and Brother. They

were both in a terrible rage, swearing like troopers, and saying that the Favoral defalcation would ruin them;

that they had been taken in like fools, but that they were not going to take things so easy, and they were

But he stopped, winking, and pointing to Maxence and Mlle. Lucienne, who were listening as attentively as

"Well," he went on, "M. Saint Pavin and M. Jottras were saying that M. Favoral was only a poor dupe, but

"What!" he exclaimed, "you find yourself in presence of two men furious to have been duped, who swear and

threaten, and you can't get from them a name that you want? You are not very smart, my dear!"

And as the poor secretary, somewhat put out of countenance, looked down, and said nothing,

"Did you at least ask them," he resumed, "who the woman is to whom the article refers, and whose existence

"That they were not spies, and had nothing to say, M. Saint Pavin added, however, that he had said it without

much thought, and only because he had once seen M. Favoral buying a three thousand francs bracelet, and

also because it seemed impossible to him that a man should do away with millions without the aid of a

"Of course!" he grumbled. "Since Solomon said, 'Look for the woman' (for it was King Solomon who first

said it), every fool thinks it smart to repeat with a cunning look that most obvious of truths. What next?"

The commissary wrote rapidly a few lines, put them in an envelope, which he sealed with his private seal,

"That will do. Take this to the prefecture yourself." And, after the secretary had gone out,

"Well, M. Maxence," he said, "you have heard?" Of course he had. Only Maxence was thinking much less of

what he had just heard than of the strange interest this commissary had taken in his affairs, even before he

"I think," he stammered, "that it is very unfortunate the woman cannot be found."

"Be easy," said the commissary: "she shall be found. A woman cannot swallow millions at that rate, without

"Unless," he added, "she should have behind her a very skillful and very prudent man. Or else that she should

Mlle. Lucienne started. She fancied she understood the commissary's idea, and could catch a glimpse of the

But Maxence didn't notice any thing, his mind being wholly bent upon following the commissary's

"Or unless," he said, "my father should have received almost nothing for his share of the enormous sums

subtracted from the Mutual Credit, in which case he could have given relatively but little to that woman.

M.Saint Pavin himself acknowledges that my father has been egregiously taken in."

"I think," he said at last, "and several friends of my family (among whom M. Chapelain, an old lawyer) think

as I do, that it is very strange that my father should have drawn millions from the Mutual Credit without any

"Be it so," insisted the commissary. " I admit M. de Thaller's complicity; but then we must suppose that he

"An influence sufficiently powerful to make them run the risk of the galleys for his benefit! That is not likely.

"And yet it is not all. How do you explain your father's silence when M. de Thaller was heaping upon him the

"And at the moment of escaping, if he did have any accomplices, how is it that he did not mention their

"Therefore such is not evidently the motive of his silence; and it might better be attributed to some secret

The commissary now had all the information, which, voluntarily or otherwise, Maxence was able to give him.

"You have come," he said to him, "to ask me for advice. Here it is: say nothing, and wait. Allow justice and

the police to pursue their work. Whatever may be your suspicions, hide them. I shall do for you as I would for

Lucienne, whom I love as if she were my own child; for it so happens, that, in helping you, I shall help her."

He could not help laughing at the astonishment, which at those words depicted itself upon Maxence's face;

"You don't understand," he added. "Well, never mind. It is not necessary that you should."

Two o'clock struck as Mlle. Lucienne and Maxence left the office of the commissary of police, she pensive

and agitated, he gloomy and irritated. They reached the Hotel des Folies without exchanging a word. Mme.

Fortin was again at the door, speechifying in the midst of a group with indefatigable volubility. Indeed, it was

a perfect godsend for her, the fact of lodging the son of that cashier who had stolen twelve millions, and had

thus suddenly become a celebrity. Seeing Maxence and Mlle. Lucienne coming, she stepped toward them,

But they made no answer; and, entering the narrow corridor, they hurried to their fourth story. As he entered

his room, Maxence threw his hat upon his bed with a gesture of impatience; and, after walking up and down

She looked at him with an air of profound commiseration, knowing his weakness too well to be angry at his

"Very well: we won't quarrel about words. I have seen your friend the commissary. Am I any better off?"

"What did you expect of him, then?" she asked. "Did you think that he could undo what is done? Did you

suppose, that, by the sole power of his will, he would make up the deficit in the Mutual Credit's cash, and

"Well, then, could he do more than promise you his most ardent and devoted cooperation?"

"And how do I know," he exclaimed, "that he is not trifling with me? If he was sincere, why his reticence and

his enigmas? He pretends that I may rely on him, because to serve me is to serve you. What does that mean?

What connection is there between your situation and mine, between your enemies and those of my father?

And I I replied to all his questions like a simpleton. Poor fool! But the man who drowns catches at straws;

"Are you, then, such a coward?" she uttered. "What! at the first misfortune that strikes you, and this is the

first real misfortune of your life, Maxence, you despair. An obstacle rises, and, instead of gathering all your

energy to overcome it, you sit down and weep like a woman. Who, then, is to inspire courage in your mother

At the sound of these words, uttered by that voice which was allpowerful over his soul, Maxence looked up.

"I thank you, my friend," he said. "I thank you for reminding me of what I owe to my mother and sister. Poor

"I will," he replied. "I should be unworthy of you if I could not raise my own energy to the level of yours."

And, having pressed her hand, he left. But it was not by the usual route that he reached the Rue St. Gilles. He

"Here you are at last," said the servant as she opened the door. "Madame was getting very uneasy, I can tell

It was so. After his fruitless attempt to reach M. de Thaller, M. Chapelain had breakfasted there, and had

remained, wishing, he said, to see Maxence. And so, as soon as the young man appeared, availing himself of

"How," said he, "dare you leave your mother and sister alone in a house where some brutal creditor may

"I was wrong," said Maxence, who preferred to plead guilty rather than attempt an explanation.

"Don't do it again then," resumed M. Chapelain. "I was waiting for you to say that I was unable to see M. de

Thaller, and that I do not care to face once more the impudence of his valets. You will, therefore, have to take

back the fifteen thousand francs he had brought to your father. Place them in his own hands; and don't give

After some further recommendations, he went off, leaving Mme. Favoral alone at last with her children. She

was about to call Maxence to account for his absence, when Mlle. Gilberte interrupted her.

"I have to speak to you, mother," she said with a singular precipitation, "and to you also, brother."

And at once she began telling them of M. Costeclar's strange visit, his inconceivable audacity, and his

But another was there; and this was just what Mlle. Gilberte wished to come to. But the avowal was difficult,

painful even; and it was not without some degree of confusion that she resumed at last,

"You have suspected for a long time, mother, that I was hiding something from you. When you questioned

me, I lied; not that I had any thing to blush for, but because I feared for you my father's anger."

"Yes, I had a secret," she continued. "Boldly, without consulting any one, trusting the sole inspirations of my

heart, I had engaged my life to a stranger: I had selected the man whose wife I wished to be."

"Unfortunately," went on the girl, "between that man, my affianced husband before God, and myself, rose a

terrible obstacle. He was poor: he thought my father very rich; and he had asked me a delay of three years to

"Yes, brother, here. He arrived at the very moment, when, basely insulted by M. Costeclar, I commanded him

to withdraw, and, instead of going, he was walking towards me with outstretched arms."

"Yes, mother: he came in just in time to seize M. Costeclar by his coatcollar, and to throw him at my feet,

livid with fear, and begging for mercy. He came, notwithstanding the terrible calamity that has befallen us.

Notwithstanding ruin, and notwithstanding shame, he came to offer me his name, and to tell me, that, in the

course of the day, he would send a friend of his family to apprise you of his intentions."

Here she was interrupted by the servant, who, throwing open the parlordoor, announced,

If it had occurred to the mind of Mme. Favoral or Maxence that Mlle. Gilberte might have been the victim of

some base intrigue, the mere appearance of the man who now walked in must have been enough to disabuse

He was of a rather formidable aspect, with his military bearing, his bluff manners, his huge white mustache,

But in order to be reassured, and to feel confident, it was enough to look at his broad face, at once energetic

and debonair, his clear eye, in which shone the loyalty of his soul, and his thick red lips, which had never

That valiant man, that old soldier, was timid; and he would have felt much more at ease under the fire of a

battery than in that humble parlor in the Rue St. Gilles, under the uneasy glance of Maxence and Mme.

Having bowed, having made a little friendly sign to Mlle. Gilberte, he had stopped short, two steps from the

Eloquence was not his forte. He had prepared himself well in advance; but though he kept coughing: hum!

broum! though he kept running his finger around his shirtcollar to facilitate his delivery, the beginning of

"I was expecting you, sir," said Mlle. Gilberte. With this encouragement, he advanced towards Mme. Favoral,

"I see that my presence surprises you, madame," he began; "and I must confess that hum! it does not

surprise me less than it does you. But extraordinary circumstances require exceptional action. On any other

occasion, I would not fall upon you like a bombshell. But we had no time to waste in ceremonious

formalities. I will, therefore, ask your leave to introduce myself: I am General Count de Villegre."

"I am ready to hear you, sir," said Mme. Favoral. He sat down, and, with a further effort,

"I suppose, madame," he resumed, " that your daughter has explained to you our singular situation, which, as

I had the honor of telling you hum! is not strictly in accordance with social usage."

"When you came in, general, I was only just beginning to explain the facts to my mother and brother."

The old soldier made a gesture, and a face which showed plainly that he did not much relish the prospect of a

Maxence fairly bounced upon his chair. That was the very name which he had just heard mentioned by the

"Marius de Tregars is the son of the most honest man I ever knew, of the best friend I ever had, of the

Marquis de Tregars, in a word, who died of grief a few years ago, after hum! some quite inexplicable

broum! reverses of fortune. Marius could not be dearer to me, if he were my own son. He has lost his

parents: I have no relatives; and I have transferred to him all the feelings of affection which still remained at

"And I can say that never was a man more worthy of affection. I know him. To the most legitimate pride and

the most scrupulous integrity, he unites a keen and supple mind, and wit enough to get the better of the

toughest rascal. He has no fortune for the reason that hum! he gave up all he had to certain pretended

But, as if feeling that he was treading on dangerous ground, the Count de Villegre stopped short, and, after

"In short," he went on, "Marius has been unable to see Mlle. Gilberte, and to appreciate the rare qualities of

"I understand you, madame," he resumed. "You wonder how M. de Tregars can have seen your daughter,

have known her, and have appreciated her, without your seeing or hearing any thing of it. Nothing is more

And the worthy old soldier began to explain to Mme. Favoral the meetings in the PlaceRoyale, his

conversations with Marius, intended really for Mlle. Gilberte, and the part he had consented to play in this

little comedy. But he became embarrassed in his sentences, he multiplied his hum! and his broum! in the

Mlle. Gilberte took pity on him; and, kindly interrupting him, she herself told her story, and that of Marius.

She told the pledge they had exchanged, how they had seen each other twice, and how they constantly heard

of each other through the very innocent and very unconscious Signor Gismondo Pulei.

Maxence and Mme. Favoral were dumbfounded. They would have absolutely refused to believe such a story,

"Ah, my dear sister!" thought Maxence, "who could have suspected such a thing, seeing you always so calm

"Is it possible," Mme. Favoral was saying to herself; "that I can have been so blind and so deaf?"

As to the Count de Villegre, he would have tried in vain to express the gratitude he felt towards Mlle.

"I could not have done half as well myself, by the eternal!" he thought, like a man who has no illusions on his

"Now, madame," he said, "you know all; and you will understand that the irreparable disaster that strikes you

"I have the honor, madame," he uttered, "to solicit the hand of Mlle. Gilberte, your daughter, for my friend

A profound silence followed this speech. But this silence the Count de Villegre doubtless interpreted in his

Marius de Tregars had foreseen all that had just taken place, and had so informed the Count de Villegre in

Being given Mme. Favoral's disposition, he knew what could be expected of her; and he had his own reasons

to fear nothing from Maxence. And, if he mistrusted somewhat the diplomatic talents of his ambassador, he

And so confident was he of the correctness of his calculations, that he had insisted upon accompanying his

When the servant had opened the door to them, he had ordered her to introduce M. de Villegre, stating that he

would himself wait in the diningroom. This arrangement had not seemed entirely natural to the girl; but so

many strange things had happened in the house for the past twentyfour hours, that she was prepared for any

Besides recognizing Marius as the gentleman who had had a violent altercation in the morning with M.

Costeclar, she did as he requested, and, leaving him alone in the diningroom, went to attend to her duties.

He had taken a seat, impassive in appearance, but in reality agitated by that internal trepidation of which the

To a certain extent, the prospects of his whole life were to be decided on the other side of that door which had

just closed behind the Count de Villegre. To the success of his love, other interests were united, which

And so, when the door opened at last, and his old friend called him, he jumped to his feet, and collecting all

Maxence had risen to receive him; but, when he saw him, he stepped back, his eyes glaring in utter surprise.

But M. de Tregars seemed not to notice his stupor. Quite selfpossessed, notwithstanding his emotion, he

cast a rapid glance over the Count de Villegre, Mme. Favoral and Mlle. Gilberte. At their attitude, and at the

expression of their countenance, he easily guessed the point to which things had come.

And, advancing towards Mme. Favoral, he bowed with an amount of respect which was certainly not put on.

"You have heard the Count de Villegre, madame," he said in a slightly altered tone of voice. " I am awaiting

The poor woman had never before in all her life been so fearfully perplexed. All these events, which

succeeded each other so rapidly, had broken the feeble springs of her soul. She was utterly incapable of

"At this moment, sir," she stammered, taken unawares, " it would be impossible for me to answer you. Grant

me a few days for reflection. We have some old friends whom I ought to consult."

"Friends mother!" he exclaimed. "And who are they? People in our position have no friends. What! when we

are perishing, a man of heart holds out his hand to us, and you ask to reflect? To my sister, who bears a name

henceforth disgraced, the Marquis de Tregar offers his name, and you think of consulting "

My father! interrupted the young man, "my father! What rights can he have over us hereafter?" And

without further discussion, without awaiting an answer, he took his sister's hand, and, placing it in M. de

"Ah! take her, sir," he uttered. "Never, whatever she may do, will she acquit the debt of eternal gratitude

A tremor that shook their frames, a long look which they exchanged, betrayed alone the feelings of Marius

and Mlle. Gilberte. They had of life a too cruel experience not to mistrust their joy.

"You do not understand, madame," he went on, "why I should have selected for such a step the very moment

when an irreparable calamity befalls you. One word will explain all. Being in a position to serve you, I

"Alas!" stammered the poor woman, "what can you do for me, sir? My life is ended. I have but one wish left,

that of knowing where my husband is hid. It is not for me to judge him. He has not given me the happiness

which I had, perhaps, the right to expect; but he is my husband, he is unhappy: my duty is to join him

She was interrupted by the servant, who was calling her at the parlordoor, "Madame, madame!"

Making an effort to rise and walk, Mme. Favoral went out. She was gone but a minute; and, when she

returned, her agitation had further increased. "It is the hand of Providence, perhaps," she said. The others

were all looking at her anxiously. She took a seat, and, addressing herself more especially to M. de Tregars,

"This is what happens," she said in a feeble voice. "M. Favoral was in the habit of always changing his coat

as soon as he came home. As usual, he did so last evening. When they came to arrest him, he forgot to change

again, and went off with the coat he had on. The other remained hanging in the room, where the girl took it

just now to brush it, and put it away; and this portfolio, which my husband always carries with him, fell from

It was an old Russia leather portfolio, which had once been red, but which time and use had turned black. It

He opened it, and had already taken out threefourths of its contents without finding any thing of any

consequence, when suddenly he uttered an exclamation. He had just opened an anonymous note, evidently

"I cannot understand your negligence. You should get through that Van Klopen matter. There is the danger."

"See!" said he, "but you will not understand the immense interest it has for me."

"You are mistaken," said Marius. "I understand perfectly; and I'll prove it to you."

The next moment, Maxence took out of the portfolio, and read aloud, the following bill, dated two days

"Sold to two leather trunks with safety locks at 220 francs each; say, francs 440."

"At last," he said, "here is doubtless one end of the thread which will guide us to the truth through this

"We must talk," he said, "and at length. Tomorrow, before you go to M. de Thaller's with his fifteen

thousand francs, call and see me: I shall expect you. We are now engaged upon a common work; and

something tells me, that, before long, we shall know what has become of the Mutual Credit's millions."

"When I think," said Coleridge, "that every morning, in Paris alone, thirty thousand fellows wake up, and rise

with the fixed and settled idea of appropriating other people's money, it is with renewed wonder that every

And yet it is not those who simply aim to steal your portemonnaie who are either the most dishonest or the

To stand at the corner of some dark street, and rush upon the first man that comes along, demanding, "Your

money or your life," is but a poor business, devoid of all prestige, and long since given up to chivalrous

A man must be something worse than a simpleton to still ply his trade on the highroads, exposed to all sorts

of annoyances on the part of the gendarmes, when manufacturing and financial enterprises offer such a

And, in order to thoroughly understand the mode of proceeding in this particular field, it is sufficient to open

from time to time a copy of "The Police Gazette," and to read some trial, like that, for instance, of one

Lefurteux, expresident of the Company for the Drainage and Improvement of the Orne Swamps.

Q And it was under such circumstances that you had the audacity to organize a company with a capital

A Having discovered an idea, I did not suppose that I was forbidden to work it up.

A I commenced with ten thousand francs, which a friend of mine had lent me; then I used the funds as they

9 In other words, you made use of the money of your first dupes to attract others?

Q Who? Those to whom you sent your prospectus with a plan of your pretended swamps?

A Permit me? I have never applied to my personal wants any thing beyond the salary which was allowed

Q How is it, then, that, when you were arrested, there were only twelve hundred and fifty francs found in

your safe, and that amount had been sent you through the postoffice that very morning? What has become

A Certainly. I was compelled to make a certain display. The head of an important company must endeavor

The Judge, with an Ironical Look Was it also to inspire confidence that you had a mistress, for whom you

Q Your offices were magnificent. They must have cost you a great deal to furnish.

A On the contrary, sir, almost nothing. The furniture was all hired. You can examine the upholsterer.

"What M. Lefurteux has stated," he says, "is true. My specialty is to hire officefixtures for financial and

other companies. I furnish every thing, from the bookkeepers' desks to the furniture for the president's

private room: from the iron safe to the servant's livery. In twentyfour hours, every thing is ready, and the

subscribers can come. As soon as a company is organized, like the one in question, the officers call on me,

and, according to the magnitude of the capital required, I furnish a more or less costly establishment. I have a

good deal of experience, and I know just what's wanted. When M. Lefurteux came to see me, I gauged his

operation at a glance. Three millions of capital, swamps in the Orne, shares of five hundred francs, small

"'Very well,' I said to him, 'it's a sixmonths' job. Don't go into useless expenses. Take reps for your private

The Upholsterer, in the Simple Accent of an Honest Man Exactly as I am telling your Honor. He followed

my advice; and I sent him red hot the furniture and fixtures which had been used by the River Fishery

When, after such revelations, renewed from week to week, with instructive variations, purchasers may still be

found for the shares of the Tiffla Mines, the Bretoneche Lands, and the Forests of Formanoid, is it to be

It had been admirably started at that propitious hour of the December coup d'etat, when the first ideas of

It had lacked neither capital nor powerful patronage at the start, and had been at once admitted to the honor of

Beginning business ostensibly as an accommodation bank for manufacturers and merchants, the Mutual

But gradually it had enlarged the circle of its operations, altered its bylaws, changed its board of directors;

and at the end the original subscribers would have been not a little embarrassed to tell what was the nature of

All they knew was, that it always paid respectable dividends; that their manager, M. de Thaller, was

personally very rich; and that they were willing to trust him to steer clear of the code.

There were some, of course, who did not view things in quite so favorable a light; who suggested that the

dividends were suspiciously large; that M. de Thaller spent too much money on his house, his wife, his

One thing is certain, that the shares of the Mutual Credit Society were much above par, and were quoted at

580 francs on that Saturday, when, after the closing of the bourse, the rumor had spread that the cashier.

"What a haul!" thought, not without a feeling of envy, more than one broker, who, for merely onetwelfth of

that amount would have gayly crossed the frontier. It was almost an event in Paris.

Although such adventures are frequent enough, and not taken much notice of, in the present instance, the

Favoral was generally pronounced a very smart man; and some persons declared, that to take twelve millions

"If he was, then the Mutual Credit is better off than ever: otherwise, it is gone under."

This uncertainty kept up the price for about half an hour. But soon the most disastrous news began to spread,

From 425, at which price it had maintained itself for a time, the Mutual Credit fell suddenly to 300, then 200,

Some friends of M. de Thaller, M. Costeclar, for instance, had endeavored to keep up the market; but they

had soon recognized the futility of their efforts, and then they had bravely commenced doing like the rest.

The next day was Sunday. From the early morning, it was reported, with the most circumstantial details, that

But in the evening this had been contradicted by people who had gone to the races, and who had met there

Mme. de Thaller and her daughter, more brilliant than ever, very lively, and very talkative. To the persons

"My husband was unable to come," said the baroness. "He is busy with two of his clerks, looking over that

poor Favoral's accounts. It seems that they are in the most inconceivable confusion. Who would ever have

thought such a thing of a man who lived on bread and nuts? But he operated at the bourse; and he had

organized, under a false name, a sort of bank, in which he has very foolishly sunk large sums of money.

"Fortunately," she added, "the damage is not as great as has been reported, and this time, again, we shall get

But the speeches of the baroness were hardly sufficient to quiet the anxiety of the people who felt in their

And the next day, Monday, as early as eight o'clock, they began to arrive in crowds to demand of M. de

They were there, at least a hundred, huddled together in the vestibule, on the stairs, and on the first landing, a

prey to the most painful emotion and the most violent excitement; for they had been refused admittance.

To all those who insisted upon going in, a tall servant in livery, standing before the door, replied invariably,

Whereupon they uttered such terrible threats and such loud imprecations, that the frightened concierge had

No one can imagine to what epileptic contortions the loss of money can drive an assemblage of men, who has

not seen a meeting of shareholders on the morrow of a great disaster, with their clinched fists, their convulsed

They felt indignant at what had once been their delight. They laid the blame of their ruin upon the splendor of

the house, the sumptuousness of the stairs, the candelabras of the vestibule, the carpets, the chairs every

Standing upon a bench, a little short man was exciting transports of indignation by describing the

magnificence of the Baron de Thaller's residence, where he had once had some dealings.

He had counted five carriages in the carriagehouse, fifteen horses in the stables, and Heaven knows how

He had never been inside the apartments, but he had visited the kitchen; and he declared that he had been

dazzled by the number and brightness of the saucepans, ranged in order of size over the furnace.

Gathered in a group under the vestibule, the most sensible deplored their rash confidence.

But what exasperated them, all was not to be admitted to the presence of M. de Thaller, and to see that

"What impudence," they growled, "to leave us on the stairs! we who are the masters, after all."

"No matter: I will see him," clamored a big fat man, with a brickcolored face, "if I shouldn't stir from here

"You'll see nothing at all," giggled his neighbor. "Do you suppose they don't have backstairs and private

"Ah! if I believed any thing of the kind," exclaimed the big man in a voice trembling with passion. "I'd soon

Already he was gazing at the servant with an alarming air, when an old gentleman with a discreet look,

"I have two hundred and fifty," he said. "That's why, being at least as interested as yourself in not losing

The door which the servant was guarding flew open. A clerk appeared, and made sign that he wished to

"Gentlemen," he began, "M. de Thaller has just come; but he is just now engaged with the examining judge."

"That's a fact," said another. "But we will have the precious advantage of hearing that dear baron condemned

to one year's imprisonment, and a fine of fifty francs. That's the regular rate. He wouldn't get off so cheap, if

They had to believe it, when they saw him appear, followed by a commissary of police and a porter, carrying

on his back a load of books and papers. They stood aside to let them pass; but there was no time to make any

There was then a terrible jamming and pushing to see who would get first into the directors' room, which

M. de Thaller was standing against the mantelpiece, neither paler nor more excited than usual, but like a

man who feels sure of himself and of his means of action. As soon as silence was restored,

"First of all, gentlemen," he began, "I must tell you that the board of directors is about to meet, and that a

Not a murmur. As at the touch of a magician's wand, the dispositions of the shareholders seemed to have

"I have nothing new to inform you of," he went on. "What happens is a misfortune, but not a disaster. The

thing to do was to save the company; and I had first thought of calling for funds."

"And I can manage to carry every thing through by adding to our reserve fund my own personal fortune."

"Honor commanded it," he continued. "I confess it, gentlemen, the wretch who has so basely deceived us had

my entire confidence. You will understand my apparent blindness when you know with what infernal skill he

Loud imprecations burst on all sides against Vincent Favoral. But the president of the Mutual Credit

"For the present, all I have to ask of you is to keep cool, and continue to give me your confidence."

"The panic of night before last was but a stockgambling manoeuvre, organized by rival establishments, who

were in hopes of taking our clients away from us. They will be disappointed, gentlemen. We will

triumphantly demonstrate our soundness; and we shall come out of this trial more powerful than ever."

It was all over. M. de Thaller understood his business. They offered him a vote of thanks. A smile was

One stockholder alone did not seem to share the general enthusiasm: he was no other than our old friend. M.

"That fellow, Thaller, is just capable of getting himself out of the scrape," he grumbled. "I must tell

We have every species of courage in France, and to a superior degree, except that of braving public opinion.

Few men would have dared, like Marius de Tregars, to offer their name to the daughter of a wretch charged

with embezzlement and forgery, and that at the very moment when the scandal of the crime was at its height.

But, when Marius judged a thing good and just, he did it without troubling himself in the least about what

others would think. And so his mere presence in the Rue. St. Gilles had brought back hope to its inmates. Of

his designs he had said but a word, "I have the means of helping you: I mean, by marrying Gilberte, to

But that word had been enough.. Mme. Favoral and Maxence had understood that the man who spoke thus

was one of those cool and resolute men whom nothing disconcerts or discourages, and who knows how to

"I don't know what he will do," said Mlle. Gilberte to her mother and her brother: "but he will certainly do

And how proudly she spoke thus! The assistance of Marius was the justification of her conduct. She trembled

with joy at the thought that it would, perhaps, be to the man whom she had alone and boldly selected, that her

family would owe their salvation. Shaking his head, and making allusion to events of which he kept the

"I really believe," approved Maxence, "that, to reach the enemies of our father, M. de Tregars possesses some

powerful means; and what they are we will doubtless soon know, since I have an appointment with him for

It came at last, that morrow, which he had awaited with an impatience that neither his mother nor his sister

could suspect. And towards halfpast nine he was ready to go out, when M. Chapelain came in. Still irritated

by the scenes he had just witnessed at the Mutual Credit office, the old lawyer had a most lugubrious

He had said so much the day before about having nothing more to do with it, that. Maxence could not repress

"Oh! it isn't alone that I saw him," added M. Chapelain, "but together with at least a hundred stockholders of

"No: they only came near doing something. You should have seen them this morning! They were furious;

they threatened to break every thing; they wanted M. de Thaller's blood. It was terrible. But M. de Thaller

condescended to receive them; and they became at once as meek as lambs. It is perfectly simple. What do you

suppose stockholders can do, no matter how exasperated they may be, when their manager tells them?

"'Well, yes, it's a fact you have been robbed, and your money is in great jeopardy; but if you make any fuss, if

you complain thus, all is sure to be lost.' Of course, the stockholders keep quiet. It is a wellknown fact that a

business which has to be liquidated through the courts is gone; and swindled stockholders fear the law almost

as much as the swindling manager. A single fact will make the situation clearer to you. Less than an hour ago,

"But this is not all. Justice has interfered; and M. de Thaller spent the morning with an

"Well, I have enough experience to affirm that you must not rely any more upon justice than upon the

stockholders. Unless there are proofs so evident that they are not likely to exist, M. de Thaller will not be

"Why? Because, my dear, in all those big financial operations, justice, as much as possible, remains blind.

Not through corruption or any guilty connivance, but through considerations of public interest. If the manager

was prosecuted he would be condemned to a few years' imprisonment; but his stockholders would at the same

time be condemned to lose what they have left; so that the victims would be more severely punished than the

swindler. And so, powerless, justice does not interfere. And that's what accounts for the impudence and

impunity of all these highflown rascals who go about with their heads high, their pockets filled with other

"Then it is evident that your father is lost. Whether or not he did have accomplices, he will be alone

sacrificed. A scapegoat is needed to be slaughtered on the altar of credit. Well, they will give that much

satisfaction to the swindled stockholders. The twelve millions will be lost; but the shares of the Mutual Credit

"The very reverse of what, on the first impulse, I advised you to do. That's why I have come. I told you

yesterday, 'Make a row, act, scream. It is impossible that your father be alone guilty; attack M. de Thaller.'

Today, after mature deliberation, I say, 'Keep quiet, hide yourself, let the scandal drop.'"

"It is a friend's advice, the advice of a man who knows life better than yourself. Poor young man, you are

not aware of the peril of certain struggles. All knaves are in league and sustain each other. To attack one is to

attack them all. You have no idea of the occult influences of which a man can dispose who handles millions,

and who, in exchange for a favor, has always a bonus to offer, or a good operation to propose. If at least I

could see any chance of success! But you have not one. You never can reach M. de Thaller, henceforth

backed by his stockholders. You will only succeed in making an enemy whose hostility will weigh upon your

"If you were alone," he went on, "I would say as you do, 'What does it matter?' But you are no longer alone:

you have your mother and sister to take care of. You must think of food before thinking of vengeance. How

much a month do you earn? Two hundred francs! It is not much for three persons. I would never suggest that

you should solicit M. de Thaller's protection; but it would be well, perhaps, to let him know that he has

nothing to fear from you. Why shouldn't you do so when you take his fifteen thousand francs back to him? If,

as every thing indicates, he has been your father's accomplice, he will certainly be touched by the distress of

your family, and, if he has any heart left, he will manage to make you find, without appearing to have any

thing to do with it, a situation better suited to your wants. I know that such a, step must be very painful; but I

repeat it, my dear child, you can no longer think of yourself alone; and what one would not do for himself,

Maxence said nothing. Not that he was in any way affected by the worthy old lawyer's speech; but he was

asking himself whether or not he should confide to him the events which in the past twentyfour hours had so

Marius de Tregars had not bound him to secrecy; but an indiscretion might have fatal consequences. And,

"I am obliged to you, sir," he replied evasively, "for the interest you have manifested in our welfare; and we

shall always greatly prize your advice. But for the present you must allow me to leave you with my mother

And, without waiting for an answer, he slipped M. de Thaller's fifteen thousand francs in his pocket, and

hurried out. It was not to M. de Tregars that he went first, however, but to the Hotel des Folies.

"Mlle. Lucienne has just come home with a big bundle," said Mme. Fortin to Maxence, with her pleasantest

For the past twentyfour hours, the worthy hostess had been watching for her guest, in the hopes of obtaining

some information which she might communicate to the neighbors. Without even condescending to answer, a

piece of rudeness at which she felt much hurt, he crossed the narrow court of the hotel at a bound, and started

Mlle. Lucienne's room was open. He walked in, and, still out of breath from his rapid ascension,

"I am glad to find you in," he exclaimed. The young girl was busy, arranging upon her bed a dress of very

light colored silk, trimmed with ruches and lace, an overdress to match, and a bonnet of wonderful shape,

"You see what brings me here," she replied. "I came home to dress. At two o'clock the carriage is coming to

take me to the bois, where I am to exhibit this costume, certainly the most ridiculous that Van Klopen has yet

"Who knows," said he, "if this is not the last time you will have to perform this odious task? Ah, my friend!

"No more than you do. It was yesterday, at the commissary of police, that I first heard his name."

"You told me," resumed Maxence, "that once, in a day of supreme distress, you had applied to Mme. de

Thaller for assistance, whereas you were actually entitled to an indemnity for having been run over and

"Whilst you were in the vestibule, waiting for an answer to your letter, which a servant had taken up stairs,

M. de Thaller came in; and, when he saw you, he could not repress a gesture of surprise, almost of terror.

Lowering his voice; for he knew that at the Hotel des Folies there was always to fear some indiscreet ear.

"Yes, I," he answered; "and for the reason that yesterday, when M. de Tregars appeared in my mother's

parlor, I could not suppress an exclamation of surprise, for the reason, Lucienne, that, between Marius de

Tregars and yourself, there is a resemblance with which it is impossible not to be struck."

"I believe, my friend, that we are very near penetrating at once the mystery of your birth and the secret of the

hatred that has pursued you since the day when you first set your foot in M. de Thaller's house."

Admirably selfpossessed as Mlle. Lucienne usually was, the quivering of her lips betrayed at this moment

"The commissary of police," she said, "has never told me his hopes, except in vague terms. He has told me

enough, however, to make me think that he has already had suspicions similar to yours."

"Of course! Would he otherwise have questioned me on the subject of M. de Tregars?"

"And yet," she said, "even after your explanation, it is in vain that I seek why and how I can so far disturb M.

Maxence made a gesture of superb indifference. "I confess," he said, "that I don't see it either. But what

matters it? Without being able to explain why, I feel that the Baron de Thaller is the common enemy, yours,

mine, my father's, and M. de Tregars'. And something tells me, that, with M. de Tregars' help, we shall

triumph. You would share my confidence, Lucienne, if you knew him. There is a man! and my sister has

made no vulgar choice. If he has told my mother that he has the means of serving her, it is because he

He stopped, and, after a moment of silence, "Perhaps," he went on "the commissary of police might readily

understand what I only dimly suspect; but, until further orders, we are forbidden to have recourse to him. it is

not my own secret that I have just told you; and, if I have confided it to you, it is because I feel that it is a

great piece of good fortune for us; and there is no joy for me, that you do not share."

In the court, two illlooking men were talking with the Fortins. But it happened often to the Fortins to talk

with illlooking men: so he took no notice of them, ran out to the Boulevard, and jumping into a cab,

When Marius de Tregars had finally determined to compel the bold rascals who had swindled his father to

disgorge, he had taken in the Rue Lafitte a small, plainlyfurnished apartment on the entresol, a fit dwelling

for the man of action, the tent in which he takes shelter on the eve of battle; and he had to wait upon him an

old family servant, whom he had found out of place, and who had for him that unquestioning and obstinate

It was this excellent man who came at the first stroke of the bell to open the door. And, as soon as Maxence

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "my master has been expecting you with a terrible impatience."

It was so true, that M. de Tregars himself appeared at the same moment, and, leading Maxence into the little

"Do you know," he said whilst shaking him cordially by the hand, "that you are almost an hour behind time?"

Maxence had, among others the detestable fault, sure indication of a weak nature, of being never willing to be

in the wrong, and of having always an excuse ready. On this occasion, the excuse was too tempting to allow it

to escape; and quick he began telling how he had been detained by M. Chapelain, and how he had heard from

"I know the scene already," said M. de Tregars. And, fixing upon Maxence a look of friendly raillery,

"Only," he added, "I attributed your want of punctuality to another reason, a very pretty one this time, a

"I thought you must have been in haste to go and tell a person of your acquaintance why, when you saw me

"I know a great many things, my dear M. Maxence," he replied; "and yet, as I do not wish to be suspected of

witchcraft, I will tell you where all my science comes from. At the time when your house was closed to me,

after seeking for a long time some means of hearing from your sister, I discovered at last that she had for her

musicteacher an old Italian, the Signor Gismondi Pulei. I applied to him for lessons, and became his pupil.

But, in the beginning, he kept looking at me with singular persistence. I inquired the reason; and he told me

that he had once had for a neighbor, at the Batignolles, a young workinggirl, who resembled me

prodigiously. I paid no attention to this circumstance, and had, in fact, completely forgotten it; when, quite

lately, Gismondo told me that he had just seen his former neighbor again, and, what's more, arm in arm with

you, and that you both entered together the Hotel des Folies. As he insisted again upon that famous

resemblance, I determined to see for myself. I watched, and I stated, de visa, that my old Italian was not quite

His eyes staring, and his mouth gaping, Maxence looked like a man fallen from the clouds.

"It is certain," he replied, "that, for a month past, I have been doing a singular business. But it is not by

remaining on my chair, preaching against the corruption of the age, that I can attain my object. The end

justifies the means. Honest men are very silly, I think, to allow the rascals to get the better of them under the

"Enough to know that she is not what she seems to be, and what almost any other would have been in her

place; enough to be certain, that, if she shows herself two or three times a week riding around the lake, it is

not for her pleasure; enough, also, to be persuaded, that, despite appearances, she is not your mistress, and

that, far from having disturbed your life, and compromised your prospects, she set you back into the right

road, at the moment, perhaps, when you were about to branch off into the wrong path."

Maxence was trembling with joy. It seemed to him that his most dazzling hopes were about to be realized.

"Ah, you know Lucienne's family!" he exclaimed. But M. de Tregars shook his head.

"I have suspicions," he answered; "but, up to this time, I have suspicions only, I assure you."

"But that family does exist; since they have already, at three different times, attempted to get rid of the poor

"I think as you do; but we must have proofs: and we shall find some. You may rest assured of that."

The old servant came in, and advancing to the centre of the room with a mysterious look,

"She is down stairs in her carriage," replied the servant. "Her footman is here, asking whether monsieur is at

"Can she possibly have heard any thing?" murmured M. de Tregars with a deep frown. And, after a moment

"So much the more reason to see her," he added quickly. "Let her come. Request her to do me the honor of

This last incident completely upset all Maxence's ideas. He no longer knew what to imagine.

"Quick," said M. de Tregars to him: "quick, disappear; and, whatever you may hear, not a word!"

And he pushed him into his bedroom, which was divided from the study by a mere tapestry curtain. It was

time; for already in the next room could be heard a great rustling of silk and starched petticoats. Mme. de

She was still the same coarsely beautiful woman, who, sixteen years before, had sat at Mme. Favoral's table.

Time had passed without scarcely touching her with the tip of his wing. Her flesh had retained its dazzling

whiteness; her hair, of a bluish black, its marvelous opulence; her lips, their carmine hue; her eyes, their

lustre. Her figure only had become heavier, her features less delicate; and her neck and throat had lost their

But neither the years, nor the millions, nor the intimacy of the most fashionable women, had been able to give

If there was a woman accustomed to dress, it was she: a splendid drygoods store could have been set up

with the silks and the velvets, the satins and cashmeres, the muslins, the laces, and all the known tissues, that

Her elegance was quoted and copied. And yet there was about her always and under all circumstances, an

indescribable flavor of the parvenue. Her gestures had remained trivial; her voice, common and vulgar.

"Confess, my dear marquis," she said, "that you are terribly astonished to see me thus drop upon you, without

With a rapid glance she was surveying the little study, the modest furniture, the papers piled on the desk, as if

she had hoped that the dwelling would reveal to her something of the master's ideas and projects.

"I was just coming from Van Klopen's," she resumed; "and passing before your house, I took a fancy to come

M. de Tregars was too much a man of the world, and of the best world, to allow his features to betray the

secret of his impressions; and yet, to any one who had known him well, a certain contraction of the eyelids

"As sound as an oak," answered Mme. de Thaller, "notwithstanding all the cares and the troubles, which you

"And it is but too true. That wretch Favoral has gone off with an enormous amount of money."

"Something like it. A man who had the reputation of a saint too; a puritan. Trust people's faces after that! I

never liked him, I confess. But M. de Thaller had a perfect fancy for him; and, when he had spoken of his

Favoral, there was nothing more to say. Any way, he has cleared out, leaving his family without means. A

very interesting family, it seems, too, a wife who is goodness itself, and a charming daughter: at least, so

M. de Tregars' countenance remained perfectly indifferent, like that of a man who is hearing about persons

But it isn't to tell you all this," she went on, "that I came up. It is an interested motive brought me. We have,

some of my friends and myse1f, organized a lottery a work of charity, my dear marquis, and quite patriotic

for the benefit of the Alsatians, I have lots of tickets to dispose of; and I've thought of you to help me out."

She pocketed the ten napoleons which he handed her, and, in a tone of ironical compassion,

"Well, my dear marquis," she resumed, "it is certainly not me who will pity you. When a man of your age,

and with your name, remains poor, it is his own fault. Are there no rich heiresses?"

"I confess that I haven't tried to find one yet." She looked at him straight in the eyes, and then suddenly

"Look around you," she said, "and I am sure you'll not be long discovering a beautiful young girl, very

blonde, who would be delighted to become Marquise de Tregars, and who would bring in her apron a dowry

of twelve or fifteen hundred thousand francs in good securities, securities which the Favorals can't carry

off. Think well, and then come to see us. You know that M. de Thaller is very fond of you; and, after all the

Whereupon she went out, M. de Tregars, going down to escort her to her carriage. But as he came up,

"Attention!" he cried to Maxence; "for it's very evident that the Thallers have wind of something."

It was a revelation, that visit of Mme. de Thaller's; and there was no need of very much perspicacity to guess

her anxiety beneath her bursts of laughter, and to understand that it was a bargain she had come to propose. It

was evident, therefore, that Marius de Tregars held within his hands the principal threads of that complicated

intrigue which had just culminated in that robbery of twelve millions. But would he be able to make use of

them? What were his designs, and his means of action? That is what Maxence could not in any way

"Come," said M. Tregars, whose agitation was manifest, " come, let us breakfast: we have not a moment to

Retired as he had lived from the financial world, Maxence had yet heard the name of Octave d'Escajoul.

Who has not seen him, happy and smiling, his eye bright, and his lip ruddy, notwithstanding his fifty years,

walking on the sunny side of the Boulevard, with his royal blue jacket and his eternal white vest? He is

passionately fond of everything that tends to make life pleasant and easy; dines at Bignon's, or the Caf e

Anglais; plays baccarat at the dub with extraordinary luck; has the most comfortable apartment and the most

elegant coupe in all Paris. With all this, he is pleased to declare that he is the happiest of men, and is certainly

one of the most popular; for he cannot walk three blocks on the Boulevard without lifting his hat at least fifty

And when any one asks, "What does he do?" the invariable answer is, "Why he operates."

To explain what sort of operations, would not be, perhaps, very easy. In the world of rogues, there are some

rogues more formidable and more skillful than the rest, who always manage to escape the hand of the law.

They are not such fools as to operate in person, not they! They content themselves with watching their

friends and comrades. If a good haul is made, at once they appear and claim their share. And, as they always

threaten to inform, there is no help for it but to let them pocket the clearest of the profit.

Well, in a more elevated sphere, in the world of speculation, it is precisely that lucrative and honorable

industry which M. d'Escajoul carries on. Thoroughly master of his ground, possessing a superior scent and an

imperturbable patience, always awake, and continually on the watch, he never operates unless he is sure to

And the day when the manager of some company has violated his charter or stretched the law a little too far,

he may be sure to see M. d'Escajoul appear, and ask for some little advantages, and proffer, in exchange,

Such is the man who came in, smiling, just as Maxence and Marius de Tregars had sat down at the table. M.

"Thank you," answered M. d'Escajoul. "I breakfasted precisely at eleven, as usual. Punctuality is a politeness

which a man owes to his stomach. But I will accept with pleasure a drop of that old Cognac which you

He took a seat; and the valet brought him a glass, which he set on the edge of the table. Then,

"Impossible to get any thing out of him. I turned him over and over, every way. Nothing!"

"It's so; and you know if I understand the business. But what can you say to a man who answers you all the

time, 'The matter is in the hands of the law; experts have been named; I have nothing to fear from the most

By the look which Marius de Tregars kept riveted upon M. d'Escajoul, it was easy to see that his confidence

in him was not without limits. He felt it, and, with an air of injured innocence,

"Do you suspect me, by chance," he said, "to have allowed myself to be hoodwinked by Thaller?"

"Upon my word," he insisted, "you are wrong to doubt me. Was it you who came after me? No. It was I, who,

hearing through Marcolet the history of your fortune, came to tell you, 'Do you want to know a way of

swamping Thaller?' And the reasons I had to wish that Thaller might be swamped: I have them still. He

trifled with me, he 'sold' me, and he must suffer for it; for, if it came to be known that I could be taken in with

"Or else his measures are so well taken that he has absolutely nothing to fear. If Favoral takes everything

upon himself, what can they say to the other? If they have acted in collusion, the thing has been prepared for

a long time; and, before commencing to fish, they must have troubled the water so well, that justice will be

"That one is gone," he said; "and, were he at hand, it is quite evident that if he was in collusion with M. de

"Why so? We don't know what may happen. Keep quiet, be patient; I am here, and I am looking out for

"You have more experience than I have," said M. de Tregars; "and, since that's your opinion:

"Very well, then, it's understood," he said, pressing M. de Tregars' hand. "I am watching for both of us; and if

But the outer door had hardly closed, when suddenly the countenance of Marius de Tregars changed. Shaking

the hand which M. d'Escajoul had just touched, "Pouah! " he said with a look of thorough disgust,

"Don't you understand," he said, "that this old rascal has been sent to me by Thaller to feel my intentions, and

mislead me by false information? I had scented him, fortunately; and, if either one of us is dupe of the other, I

Maxence had the good sense not to overestimate himself. Perfectly convinced that he could accomplish

He followed him, therefore; and it was only after the carriage had started, that he ventured to ask,

"Didn't you hear me," replied M. de Tregars, "order the driver to take us to the courthouse?"

"You are going, my dear friend, to ask an audience of the judge who has your father's case in charge, and

"I think it better to place that money into the hands of justice, which will appreciate the step, than into those

of M. de Thaller, who would not breathe a word about it. We are in a position where nothing should be

But they had arrived. M. de Tregars guided Maxence through the labyrinth of corridors of the building, until

he came to a long gallery, at the entrance of which an usher was seated reading a newspaper.

"Please ask him if he would receive an important deposition in the Favoral case."

"You will go in alone," said M. de Tregars to Maxence. "I shall not appear; and it is important that my name

should not even be pronounced. But, above all, try and remember even the most insignificant words of the

"M. d'Avranchel will receive you," he said. And, leading Maxence to the extremity of the gallery, he opened

It was a small room, with a low ceiling, and poorly furnished. The faded curtains and threadbare carpet

showed plainly that more than one judge had occupied it, and that legions of accused criminals had passed

through it. In front of a table, two men one old, the judge; the other young, the clerk were signing and

classifying papers. These papers related to the Favoral case, and were all indorsed in large letters: Mutual

As soon as Maxence appeared, the judge rose, and, after measuring him with a clear and cold look:

"Ah! you are Vincent Favoral's son," interrupted the judge. "And it was you who helped him escape through

the window? I was going to send you a summons this very day; but, since you are here, so much the better.

Very few people, even among the most strictly honest, can overcome a certain unpleasant feeling when,

having crossed the threshold of the palace of justice, they find themselves in presence of a judge. More than

almost any one else, Maxence was likely to be accessible to that vague and inexplicable feeling; and it was

"On Saturday evening, the Baron de Thaller called at our house a few minutes before the commissary. After

loading my father with reproaches, he invited him to leave the country; and, in order to facilitate his flight, he

handed him these fifteen thousand francs. My father declined to accept them; and, at the moment of parting,

he recommended to me particularly to return them to M. de Thaller. I thought it best to return them to you,

"Because I wished the fact known to you of the money having been offered and refused."

M. Barban d'Avranchel was quietly stroking his whiskers, once of a bright red, but now almost entirely white.

Maxence looked straight at him; and, in a tone which affirmed precisely the reverse,

"I must tell you,"' resumed the judge, "that M. de Thaller has himself informed me of this circumstance.

When he called at your house, he was ignorant, as yet, of the extent of the embezzlements, and was in hopes

of being able to hush up the affair. That's why he wished his cashier to start for Belgium. This system of

helping criminals to escape the just punishment of their crimes is to be bitterly deplored; but it is quite the

habit of your financial magnates, who prefer sending some poor devil of am employe to hang himself abroad

than run the risk of compromising their credit by confessing that they have been robbed."

Maxence might have had a great deal to say; but M. de Tregars had recommenced him the most extreme

"On the other hand," resumed the judge, "the refusal to accept the money so generously offered does not

speak in favor of Vincent Favoral. He was well aware, when he left, that it would require a great deal of

money to reach the frontier, escape pursuit, and hide himself abroad; and, if he refused the fifteen thousand

Tears of shame and rage started from Maxence's eyes "I am certain, sir," he exclaimed, "that my father went

"My father speculated at the bourse," he stammered. "And he led a scandalous conduct, keeping up, away

"We knew nothing of it, sir; and our first suspicions were aroused by what the commissary of police told us."

The judge insisted no more; and in a tone which indicated that his question was a mere matter of form, and he

M. d'Avranchel had already resumed his seat at the table, and was again busy with his papers.

Maxence felt much discouraged when he joined M. de Tregars at the entrance of the gallery.

But as soon as he had narrated, with a fidelity that did honor to his memory, all that had just occurred,

"Nothing is lost yet," declared M. de Tregars. And, taking from his pocket the bill for two trunks, which had

M. de Tregars and Maxence were in luck. They had a good driver and a fair horse; and in twenty minutes

And, with the look of a man who has made up his mind to do something which is extremely repugnant to

"It was a modest establishment; and the people who kept it, husband and wife, seeing two customers coming

in, rushed to meet them, with that welcoming smile which blossoms upon the lips of every Parisian

And, with wonderful volubility, they went on enumerating every article which they had for sale in their shop,

from the "indispensablenecessary," containing seventyseven pieces of solid silver, and costing four

But Marius de Tregars interrupted them as soon as he could get an opportunity, and, showing them their bill,

"It was here, wasn't it," he inquired, "that the two trunks were bought which are charged in this bill?"

"Why do you ask?" inquired the woman in a tone which indicated that she had the settled intention not to

To obtain the simplest information is not always as easy as might be supposed. The suspicion of the Parisian

tradesman is easily aroused; and, as his head is stuffed with stories of spies and robbers, as soon as he is

"I beg you to believe, madame," he went on, "that my questions are not dictated by an idle curiosity. Here are

the facts. A relative of ours, a man of a certain age, of whom we are very fond, and whose head is a little

weak, left his home some fortyeight hours since. We are looking for him, and we are in hopes, if we find

"The fact is," they said, "we wouldn't like, under any consideration, to commit an indiscretion which might

"Fear nothing," said M. de Tregars with a reassuring gesture. "If we have not had recourse to the police, it's

because, you know, it isn't pleasant to have the police interfere in one's affairs. If you have any objections to

"These two trunks were bought on Friday afternoon last, by a man of a certain age, tall, very thin, with a stern

And now," the woman went on, " that you have just told me that your relative was a little weak in the head, I

remember that this gentleman had a strange sort of way about him, and that he kept walking about the store as

if he had fleas on his legs. And awful particular he was too! Nothing was handsome enough and strong

enough for him; and he was anxious about the safetylocks, as he had, he said, many objects of value, papers,

"Rue du Cirque, to Mme. wait a minute, I have the name at the end of my tongue."

"April 26, 1872," he said. "26, here it is: 'Two leather trunks, patent safetylocks: Mme. Zelie Cadelle, 49

Without too much affectation, M. de Tregars had drawn near to the shopkeeper, and was looking over his

"That, sir, is the direction left by the customer 'Mark on each end of the trunks, in large letters, "Rio de

But the tradesman mistook him; and, seizing this magnificent opportunity to display his knowledge,

"Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Brazil," he said in a tone of importance. "And your relative evidently

intended to go there; and, if he has not changed his mind, I doubt whether you can overtake him; for the

"If that's the case," he said to the shopkeepers, "I think I had better give up the chase. I am much obliged to

"I will give you my opinion," he uttered, "after I have investigated matters in the Rue du Cirque."

They drove there in a few minutes; and, the cab having stopped at the entrance of the street, they walked on

foot in front of No. 49. It was a small cottage, only one story in height, built between a sanded courtyard

and a garden, whose tall trees showed above the roof. At the windows could be seen curtains of lightcolored

For a few minutes Marius de Tregars remained in observation; but, as nothing stirred,

And noticing a large grocery store bearing No. 62, he directed his steps towards it, still accompanied by

It was the hour of the day when customers are rare. Standing in the centre of the shop, the grocer, a big fat

man with an air of importance, was overseeing his men, who were busy putting things in order.

"I am," he said, "a clerk with M. Drayton, the jeweler in the Rue de la Paix; and I come to ask you one of

A frown appeared on the fat man's countenance. He thought, perhaps, that M. Drayton's clerks were rather

too stylishlooking; or else, perhaps, be felt apprehensive of one of those numerous petty swindles of which

"I am on my way," spoke M. de Tregars, "to deliver a ring which a lady purchased of us yesterday. She is not

a regular customer, and has given us no references. If she doesn't pay, shall I leave the ring? My employer

told me, 'Consult some prominent tradesman of the neighborhood, and follow his advice.'"

Prominent tradesman! Delicately tickled vanity was dancing in the grocer's eyes.

"In that case, my boy," he said, tapping familiarly the shoulder of the socalled clerk, "whether she pays or

The familiarity was not, perhaps, very much to the taste of the Marquis de Tregars. No matter.

"Personally no. But she is protected by an old fool, who allows her all her fancies."

"It is scandalous; and you cannot form an idea of the amount of money that is spent in that house. Horses,

carriages, servants, dresses, balls, dinners, cardplaying all night, a perpetual carnival: it must be ruinous!

"I have seen him pass,a tall, lean, old fellow, who doesn't look very rich, either. But excuse me: here is a

"Go and wait for me in that caf yonder, at the corner of the street. I must see that Zelie Cadelle and speak to

And without suffering an objection on the part of Maxence, he walked resolutely up to the cottagegate, and

At the sound of the bell, one of those servants stepped out into the yard, who seem manufactured on purpose,

heaven knows where, for the special service of young ladies who keep house, a tall rascal with sallow

"That you should open the door, first," uttered M. de Tregars, with such a look and such an accent, that the

"Upon my word," he said, "she has gone to the bois with one of her friends. If you won't believe me, ask my

And he pointed out two other servants of the same pattern as himself, who were silting at a table in the

But M. de Tregars did not mean to be imposed upon. He felt certain that the man was lying. Instead,

"I want you to take me to your mistress," be ordered, in a tone that admitted of no objection; "or else I'll find

It was evident that he would do just as he said, by force if needs be. The valet saw this, and, after hesitating a

"Come along, then," he said, "since you insist so much. We'll talk to the chambermaid."

And, having led M. de Tregars into the vestibule, he called out, "Mam'selle Amanda!"

A woman at once made her appearance who was a worthy mate for the valet. She must have been about forty,

and the most alarming duplicity could be read upon her features, deeply pitted by the smallpox. She wore a

pretentious dress, an apron like a stageservant, and a cap profusely decorated with flowers and ribbons.

"Here is a gentleman," said the valet, "who insists upon seeing madame. You fix it with him."

Better than her fellow servant, Mlle. Amanda could judge with whom she had to deal. A single glance at this

obstinate visitor convinced her that he was not one who can be easily turned off.

Putting on, therefore, her pleasantest smile, thus displaying at the same time her decayed teeth,

Instead of answering, M. de Tregars took a couple of twentyfrancnotes out of his pocket, and slipped them

M. de Tregars did so, whilst observing everything around him with the attentive perspicacity of a deputy

Being double, the house was much more spacious than could have been thought from the street, and arranged

The most lavish luxury was displayed on all sides; not that solid, quiet, and harmonious luxury which is the

result of long years of opulence, but the coarse, loud, and superficial luxury of the parvenu, who is eager to

The vestibule was a folly, with its exotic plants climbing along crystal trellises, and its Sevres and China

jardinieres filled with gigantic azaleas. And along the gilt railing of the stairs marble and bronze statuary was

"It must take twenty thousand francs a year to keep up this conservatory alone," thought M. de Tregars.

In this parlor everything had been combined to dazzle. Furniture, carpets, hangings, every thing, was rich, too

rich, furiously, incontestably, obviously rich. The chandelier was a masterpiece, the clock an original and,

unique piece of work. The pictures hanging upon the wall were all signed with the most famous names.

"To judge of the rest by what I have seen," thought M. de Tregars, "there must have been at least four or five

And, although he was shocked by a quantity of details which betrayed the most absolute lack of taste, he

could hardly persuade himself that the cashier of the Mutual Credit could be the master of this sumptuous

dwelling; and he was asking himself whether he had not followed the wrong scent, when a circumstance

M. de Tregars had been seated for a few minutes, and was collecting his somewhat scattered thoughts, when a

She was a woman of some twentyfive or six, rather tall, lithe, and well made. Her face was pale and worn;

and her heavy dark hair was scattered over her neck and shoulders. She looked at once sarcastic and

goodnatured, impudent and naive, with her sparkling eyes, her turnedup nose, and wide mouth furnished

with teeth, sound and white, like those of a young dog. She had wasted no time upon her dress; for she wore a

plain blue cashmere wrapper, fastened at the waist with a sort of silk scarf of similar color.

And without ceasing to look at him with a wondering eye, but suddenly changing her tone of voice,

"And so, sir," she said, "my servants have been unable to keep you from forcing yourself into my house!"

"I hope, madame," said M. de Tregars with a polite bow, "that you will excuse my persistence. I come for a

"Tregars!" she repeated, looking up at the ceiling, as if in search of an inspiration. "Tregars! Never heard of

"I have come, madame," he replied, "to ask you to put me in the way to see and speak to the man whose

He expected to take her by surprise, and that by a shudder, a cry, a gesture, she might betray her secret. Not at

M. de Tregars understood, and this was subsequently confirmed, that it was under his Christian name of

Vincent alone, that the cashier of the Mutual Credit was known in the Rue du Cirque.

"Yes, I am a friend of his," he replied; "and if I could see him, I could probably render him an important

"As sure as a person can be who went to the railway station yesterday with him and all his baggage."

"To Havre, to take the steamer for Brazil, which was to sail on the same day; so that, by this time, he must be

"He said so. It was written on his thirtysix trunks in letters half a foot high. Besides, he showed me his

"Have you any idea what could have induced him to expatriate himself thus, at his age?"

"He told me he had spent all his money, and also some of other people's; that he was afraid of being arrested;

Was Mme. Zelie speaking in good faith? To ask the question would have been rather naive; but an effort

might be made to find out. Carefully concealing his own impressions, and the importance he attached to this

"I pity you sincerely, madame," resumed M. de Tregars; "for you must be sorely grieved by this sudden

Marquis de Tregars knew well enough the ladies of the class to which he supposed that Mme. Zelie Cadelle

"And yet," he said, "you are indebted to him for the princely magnificence that surrounds you here."

"I haven't the slightest idea of doing so," she exclaimed." Never in the whole world have I had such a stupid

time as for the last five months that I have spent in this gilded cage. What a bore, my beloved brethren! I am

M. de Tregars' gesture of surprise was the more natural, that his surprise was immense.

"Dear me; yes! and by the merest chance, too, you'll see. One day at the beginning of last December, I was

coming from but no matter where I was coming from. At any rate, I hadn't a cent in my pocket, and nothing

but an old calico dress on my back; and I was going along, not in the best of humor, as you may imagine,

when I feel that some one is following me. Without looking around, and from the corner of my eye, if look

over my shoulder, and I see a respectablelooking old gentleman, wearing a long frockcoat."

"In his own natural person, and who was walking, walking. I quietly begin to walk slower; and, as soon as we

Something comical must have happened at this moment, which Mme. Zelie Cadelle said nothing about; for

"Then," she resumed, "he begins at once to explain that I remind him of a person whom he loved tenderly,

and whom he has just had the misfortune to lose, adding, that he would deem himself the happiest of men if I

"You see! That rascally Vincent!" said M. de Tregars, just to be saying something.

"You know him," she resumed. "He is not young; he is not handsome; he is not funny. I did not fancy him

one bit; and, if I had only known where to find shelter for the night, I'd soon have sent him to the old Nick,

him and his brilliant position. But, not having enough money to buy myself a pennyloaf, it wasn't the time to

put on any airs. So I tell him that I accept. He goes for a cab; we get into it; and he brings me right straight

Positively M. de Tregars required his entire selfcontrol to conceal the intensity of his curiosity.

"Precisely, except that there were no servants in it, except the chambermaid Amanda, who is M. Favoral's

confidante. All the others had been dismissed; and it was a hostler from a stable near by who came to take

"Then you may imagine what I looked like in the midst of all this magnificence, with my old shoes and my

fourpenny skirt. Something like a greasespot on a satin dress. M. Vincent seemed delighted, nevertheless.

He had sent Amanda out to get me some underclothing and a readymade wrapper; and, whilst waiting, he

took me all through the house, from the cellar to the garret, saying that everything was at my command, and

It was evidently with perfect frankness that she was speaking, and with the pleasure one feels in telling an

extraordinary adventure. But suddenly she stopped short, as if discovering that she was forgetting herself, and

"It was like fairyland to me. I had never tasted the opulence of the great, you see, and I had never had any

money except that which I earned. So, during the first days, I did nothing but run up and down stairs,

admiring everything, feeling everything with my own hands, and looking at myself in the glass to make sure

that I was not dreaming. I rang the bell just to make the servants come up; I spent hours trying dresses; then

I'd have the horses put to the carriage, and either ride to the bois, or go out shopping. M. Vincent gave me as

much money as I wanted; and it seemed as though I never spent enough. I shout, I was like a mad woman.

A cloud appeared upon Mme. Zelie's countenance, and, changing suddenly her tone and her manner,

"Unfortunately," she went on, "one gets tired of every thing. At the end of two weeks I knew the house from

top to bottom, and after a month I was sick of the whole thing; so that one night I began dressing.

"'Where do you want to go?' Amanda asked me. 'Why, to Mabille, to dance a quadrille, or two.' 'Impossible!'

'Because M. Vincent does not wish you to go out at night.' 'We'll see about that!'

The next day, I tell all this to M. Vincent; and he says that Amanda is right; that it is not proper for a woman

in my position to frequent balls; and that, if I want to go out at night, I can stay. Get out! I tell you what, if it

hadn't been for the fine carriage, and all that, I would have cleared out that minute. Any way, I became

disgusted from that moment, and have been more and more ever since; and, if M. Vincent had not himself

"Anywhere. Look here, now! do you suppose I need a man to support me! No, thank Heaven! Little Zelie,

here present, has only to apply to any dressmaker, and she'll be glad to give her four francs a day to run the

machine. And she'll be free, at least; and she can laugh and dance as much as she likes."

Mme. Zelie Cadelle was certainly not particularly virtuous; but she was far from being the woman he

"This house!" she exclaimed. "Why, it was sold long ago, with every thing in it, furniture, horses, carriages,

every thing except me. A young gentleman, very well dressed, bought it for a tall girl, who looks like a goose,

"Sure as I live, having seen with my own eyes the young swell and his redheaded friend counting heaps of

banknotes to M. Vincent. They are to move in day after tomorrow; and they have invited me to the

housewarming. But no more of it for me, I thank you! I am sick and tired of all these people. And the proof

of it is, I am busy packing my things; and lots of them I have too, dresses, underclothes, jewelry. He was a

goodnatured fellow, old Vincent was, anyhow. He gave me money enough to buy some furniture. I have

hired a small apartment; and I am going to set up dressmaking on my own hook. And won't we laugh then!

and won't we have some fun to make up for lost time! Come, my children, take your places for a quadrille.

And, bouncing out of her chair, she began sketching out one of those bold cancan steps which astound the

He saw clearly now what sort of woman was Mme. Zelie Cadelle; how he should speak to her, and what

cords he might yet cause to vibrate within her. He recognized the true daughter of Paris, wayward and

nervous, who in the midst of her disorders preserves an instinctive pride; who places her independence far

above all the money in the world; who gives, rather than sells, herself; who knows no law but her caprice, no

"There you are dancing gayly," he said, "and poor Vincent is doubtless groaning at this moment over his

"For me!" she interrupted, "for me! What have I cost him of any consequence? Is it for me that he bought,

furnished, and fitted out this house? No, no! He had the cage; and he put in the bird, the first he happened

to find. He brought me here as he might have brought any other woman, young or old, pretty or ugly, blonde

or brunette. As to what I spent here, it was a mere bagatelle compared with what the other did, the one

before me. Amanda kept telling me all the time I was a fool. You may believe me, then, when I tell you that

"But do you know what became of the one before you, as you call her, whether she is alive or dead, and

But, instead of answering, Mme. Zelie was fixing upon Marius de Tregars a suspicious glance. And, after a

She did not permit him to proceed. Rising from her seat, and stepping briskly up to him,

If she was anxious, it was evidently because she had motives of anxiety which she had concealed. If, two or

three times she had interrupted herself, it was because, manifestly, she had a secret to keep. If the idea of

police had come into her mind, it is because, very probably, they had recommended her to be on her guard.

Not at all, I confess," she replied. "But, if you are not one, how is it that you come to my house, without

knowing me from this side of sole leather, to ask me a whole lot of questions, which I am fool enough to

"It is because he had especial motives for concealing his personality. The money he spent here did not belong

to him: he took it, he stole it, from the Mutual Credit Company where he was cashier, and where he left a

"It is the exact truth. Haven't you seen in the papers the case of Vincent Favoral, cashier of the Mutual

And, taking a paper from his pocket, he handed it to the young woman, saying, "Read."

But she pushed it back, not without a slight blush. "Oh, I believe you!" she said.

"The worst of M. Vincent Favoral's conduct," he resumed, "is, that, while he was throwing away money here

"He refused the necessaries of life to his wife, the best and the worthiest of women; he never gave a cent to

"Finally, and to cap the climax, he has gone, leaving his wife and children literally without bread."

"Why, that man must have been a horrible old scoundrel" exclaimed the young woman.

"And now," he resumed, "you must understand the enormous interest we have in knowing what has become

M. de Tregars had risen, in his turn. Taking Mme. Zelie's hands, and fixing upon her one of those acute looks,

"Come, my dear child," he began in a penetrating voice, "you are a worthy and honest girl. Will you leave in

the most frightful despair a family who appeal to your heart? Be sure that no harm will ever happen through

She raised her hand, as they do to take an oath in a court of justice, and, in a solemn tone,

"I swear," she uttered, "that I went to the station with M. Vincent; that he assured me that he was going to

Brazil; that he had his passageticket; and that all his baggage was marked, 'Rio de Janeiro.'"

"How in the world do you expect me to know?" she replied. "Go and ask Amanda. I have no accounts to give

you. Besides, I have to go and finish packing my trunks. So goodby, and enjoy yourself."

And she went out so quick, that she caught Amanda, the chambermaid, kneeling behind the door.

But it was in vain that he begged Mme. Zelie to return, and to hear a single word more. She disappeared; and

he had to resign himself to leave the house without learning any thing more for the present.

He had remained there very long; and he was wondering, as he walked out, whether Maxence had not got

But Maxence had remained faithfully at his post. And when Marius de Tregars came to sit by him, whilst

exclaiming, "Here you are at last!" he called his attention at the same time with a gesture, and a wink from

the corner of his eye, to two men sitting at the adjoining table before a bowl of punch.

Certain, now, that M. de Tregars would remain on the lookout, Maxence was knocking on the table with his

M. de Tregars understood very well that something extraordinary had happened; but, unable to guess what, he

"We must hear what these two men are saying; and we'll play a game of piquet for a subterfuge."

The waiter returned, bringing two glasses of a muddy liquid, a piece of cloth, the color of which was

And he began shuffling, and giving the cards, whilst M. de Tregars was examining the punchdrinkers at the

In one of the two, a man still young, wearing a striped vest with alpaca sleeves, he thought he recognized one

of the rascallylooking fellows he had caught a glimpse of in Mme. Zelie Cadelle's carriagehouse.

The other, an old man, whose inflamed complexion and blossoming nose betrayed old habits of drunkenness,

looked very much like a coachman out of place. Baseness and duplicity bloomed upon his countenance; and

the brightness of his small eyes rendered still more alarming the slyly obsequious smile that was stereotyped

They were so completely absorbed in their conversation, that they paid no attention whatever to what was

"No. We supposed he was going on some journey, because, every day since the beginning of the week, they

were bringing in trunks and boxes; but no one knew exactly when he would go. Now, in the night of Saturday

to Sunday, he drops in the house like a bombshell, wakes up everybody, and says he must leave immediately.

At once we harness up, we load the baggage up, we drive him to the Western Railway Station, and goodby,

"She's got to get out in the next twentyfour hours; but she don't seem to mind it one bit. The fact is we are

"Can't tell. It will be well to see the others, those who have bought. But I mistrust them: they look too stupid

Listening intently to the conversation of these two men, it was mechanically and at random that M. de

Tregars and Maxence threw their cards on the table, and uttered the common terms of the game of piquet,

The other looked carefully around, and, seeing only two players absorbed in their game,

"Because," he replied, "M. Vincent is completely ruined, it seems. He spent all his money, and a good deal of

other people's money besides. Amanda, the chambermaid, told me; and I guess she knows."

" He was. But no matter how big a bag is: if you keep taking out of it, you must get to the bottom."

"It's incredible! I have been in extravagant houses; but nowhere have I ever seen money fly as it has during

the five months that I have been in that house. A regular pillage! Everybody helped themselves; and what was

not in the house, they could get from the tradespeople, have it charged on the bill; and it was all paid without

"Then, yes, indeed, the money must have gone pretty lively," said the old one in a convinced tone.

"Well," replied the other, "that was nothing yet. Amanda the chambermaid who has been in the house fifteen

years, told us some stories that would make you jump. She was not much for spending, Zelie; but some of the

It required the greatest effort on the part of Maxence and M. de Tregars not to play, but only to pretend to

"That I don't know any thing about," replied the younger valet. "But you may imagine that there must have

been more than one in that little house during the many years that M. Vincent owned it, a man who hadn't

"What! there were ten of you in the house, and you didn't know the profession of the man who paid you all?"

"When she was asked, she said that he was a merchant. One thing is sure, he was a queer old chap."

So interested was the old coachman, that, seeing the punchbowl empty, he called for another. His comrade

"Ah, yes!" he went on, "old Vincent was an eccentric fellow; and never, to see him, could you have suspected

"Imagine a man about fifty years old, stiff as a post, with a face about as pleasant as a prisongate. That's the

boss! Summer and winter, he wore laced shoes, blue stockings, gray pantaloons that were too short, a cotton

necktie, and a frockcoat that came down to his ankles. In the street, you would have taken him for a hosier

"No, never have I seen a man look so much like an old miser. You think, perhaps, that he came in a carriage.

Not a bit of it! He came in the omnibus, my boy, and outside too, for three sons; and when it rained he

opened his umbrella. But the moment he had crossed the threshold of the house, presto, pass! complete

change of scene. The miser became pacha. He took off his old duds, put on a blue velvet robe; and then there

was nothing handsome enough, nothing good enough, nothing expensive enough for him. And, when he had

acted the my lord to his heart's content, he put on his old traps again, resumed his prisongate face, climbed

"Was it very difficult to follow your boss, and ascertain where he went, after leaving the house?"

"Why," he replied, "you would have found out his secret in the end; and then you would have gone to him

This story of M. Vincent, as told by these two honest companions, was something like the vulgar legend of

other people's money, so eagerly craved, and so madly dissipated. Easilygotten wealth is easily gotten rid of.

Stolen money has fatal tendencies, and turns irresistibly to gambling, horsejockeys, fast women, all the

They are rare indeed, among the daring cutthroats of speculation, those to whom their illgotten gain proves

of real service, so rare, that they are pointed out, and are as easily numbered as the girls who leap some

night from the street to a tenthousandfranc apartment, and manage to remain there.

Seized with the intoxication of sudden wealth, they lose all measure and all prudence. Whether they believe

their luck inexhaustible, or fear a sudden turn of fortune, they make haste to enjoy themselves, and they fill

the noted restaurants, the leading cafes, the theatres, the clubs, the racecourses, with their impudent

personality, the clash of their voice, the extravagance of their mistresses, the noise of their expenses, and the

absurdity of their vanity. And they go on and on, lavishing other people's money, until the fatal hour of one of

those disastrous liquidations which terrify the courts and the exchange, and cause pallid faces and a gnashing

of teeth in the "street," until the moment when they have the choice between a pistolshot, which they never

choose, the criminal court, which they do their best to avoid, and a trip abroad.

What becomes of them afterwards? To what gutters do they tumble from fall to fall? Does any one know

what becomes of the women who disappear suddenly after two or three years of follies and of splendors?

But it happens sometimes, as you step out of a carriage in front of some theatre, that you wonder where you

have already seen the face of the wretched beggar who opens the door for you, and in a husky voice claims

his two sous. You saw him at the Caf Riche, during the six months that he was a big financier.

Some other time you may catch, in the crowd, snatches of a strange conversation between two crapulous

"It was at the time," says one, "when I drove that bright chestnut team that I had bought for twenty thousand

"I remember," replies the other; "for at that moment I gave six thousand francs a month to little Cabriole of

And, improbable as this may seem, it is the exact truth; for one was manager of a manufacturing enterprise

that sank ten millions; and the other was at the head of a financial operation that ruined five hundred families.

They had house like the one in the Rue du Cirque, mistresses more expensive than Mme. Zelie Cadelle, and

servants like those who were now talking within a step of Maxence and Marius de Tregars. The latter had

resumed their conversation; and the oldest one, the coachman with the red nose, was saying to his younger

"This Vincent affair must be a lesson to you. If ever you find yourself again in a house where so much money

is spent, remember that it hasn't cost much trouble to make it, and manage somehow to get as big a share of it

"And, above all, make haste to fill your bag, because, you see, in houses like that, one is never sure, one day,

whether, the next, the gentleman will not be at Mazas, and the lady at St. Lazares."

They had done their second bowl of punch, and finished their conversation. They paid, and left.

"What disgrace!" he murmured: "This, then, is the other side of my father's existence! This is the way in

which he spent the millions which he stole; whilst, in the Rue St. Gilles, he deprived his family of the

"Now it is indeed all over, and it is useless to continue our search. My father is certainly guilty.

A dozen questions were pressing upon Maxence's lips; but M. de Traggers interrupted him.

In this case, my friend, less than ever must we trust appearances. Let me speak. Was your father a simpleton?

No! His ability to dissimulate, for years, his double existence, proves, on the contrary, a wonderful amount of

duplicity. How is it, then, that latterly his conduct has been so extraordinary and so absurd? But you will

doubtless say it was always such. In that case, I answer you, No; for then his secret could not have been kept

for a year. We hear that other women lived in that house before Mme. Zelie Cadelle. But who were they?

What has become of them? Is there any certainty that they have ever existed? Nothing proves it.

"The servants having been all changed, Amanda, the chambermaid, is the only one who knows the truth; and

she will be very careful to say nothing about it. Therefore, all our positive information goes back no farther

than five months. And what do we hear? That your father seemed to try and make his extravagant

expenditures as conspicuous as possible. That he did not even take the trouble to conceal the source of the

money he spent so profusely; for he told Mme. Zelie that he was at the end of his tether, and that, after having

spent his own fortune, he was spending other people's money. He had announced his intended departure; he

had sold the house, and received its price. Finally, at the last moment, what does he do?

"Instead of going off quietly and secretly, like a man who is running away, and who knows that he is pursued,

he tells every one where he intends to go; he writes it on all his trunks, in letters half a foot high; and then

rides in great display to the railway station, with a woman, several carriages, servants, etc. What is the object

of all this? To get caught? No, but to start a false scent. Therefore, in his mind, every thing must have been

arranged in advance, and the catastrophe was far from taking him by surprise; therefore the scene with M. de

Thaller must have been prepared; therefore, it must have been on purpose that he left his pocketbook behind,

with the bill in it that was to lead us straight here; therefore all we have seen is but a transparent comedy, got

up for our special benefit, and intended to cover up the truth, and mislead the law."

"Have you any idea," he said, "what display can be made with a million? Let us admit that your father spent

two, four millions even. The loss of the Mutual Credit is twelve millions. What has become of the other

"It is those eight millions," he added, "that I want, and that I shall have. It is in Paris that your father is hid, I

feel certain. We must find him; and we must make him tell the truth, which I already more than suspect."

Whereupon, throwing on the table the pint of beer which he had not drunk, he walked out of the caf with

"Here you are at last!" exclaimed the coachman, who had been waiting at the corner for over three hours, a

But M. de Traggers had no time for explanations; and, pushing Maxence into the cab, he jumped in after him,

"24 Rue Joquelet. Five francs extra for yourself." A driver who expects an extra five francs, always has, for

"What is most important for us now," said M. de Tregars to Maxence, "is to ascertain how far the Mutual

Credit crisis has progressed; and M. Latterman of the Rue Joquelet is the man in all Paris who can best

Whoever has made or lost five hundred francs at the bourse knows M. Latterman, who, since the war, calls

himself an Alsatian and curses with a fearful accent those "parparous Broossians." This worthy speculator

modestly calls himself a moneychanger; but he would be a simpleton who should ask him for change: and it

is certainly not that sort of business which gives him the three hundred thousand francs' profits which he

When a company has failed, when it has been wound up, and the defrauded stockholders have received two

or three per cent in all on their original investment, there is a prevailing idea that the certificates of its stocks

are no longer good for any thing, except to light the fire. That's a mistake. Long after the company has

foundered, its shares float, like the shattered debris which the sea casts upon the beach months after the ship

has been wrecked. These shares M. Latterman collects, and carefully stores away; and upon the shelves of his

office you may see numberless shares and bonds of those numerous companies which have absorbed, in the

past twenty years, according to some statistics, twelve hundred millions, and, according to others, two

Say but a word, and his clerks will offer you some "FrancoAmerican Company," some "Steam Navigation

Company of Marseilles," some "Coal and Metal Company of the Asturias," some " Transcontinental

Memphis and El Paso" (of the United States), some "Caumart Slate Works," and hundreds of others, which,

for the general public, have no value, save that of old paper, that is from three to five cents a pound. And yet

In an obscure corner of the bourse may be seen a miscellaneous population of old men with pointed beards,

and overdressed young men, who deal in every thing salable, and other things besides. There are found

foreign merchants, who will offer you stocks of merchandise, goods from auction, good claims to recover,

and who at last will take out of their pockets an operaglass, a Geneva watch (smuggled in), a revolver, or a

Such is the market to which drift those shares which were once issued to represent millions, and which now

represent nothing but a palpable proof of the audacity of swindlers, and the credulity of their dupes. And

there are actually buyers for these shares, and they go up or down, according to the ordinary laws of supply

and demand; for there is a demand for them, and here comes in the usefulness of M. Latterman's business.

Does a tradesman, on the eve of declaring himself bankrupt, wish to defraud his creditors of a part of his

assets, to conceal excessive expenses, or cover up some embezzlement, at once he goes to the Rue Joquelet,

procures a select assortment of " Cantonal Credit," "Rossdorif Mines," or "Maumusson Salt Works," and puts

"There are my assets," he says. "I have there some twenty, fifty, or a hundred thousand francs of stocks, the

whole of which is not worth five francs today; but it isn't my fault. I thought it a good investment; and I

And he gets his discharge, because it would really be too cruel to punish a man because he has made

Better than any one, M. Latterman knows for what purpose are purchased the valueless securities which he

sells; and he actually advises his customers which to take in preference, in order that their purchase at the

time of their issue may appear more natural, and more likely. Nevertheless, he claims to be a perfectly honest

man, and declares that he is no more responsible for the swindles that are committed by means of his stocks

"But he will surely be able to tell us all about the Mutual Credit," repeated Maxence to M. de Traggers.

Four o'clock struck when the carriage stopped in the Rue Joquelet. The bourse had just closed; and a few

They started up the stairs (for it is up on the second floor that this worthy operator has his offices) ; and,

"M. Latterman is engaged with a customer," answered a clerk. " Please sit down and wait."

M. Latterman's office was like all other caverns of the same kind. A very narrow space was reserved to the

public; and all around, behind a heavy wire screen, the clerks could be seen busy with figures, or handling

coupons. On the right, over a small window, appeared the word, "CASHIER." A small door on the left led to

M. de Tregars and Maxence had patiently taken a seat on a hard leather bench, once red; and they were

There was considerable animation about the place. Every few minutes, welldressed young men came in with

a hurried and important look, and, taking out of their pocket a memorandumbook, they would speak a few

sentences of that peculiar dialect, bristling with figures, which is the language of the bourse. At the end of

At that very moment, the little door on the left opened, and the customer came out who had detained M.

Latterman so long. This customer was no other than M. Costeclar. Noticing M. de Traggers and Maxence,

who had risen at the noise of the door, he appeared most disagreeably surprised. He even turned slightly pale,

and took a step backwards, as if intending to return precipitately into the room that he was leaving; for M.

Latterman's office, like that of all other large operators, had several doors, without counting the one that leads

to the policecourt. But M. de Traggers gave him no time to effect this retreat. Stepping suddenly forward,

The brilliant financier had condescended to take off his hat, usually riveted upon his head, and, with the smile

At the title of "marquis," everybody looked up. "I believe you, indeed," said M. de Traggers. "But what I

"It is a fact. Jules Jottras, of the house of Jottras and Brother, was arrested this morning, just as he arrived at

"Because, it seems, he was an accomplice of Favoral; and it was he who sold the bonds stolen from the

Maxence had started at the mention of his father's name but, with a significant glance, M. de Traggers bid

"Famous capture!" he murmured. "And which proves the clearsightedness of justice."

"But this is not all," resumed M. Costeclar. "Saint Pavin, the editor of 'The Financial Pilot,' you know, is

thought to be seriously compromised. There was a rumor, at the close of the market, that a warrant either had

The employes of the office could not help admiring M. Costeclar's extraordinary amount of patience.

"The baron," he replied, "made his appearance at the bourse this afternoon, and was the object of a veritable

"Not much, because, you see, I am a businessman, I am; and I know pretty well how things work. When

they left M. de Thaller this morning, the stockholders of the Mutual Credit had a meeting; and they pledged

themselves, upon honor, not to sell, so as not to break the market. As soon as they had separated, each one

said to himself, 'Since the others are going to keep their stock, like fools, I am going to sell mine.' Now, as

there were three or four hundred of them who argued the same way, the market was flooded with shares."

"I!" stammered M. Costeclar, so visibly agitated, that the clerks could not help laughing.

"Yes. I wish to know if you have been more faithful to your word than the stockholders of whom you are

"I think I know what brought you here," he uttered; "and in a few moments I shall have ascertained."

"Don't swear. If I am mistaken, so much the better for you. If I am not mistaken, I'll prove to you that it is

Meantime M. Latterman, seeing no customer coming to take the place of the one who had left, became

He was a man still young, small, thickset, and vulgar. At the first glance, nothing of him could be seen but

his abdomen, a big, great, and ponderous abdomen, seat of his thoughts, and tabernacle of his aspirations,

over which dangled a double gold chain, loaded with trinkets. Above an apoplectic neck, red as that of a

turkeycock, stood his little head, covered with coarse red hair, cut very short. He wore a heavy beard,

trimmed in the form of a fan. His large, fullmoon face was divided in two by a nose as flat as a Kalmuck's,

and illuminated by two small eyes, in which could be read the most thorough duplicity.

"We are evenintimate friends," he replied. "And it is very lucky that we should have met. I am brought here

by the same matter as our dear Costeclar; and I was just explaining to him that he has been too hasty, and that

Maxence understood only one thing, that M. de Tregars had penetrated M. Costeclar's designs; and he

could not sufficiently admire his presence of mind, and his skill in grasping an unexpected opportunity.

"And it is yet time to alter what has been agreed on," said M. de Traggers. And, addressing himself to

But the other, who remembered the scene in the Rue St. Gilles, and who had his own reasons to be alarmed,

Ah, if the brilliant financier had dared! But he felt upon him such threatening eyes, that he dared even make a

"Whatever you do will be satisfactory," he said in the tone of a man who sees himself lost.

And, as he was going out of the door, M. de Traggers stepped into M. Latterman's private office. He

remained only five minutes; and when he joined Maxence, whom he had begged to wait for him,

Their next visit was to M. Saint Pavin, at the office of "The Financial Pilot." Every one must have seen at

least one copy of that paper with, its ingenious vignette, representing a bold mariner steering a boat, filled

with timid passengers, towards the harbor of Million, over a stormy sea, bristling with the rocks of failure and

the shoals of ruin. The office of "The Pilot" is, in fact, less a newspaper office than a sort of general business

As at M. Latterman's, there are clerks scribbling behind wire screens, small windows, a cashier, and an

immense blackboard, on which the latest quotations of the Rente, and other French and foreign securities, are

As "The Pilot" spends some hundred thousand francs a year in advertising, in order to obtain subscribers; as,

on the other hand, it only costs three francs a year, it is clear that it is not on its subscriptions that it realizes

any profits. It has other sources of income: its brokerages first; for it buys, sells, and executes, as the

prospectus says, all orders for stocks, bonds, or other securities, for the best interests of the client. And it has

To the opulent brokerages, must be added advertising and puffing, another mine. Six times out of ten, when

a new enterprise is set on foot, the organizers send for Saint Pavin. Honest men, or knaves, they must all pass

Then they discuss the operation, the expected profits of the new company, and M. Saint Pavin's demands. For

a hundred thousand francs he promises bursts of lyrism; for fifty thousand he will be enthusiastic only.

Twenty thousand francs will secure a moderate praise of the affair; ten thousand, a friendly neutrality. And, if

And from the very next number he commences his campaign. He is moderate at first, and leaves a door open

for his retreat. He puts forth doubts only. He does not know much about it. "It may be an excellent thing; it

That's the first hint. If it remains without result, he takes up his pen again, and makes his doubts more

He knows how to steer clear of libel suits, how to handle figures so as to demonstrate, according to the

requirements of the case, that two and two make three, or make five. It is seldom, that, before the, third

All Paris knows him; and he has many friends. When M. de Traggers and Maxence arrived, they found the

office full of people speculators, brokers, gobetweenscome there to discuss the fluctuations of the day

Indeed, his coarse voice could be distinctly heard behind the screen. Soon he appeared, showing out an old

gentleman, who seemed utterly confused at the scene, and to whom he was screaming,

"No, sir, no! 'The Financial Pilot' does not take that sort of business; and I find you very bold to come and

"M. Favoral!" he said. "By Jove! it is your good star that has brought you here. Come into the private office,

Many of the people who were in the office had a word to say to M. Saint Pavin, some advice to ask him, an

order to transmit, or some news to communicate. They had all stepped forward, and were holding out their

"The gentleman is my best friend," said Maxence, turning to him; "and I have no secret from him."

Once very sumptuous, the private office of the editor of "The Financial Pilot" had fallen into a state of sordid

dilapidation. If the janitor had received orders never to use a broom or a duster there, he obeyed them strictly.

Disorder and dirt reigned supreme. Papers and manuscripts lay in all directions; and on the broad sofas the

mud from the boots of all those who had lounged upon them had been drying for months. On the

mantelpiece, in the midst of some halfdozen dirty glasses, stood a bottle of Madeira, half empty. Finally,

before the fireplace, on the carpet, and along the furniture, cigar and cigarette stumps were heaped in

The manager of "The Pilot" shrugged his shoulders. "That you should say so to the commissary of police, to

the judges, and to all Favoral's enemies, I understand: it is your duty. That they should believe you, I

understand too; for, after all, what do they care? But to me, a friend, though you may not think so, and who

Maxence said this with such an accent of sincerity, that doubt was no longer possible. M. Saint Pavin's

"What!" he exclaimed, "your father has gone without securing the means of hearing from his family?"

"Without saying a word of his intentions to your mother, or your sister, or yourself?"

"We found only an insignificant sum after he left." The editor of "The Pilot" made a gesture of ironical

admiration. "Well, the thing is complete," he said; "and Vincent is a smarter fellow than I gave him credit for;

or else he must have cared more for those infernal women of his than any one supposed."

"How do I know?" he replied roughly. "How could any one ever find out any thing about a man who was

"That's another nice bird! Still he may possibly have discovered something of Vincent's life; for he led him a

"Then you are right: he had discovered something. But, if you rely on him to tell you anything whatever, you

But M. Saint Pavin heard him not. Prey to a violent agitation, he was pacing up and down the room.

"Ah, those men of cold appearance," he growled, "those men with discreet countenance, those closeshaving

calculators, those moralists! What fools they do make of themselves when once started! Who can imagine to

what insane extremities this one may have been driven under the spur of some mad passion!"

And stamping violently his foot upon the carpet, from which arose clouds of dust,

"And yet," he swore, "I must find him. And, by thunder! wherever he may be hid, I shall find him."

"I have the interest," he replied, "of a man who thought himself shrewd, and who has been taken in like a

child, of a man to whom they had promised wonders, and who finds his situation imperilled, of a man

who is tired of working for a band of brigands who heap millions upon millions, and to whom, for all reward,

they offer the policecourt and a retreat in the State Prison for his old age, in a word, the interests of a man

"On the Baron de Thaller, sir! How, in the world, has he been able to compel Favoral to assume the

responsibility of all, and to disappear? What enormous sum has he given to him?"

"And the twelve millions?" he asked. "What has become of them? Do you suppose they have been distributed

"And yet," he went on, "it is not with money alone that a man can be induced to disgrace himself, to confess

himself a thief and a forger, to brave the galleys, to give up everything, country, family, friends. Evidently

"You speak," he said, "as if you were absolutely certain of M. de Thaller's complicity."

The editor of "The Pilot" started back. "What!" he exclaimed, "draw the fingers of the law into my own

business! You don't think of it! Besides, what good would that do me? I have no proofs of my allegations. Do

you suppose that Thaller has not taken his precautions, and tied my hands? No, no! without Favoral there is

"No, but to furnish me the proofs I need, to send Thaller where they have already sent that poor Jottras."

"But it is not in a month that I should want those proofs," he went on, "nor even in two weeks, but

tomorrow, but at this very moment. Before the end of the week, Thaller will have wound up the operation,

realized, Heaven knows how many millions, and put every thing in such nice order, that justice, who in

financial matters is not of the first capacity, will discover nothing wrong. If he can do that, he is safe, he is

beyond reach, and will be dubbed a firstclass financier. Then to what may he not aspire! Already he talks of

having himself elected deputy; and he says everywhere that he has found, to marry his daughter, a gentleman

For the first time; M. Saint Pavin took the trouble to examine his visitor; and he, who knew life too well not

"Please excuse me, sir," he uttered with a politeness very different from his usual manner, "and permit me to

ask you if you know the reasons why M. de Thaller is so prodigiously anxious to have you for a soninlaw."

"I think," replied M. de Traggers coldly, "that M. de Thaller would not be sorry to deprive me of the right to

But he was interrupted by a great noise of voices in the adjoining room; and almost at once there was a loud

"That's what I was afraid of," he said. "Thaller has got ahead of me; and perhaps I may be lost."

Meantime he did not lose his wits. Quick as thought he took out of a drawer a package of letters, threw them

into the fireplace, and set fire to them, saying, in a voice made hoarse by emotion and anger,

But it required an incredibly long time to make them catch fire; and M. Saint Pavin, kneeling before the

"And now," said M. de Traggers, "will you hesitate to deliver up the Baron de Thaller into the hands of

"Now," he replied, "if I wish to save myself, I must save him too. Don't you understand that he holds me?"

Maxence obeyed; and a commissary of police, wearing his scarf of office, rushed into the room; whilst his

The commissary, who was an old hand, and had perhaps been on a hundred expeditions of this kind, had

surveyed the scene at a glance. Noticing in the fireplace the carbonized debris, upon which still fluttered an

Without condescending to notice the impertinence, the commissary was casting a suspicious glance on

"You should have opened the door when you heard a knocking in the name of the law," grumbled the

But he did not insist. Taking a paper from his pocket, he opened it, and, handing it to M. Saint Pavin,

With a careless gesture, the other pushed it back. "What's the use of reading?" he said. "When I heard of the

arrest of that poor Jottras, I guessed at once what was in store for me. It is about the Mutual Credit swindle, I

"I have no more to do with it than yourself, sir; and I shall have very little trouble in proving it. But that is not

M. Saint Pavin burst out laughing. He had recovered his coolness and his impudence, and seemed as much at

"Shall I be allowed to speak to my clerks," he asked, "and to give them my instructions?"

The clerks, being called, appeared, consternation depicted upon their countenances, but joy sparkling in their

eyes. In reality they were delighted at the misfortune which befell their employer.

"You see what happens to me, my boys," he said. "But don't be uneasy. In less than fortyeight hours, the

error of which I am the victim will be recognized, and I shall be liberated on bail. At any rate, I can rely upon

And then addressing himself to his cashier, who was his confidential and righthand man,

"As to you, Bernard," he said, "you will run to M. de Thaller's, and advise him of what's going on. Let him

have funds ready; for all our depositors will want to draw out their money at once. You will then call at the

printingoffice: have my article on the Mutual Credit kept out, and insert in its place some financial news cut

out from other papers. Above all, don't mention my arrest, unless M. de Thaller should demand it. Go ahead,

He had, whilst speaking, lighted a cigar. The honest man, victim of human iniquity, has not a firmer and more

"Justice does not know," he said to the commissary, who was fumbling in all the drawers of the desk, "what

irreparable damage she may cause by arresting so hastily a man who has charge of immense interests like me.

Already the witnesses of the arrest had retired, one by one, to go and scatter the news along the Boulevard,

and also to see what could be made out of it; for, at the bourse, news is money.

"Don't you say any thing about what I told you," M. Saint Pavin recommended to them.

M. de Traggers made no answer. He had the contracted features and tightlydrawn lips of a man who is

"We are going to separate here," he told him in that brief tone of voice which reveals a settled plan. "I know

enough now to venture to call at M. de Thaller's. There only shall I be able to see how to strike the decisive

blow. Return to the Rue St. Gilles, and relieve your mother's and sisters anxiety. You shall see me during the

But it was not to the Rue St. Gilles that Maxence went. He was anxious, first, to see Mlle. Lucienne, to tell

her the events of that day, the busiest of his existence; to tell her his discoveries, his surprises, his anxieties,

To his great surprise, he failed to find her at the Hotel des Folies. She had gone riding at three o'clock, M.

Fortin told him, and had not yet returned; but she could not be much longer, as it was already getting dark.

Maxence went out again then, to see if he could not meet her. He had walked a little way along the

Boulevard, when, at some distance off, on the Place du Chateau d'Eau, he thought he noticed an unusual

bustle. Almost immediately he heard shouts of terror. Frightened people were running in all directions; and

But, quick as it had passed, he had time to recognize Mlle. Lucienne, pale, and clinging desperately to the

seat. Wild with fear, he started after it as fast as he could run. It was clear that the driver had no control over

his horses. A policeman who tried to stop them was knocked down. Ten steps farther, the hindwheel of the

carriage, catching the wheel of a heavy wagon, broke to splinters; and Mlle. Lucienne was thrown into the

The Baron de Thaller was too practical a man to live in the same house, or even in the same district, where

his offices were located. To dwell in the midst of his business; to be constantly subjected to the contact of his

employes, to the unkindly comments of a crowd of subordinates; to expose himself to hourly annoyances, to

sickening solicitations, to the reclamations and eternal complaints of his stockholders and his clients! Pouah!

He'd have given up the business first. And so, on the very days when he had established the offices of the

Mutual Credit in the Rue de QuatreSeptembre, he had purchased a house in the Rue de la Pepiniere within a

It was a brandnew house, which had never yet been occupied, and which had just been erected by a

contractor who was almost celebrated, towards 1866, at the moment of the great transformations of Paris,

when whole blocks were leveled to the ground, and rose again so rapidly, that one might well wonder

This contractor, named Parcimieux, had come from the Limousin in 1860 with his carpenter's tools for all

fortune, and, in less than six years, had accumulated, at the lowest estimate, six millions of francs. Only he

was a modest man, and took as much pains to conceal his fortune, and offend no one, as most parvenus do to

Though he could hardly sign his name, yet he knew and practised the maxim of the Greek philosopher, which

is, perhaps, the true secret of happiness, hide thy life. And there were no expedients to which he did not

resort to hide it. At the time of his greatest prosperity, for instance, having need of a carriage, he had applied

to the manager of the Petites Voitures Company, and had had built for himself two cabs, outwardly similar in

every respect to those used by the company, but within, most luxuriously upholstered, and drawn by horses of

common appearance, but who could go their twentyfive miles in two hours any day. And these he had hired

Having his carriage, the worthy builder determined to have, also, his house, his own house, built by himself.

"For, as you may imagine," he explained to his friends, "a man does not make as much money as I have,

without also making many cruel, bitter, and irreconcilable enemies. I have against me all the builders who

have not succeeded, all the subcontractors I employ, and who say that I speculate on their poverty, and the

thousands of workmen who work for me, and swear that I grind them down to the dust. Already they call me

brigand, slaver, thief, leech. What would it be, if they saw me living in a beautiful house of my own? They'd

swear that I could not possibly have got so rich honestly, and that I must have committed some crimes.

Besides, to build me a handsome house on the street would be, in case of a mob, setting up windows for the

Such were M. Parcimieux's thoughts, when, as he expressed it, he resolved to build.

A lot was for sale in the Rue de la Pepiniere. He bought it, and at the same time purchased the adjoining

house, which he immediately caused to be torn down. This operation placed in his possession a vast piece of

ground, not very wide, but of great depth, stretching, as it did, back to the Rue Labaume. At once work was

begun according to a plan which his architect and himself had spent six months in maturing. On the line of

the street arose a house of the most modest appearance, two stories in height only, with a very high and very

wide carriagedoor for the passage of vehicles. This was to deceive the vulgar eye, the outside of the cab,

as it were. Behind this house, between a specious court and a vast garden was built the residence of which M.

Parcimieux had dreamed; and it really was an exceptional building both by the excellence of the materials

used, and by the infinite care which presided over the minutest details. The marbles for the vestibule and the

stairs were brought from Africa, Italy, and Corsica. He sent to Rome for workmen for the mosaics. The joiner

Repeating to every one that he was working for a great foreign lord, whose orders he went to take every

morning, he was free to indulge his most extravagant fancies, without fearing jests or unpleasant remarks.

Poor old man! The day when the last workman had driven in the last nail, an attack of apoplexy carried him

off, without giving him time to say, "Oh!" Two days after, all his relatives from the Limousin were swooping

into Paris like a pack of wolves. Six millions to divide: what a godsend! Litigation followed, as a matter of

M. de Thaller bought it for two hundred and seventyfive thousand francs, about onethird what it had cost

A month later he had moved into it; and the expenses which he incurred to furnish it in a style worthy of the

building itself was the talk of the town. And yet he was not fully satisfied with his purchase.

What! he owned one of those exquisite houses which excite at once the wonder and the envy of passersby,

And then he thought of something else; and the "shanty" was still standing on that evening, when, after

The servants had, doubtless, received their instructions; for, as soon as Marius emerged from the porch of the

fronthouse, the porter advanced from his lodge, bent double, his mouth open to his very ears by the most

"The baron has not yet come home ," he said. "But he cannot be much longer away; and certainly the

baroness is at home for my lordmarquis. Please, then, give yourself the trouble to pass."

And, standing aside, he struck upon the enormous gong that stood near his lodge a single sharp blow,

intended to wake up the footman on duty in the vestibule, and to announce a visitor of note. Slowly, but not

without quietly observing every thing, M. de Traggers crossed the courtyard, covered with fine sand, they

would have powdered it with golden dust, if they had dared, and surrounded on all sides with bronze

It was nearly six o'clock. The manager of the Mutual Credit dined at seven; and the preparations for this

important event were everywhere apparent. Through the large windows of the diningroom the steward could

be seen presiding over the setting of the table. The butler was coming up from the cellar, loaded with bottles.

Finally, through the apertures of the basement arose the appetizing perfumes of the kitchen.

What enormous business it required to support such a style, to display this luxury, which would shame one of

those German princelings, who exchanged the crown of their ancestors for a Prussian livery gilded with

Meantime, the blow struck by the porter on the gong had produced the desired effect; and the gates of the

vestibule seemed to open of their own accord before M. de Tregars as he ascended the stoop.

This vestibule with the splendor of which Mlle. Lucienne had been so deeply impressed, would, indeed, have

been worthy the attention of an artist, had it been allowed to retain the simple grandeur and the severe

But M. de Thaller, as he was proud of boasting, had a perfect horror of simplicity; and, wherever he

discovered a vacant space as big as his hand, he hung a picture, a bronze, or a piece of china, any thing and

The two footmen were standing when M. de Tregars came in. Without asking any question, "Will M. le

And, opening the broad glass doors1 he began walking in front of M. de Traggers, along a staircase with

marble railing, the elegant proportions of which were absolutely ruined by a ridiculous profusion of "objects

of art" of all nature, and from all sources. This staircase led to a vast semicircular landing, upon which,

between columns of precious marble, opened three wide doors. The footman opened the middle one, which

led to M. de Thaller's picturegallery, a celebrated one in the financial world, and which had acquired for him

But M. de Traggers had no time to examine this gallery, which, moreover, he already knew well enough. The

footman showed him into the small drawingroom of the baroness, a bijou of a room, furnished in gilt and

"Will M. le Marquis be kind enough to take a seat?" he said. "I run to notify Mme. le Baronne of M. le

The footman uttered these titles of nobility with a singular pomp, and as if some of their lustre was reflected

upon himself. Nevertheless, it was evident that "Marquis" jingled to his ear much more pleasantly than

Remaining alone, M. de Tregars threw himself upon a seat. Worn out by the emotions of the day, and by an

extraordinary contention of mind, he felt thankful for this moment of respite, which permitted him, at the

moment of a decisive step, to collect all his energy and all his presence of mind.

And after two minutes he was so deeply absorbed in his thoughts, that he started, like a man suddenly aroused

from his sleep, at the sound of an opening door. At the same moment he heard a slight exclamation of

Instead of the Baroness de Thaller, it was her daughter, Mlle. Cesarine, who had come in.

Stepping forward to the centre of the room, and acknowledging by a familiar gesture M. de Traggers' most

"You should warn people," she said. "I came here to look for my mother, and it is you I find. Why, you

Younger than Mlle. Gilberte, Mlle. Cesarine de Thaller had a reputation for beauty so thoroughly established,

that to call it in question would have seemed a crime to her numerous admirers. And really she was a

handsome person. Rather tall and well made, she had broad hips, the waist round and supple as a steel rod,

and a magnificent throat. Her neck was, perhaps, a little too thick and too short; but upon her robust shoulders

was scattered in wild ringlets the rebellious hair that escaped from her comb. She was a blonde, but of that

reddish blonde, almost as dark as mahogany, which Titian admired, and which the handsome Venetians

obtained by means of rather repulsive practices, and by exposing themselves to the noonday sun on the

terraces of their palaces. Her complexion had the gilded hues of amber. Her lips, red as blood, displayed as

they opened, teeth of dazzling whiteness. In her large prominent eyes, of a milky blue, like the Northern

skies, laughed the eternal irony of a soul that no longer has faith in any thing. More anxious of her fame than

of good taste, she wore a dress of doubtful shade, puffed up by means of an extravagant pannier, and

buttoned obliquely across the chest, according to that ridiculous and ungraceful style invented by flat or

Throwing herself upon a chair, and placing cavalierly one foot upon another, so as to display her leg, which

"Do you know that it's perfectly stunning to see you here?" she said to M. de Traggers. "Just imagine, for a

moment, what a face the Baron Three Francs Sixtyeight will make when he sees you!"

It was her father whom she called thus, since the day when she had discovered that there was a German coin

called thaler, which represents three francs and sixtyeight centimes in French currency.

M. de Traggers was excusing himself in vague terms; but it was one of Mlle. Cesarine's habits never to listen

"Favoral," she continued, "papa's cashier, has just started on an international picnic. Did you know him?"

"An old fellow, always dressed like a country sexton, and with a face like an undertaker. And the Baron

Three Francs Sixtyeight, an old bird, was fool enough to be taken in by him! For he was taken in. He had a

face like a man whose chimney is on fire, when he came to tell us, mamma and myself, that Favoral had gone

"Not entire, of course, because it was not since day before yesterday only that he began digging into the

Mutual Credit's pile. There were years that this venerable old swell was leading a somewhatvariegated

existence, in company with ratherfunny ladies, you know. And as he was not exactly calculated to be adored

at par, why, it cost papa's stockholders a pretty lively premium. But, anyhow, he must have carried off a

And, bouncing to the piano, she began an accompaniment loud enough to crack the windowpanes, singing

Any one but Marius de Tregars would have been doubtless strangely surprised at Mlle. de Thaller's manners.

But he had known her for some time already: he was familiar with her past life, her habits, her tastes, and her

pretensions. Until the age of fifteen, Mlle. Cesarine had remained shut up in one of those pleasant Parisian

boardingschools, where young ladies are initiated into the great art of the toilet, and from which they

emerge armed with the gayest theories, knowing how to see without seeming to look, and to lie boldly

without blushing; in a word, ripe for society. The directress of the boardingschool, a lady of the ton, who

had met with reverses, and who was a good deal more of a dressmaker than a teacher, said of Mlle. Cesarine,

"She gives the greatest hopes for the future; and I shall certainly make a superior woman of her."

But the opportunity was not allowed her. The Baroness de Thaller discovered, one morning, that it was

impossible for her to live without her daughter, and that her maternal heart was lacerated by a separation

which was against the sacred laws of nature. She took her home, therefore, declaring that nothing, henceforth,

not even her marriage, should separate them, and that she should finish herself the education of the dear child.

From that moment, in fact, whoever saw the Baroness de Thaller would also see Mlle. Cesarine following in

A girl of fifteen, discreet and welltrained, is a convenient chaperon; a chaperon which enables a woman to

show herself boldly where she might not have dared to venture alone. In presence of a mother followed by

Under the pretext that Cesarine was still but a child and of no consequence, Mme. de Thaller dragged her

everywhere, to the bois and to the races, visiting and shopping, to balls and parties, to the wateringplaces

and the seashore, to the restaurant, and to all the "first nights" at the Palais Royal, the Bouffes, the Varietes,

and the Delassements. It was, therefore, especially at the theatre, that the education of Mlle. de Thaller, so

happily commenced, had received the finishing touch. At sixteen she was thoroughly familiar with the

repertoire of the genre theatres, imitated Schneider far better than ever did Silly, and sang with surprising

intonations and astonishing gestures Blanche d'Autigny's successful moods, and Theresa's most wanton

Between times, she studied the fashion papers, and formed her style in reading the "Vie Parisienne," whose

most enigmatic articles had no allusions sufficiently obscure to escape her penetration.

She learned to ride on horseback, to fence and to shoot, and distinguished herself at pigeonmatches. She

kept a bettingbook, played Trente et Quarante at Monaco; and Baccarat had no secrets for her. At Trouville

she astonished the natives with the startling novelty of her bathingcostumes; and, when she found herself

the centre of a reasonable circle of lookerson, she threw herself in the water with a pluck that drew upon her

the applause of the bathingmasters. She could smoke a cigarette, empty nearly a glass of champagne; and

once her mother was obliged to bring her home, and put her quick to bed, because she had insisted upon

Leading such a life, it was difficult that public opinion should always spare Mme. and Mlle. de Thaller. There

were sceptics who insinuated that this steadfast friendship between mother and daughter had very much the

appearance of the association of 'two women bound together by the complicity of a common secret. A broker

told how, one evening, or one night rather, for it was nearly two o'clock, happening to pass in front of the

MoulinRouge, he had seen the Baroness and Mlle. Cesarine coming out, accompanied by a gentleman, to

A certain journey which mother and daughter had undertaken in the heart of the winter, and which had lasted

not less than two months, had been generally attributed to an imprudence, the consequences of which it had

become impossible to conceal, They had been in Italy, they said when they returned; hut no one had seen

them there. Yet, as Mme. and Mlle. de Thaller's mode of life was, after all, the same as that of a great many

women who passed for being perfectly proper, as there was no positive or palpable fact brought against them,

And why not, since the Baron de Thaller, the most interested party, held himself satisfied?

To the illadvised friends who ventured some allusions to the public rumors, he replied, according to his

"My daughter can play the mischief generally, if she sees fit. As I shall give a dowry of a million, she will

Or else, "And what of it? Do not American young ladies enjoyed unlimited freedom? Are they not constantly

seen going out with young gentlemen, or walking or traveling alone? Are they, for all that, less virtuous than

our girls, who are kept under such close watch? Do they make less faithful wives, or less excellent mothers?

Already Mlle. de Thaller had had to decide upon several quite suitable offers of marriage she had squarely

"A husband!" she had answered each time. "Thank you, none for me. I have good enough teeth to eat up my

dowry myself. Later, we'll see,when I've cut my wisdom teeth, and I am tired of my bachelor life,"

She did not seem near getting tired of it, though she pretended that she had no more illusions, was thoroughly

blasee, had exhausted every sensation, and that life henceforth had no surprise in reserve for her. Her

reception of M. de Traggers was, therefore, one of Mlle. Cesarine's least eccentricities, as was also that

sudden fancy; to apply to the situation one of the most idiotic rondos of her repertoires:

I see with pleasure," said M. de Traggers, "that the embezzlement of which your father has just been the

Would you have me cry," she said, "because the stockholders of the Baron Three Francs Sixtyeight have

"And in all that," she went on, " I see no one to pity except the wife and daughter of that old stick Favoral."

"And the daughter? Costeclar was crazy about her once. He made eyes like a carp in love, as he told us, to

mamma and myself, 'She is an angel, mesdames, an angel! And when I have given her a little chic!' Now tell

Mlle. de Thaller had stopped singing; but she had not left the piano. Half turned towards M. de Traggers, she

ran her fingers listlessly over the keys, striking a note here and there, as if to punctuate her sentences.

"Ah, how nice!" she exclaimed, "and, above all, how gallant! Really, if you venture often on such

declarations, mothers would be very wrong to trust you alone with their daughters."

"Perfectly right, on the contrary. I asked you if I was better looking than Mlle. Favoral; and you replied to

"It is because, mademoiselle, there is indeed no possible comparison between you, who are a wealthy heiress,

and whose life is a perpetual enchantment, and a poor girl, very humble, and very modest, who rides in the

And, turning around suddenly, she began another rondo, no less famous than the first, and borrowed, this

Very attentively M. de Traggers was observing her. He had not been the dupe of the great surprise she had

"She knew I was here," he thought; "and it is her mother who has sent her to me. But why? and for what

"With all that," she resumed, "I see the sweet Mme. Favoral and her modest daughter in a terribly tight place.

"Naturally. But, what is better, the daughter has a splendid voice: at least, so her professor told Costeclar.

Why should she not go on the stage? Actresses make lots of money, you know. Papal help her, if she wishes.

"I beg your pardon; but it seems to me that this one will do to begin with. He is gallant, Costeclar, extremely

gallant, and, moreover, generous as a lord. Why should he not offer to that youthful and timid damsel a nice

little position in mahogany and rosewood? That way, we should have the pleasure of meeting her around the

And she began singing again, with a slight variation 'Macon, who, before the war,

But, as he did not as yet understand very clearly what she wished to come to, he kept on his guard, and

"What a face you are making!" she said. "Are you jealous of the fiery Costeclar, by chance?"

"Then, why don't you want him to succeed in his love? But he will, you'll see! Five hundred francs on

Costeclar! Do you take it? No? I am sorry. It's twentyfive napoleons lost for me. I know very well that Mlle.

"Hallo! a nice name for a cashier's daughter! I am aware that she once sent that poor Costeclar and his offer

to Called. But she had resources then; whilst now It's stupid as it can be; but people have to eat!"

M. de Traggers now felt satisfied. It seemed evident to him that they had somehow got wind of his intentions;

that Mlle. de Thaller had been sent to feel the ground; and that she only attacked Mlle. Gilberte in order to

"Bash!" she said, "Mlle. Favoral is like all the others. If she had to select between the amiable Costeclar and a

At all times, Marius de Tregars disliked Mlle. Cesarine to a supreme degree; but at this moment, without the

pressing desire he had to see the Baron and Baroness de Thaller, he would have withdrawn.

"Believe me, mademoiselle," he uttered coldly. "Spare a poor girl stricken by a most cruel misfortune. Worse

"Yes, I am glad!" she repeated, "because it would be a change; and I am sick of the life I lead. Yes, sick to be

eternally and invariably happy of that same dreary happiness. And to think that there are idiots who believe

that I amuse myself, and who envy my fate! To think, that, when I ride through the streets, I hear girls

exclaim, whilst looking at me, 'Isn't she lucky?' Little fools! I'd like to see them in my place. They live, they

do. Their pleasures are not all alike. They have anxieties and hopes, ups and downs, hours of rain and hours

of sunshine; whilst I always dead calm! the barometer always at 'Set fair.' What a bore! Do you know what

I did today? Exactly the same thing as yesterday; and tomorrow I'll do the same thing as today.

"A good dinner is a good thing; but always the same dinner, without extras or additions pouah! Too many

truffles. I want some corned beef and cabbage. I know the bill of fare by heart, you see. In winter, theatres

and balls; in summer, races and the seashore; summer and winter, shopping, rides to the bois, calls, trying

dresses, perpetual adoration by mother's friends, all of them brilliant and gallant fellows to whom the mere

thought of my dowry gives the jaundice. Excuse me, if I yawn: I am thinking of their conversations.

"And to think," she went on, "that such will be my existence until I make up my mind to take a husband! For

I'll have to come to it too. The Baron Three Sixtyeight will present to me some sort of a swell, attracted by

my money. I'll answer, 'I'd just as soon have him as any other; and he will be admitted to the honor of paying

his attentions to me. Every morning he will send me a splendid bouquet: every evening, after bankhours,

he'll come along with fresh kid gloves and a white vest. During the afternoon, he and papa will pull each

other's hair out on the subject of the dowry. At last the happy day will arrive. Can't you see it from here?

Mass with music, dinner, ball. The Baron Three Sixtyeight will not spare me a single ceremony. The

marriage of the manager of the Mutual Credit must certainly be an advertisement. The papers will publish the

"To be sure, papa will have a face a yard long; because he will have been compelled to pay the dowry the day

before. Mamma will be all upset at the idea of becoming a grandmother. The bridegroom will be in a

wretched humor, because his boots will be too tight; and I'll look like a goose, because I'll be dressed in

white; and white is a stupid color, which is not at all becoming to me. Charming family gathering, isn't it?

Two weeks later, my husband will be sick of me, and I'll be disgusted with him. After a month, we'll be at

daggers' points. He'll go back to his club and his mistresses; and I I shall have conquered the right to go out

alone; and I'll begin again going to the bois, to balls, to races, wherever my mother goes. I'll spend an

Though any thing might be expected of Mlle. Cesarine, still M. de Traggers seemed visibly astonished. And

"That's the invariable programme," she went on; "and that's why I say I'm glad at the idea of a change,

whatever it may be. You find fault with me for not pitying Mlle. Gilberte. How could I, since I envy her? She

is happy, because her future is not settled, laid out, fixed in advance. She is poor; but she is free. She is

twenty; she is pretty; she has an admirable voice; she can go on the stage tomorrow, and be, before six

months, one of the pet actresses of Paris. What a life then! Ah, that is the one I dream, the one I would have

The Baroness de Thaller appeared. As she was, immediately after dinner, to go to the opera, and afterwards to

a party given by the Viscountess de Bois d'Ardon, she was in full dress. She wore a dress, cut audaciously

low in the neck, of very light gray satin, trimmed with bands of cherrycolored silk edged with lace. In her

hair, worn high over her head, she had a bunch of fuchsias, the flexible stems of which, fastened by a large

But, though she forced herself to smile, her countenance was not that of festive days; and the glance which

she cast upon her daughter and Marius de Tregars was laden with threats. In a voice of which she tried in vain

"How very kind of you, marquis," she began, "to respond so soon to my invitation of this morning! I am

really distressed to have kept you waiting; but I was dressing. After what has happened to M. de Thaller, it is

absolutely indispensable that I should go out, show myself: otherwise our enemies will be going around

tomorrow, saying everywhere that I am in Belgium, preparing lodgings for my husband."

It was with a profound, surprise that M. de Traggers discovered that the entente cordiale which he suspected

Veiling under a jesting tone the strange conjectures which the unexpected discovery aroused within him,

"Mlle. Cesarine," he replied, "who is much to be pitied, was telling me all her troubles."

"Do not take the trouble to tell a story, M. le Marquis," she said. "Mamma knows it as well as yourself; for

"And, if she came in so suddenly, it is because she thought it was fully time to cut short my confidences."

That's my way," she went on. "You should not have sent me here by chance, and against my wish. You made

me do it: don't complain. You were sure that I had but to appear, and M. de Traggers would fall at my feet. I

Her features contracted, her eyes flashing, twisting her lace handkerchief between her fingers loaded with

"Thanks for the compliment!" said the young lady. "Unfortunately, I never was more completely in

possession of all the good sense I may boast of than I am now, dear mamma. What were you telling me a

moment since? 'Run, the Marquis de Tregars is coming to ask your hand: it's all settled.' And what did I

answer? 'No use to trouble myself: if, instead of one million, papa were to give me two, four millions, indeed

all the millions paid by France to Prussia, M. de Traggers would not have me for a wife.'"

"Am I not right, M. le Marquis?" she asked. "And isn't it a fact that you wouldn't have me at any price?

M. de Tregars' situation was somewhat embarrassing between these two women, whose anger was equal,

though it manifested itself in a different way. Evidently it was a discussion begun before, which was now

"I think, mademoiselle," he began, "that you have been slandering yourself gratuitously."

"Oh, no! I swear it to you," she replied; "and, if mamma had not happened in, you would have heard much

"Ah, ah! you see," she said. "Who was crazy, you, or I? Ah! you imagine here that money is everything,

that every thing is for sale, and that every thing can be bought. Well, no! There are still men, who, for all the

gold in the world, would not give their name to Cesarine de Thaller. It is strange; but it is so, dear mamma,

Then turning towards Marius, and bearing upon each syllable, as if afraid that the allusion might escape him,

"The men of whom I speak," she added, "marry the girls who can starve to death."

Knowing her daughter well enough to be aware that she could not impose silence upon her, the Baroness de

Thaller had dropped upon a chair. She was trying hard to appear indifferent to what her daughter was saying;

but at every moment a threatening gesture, or a hoarse exclamation, betrayed the storm that raged within her.

"Finally, were M. de Traggers willing to have me, I would refuse him myself, because, then"

A fugitive blush colored her cheeks, her bold eyes vacillated, and, dropping her voice,

"Because, then," she added, "he would no longer be what he is; because I feel that fatally I shall despise the

husband whom papa will buy for me. And, if I came here to expose myself to an affront which I foresaw, it is

because I wanted to make sure of a fact of which a word of Costeclar, a few days ago, had given me an idea,

of a fact which you do not, perhaps, suspect, dear mother, despite your astonishing perspicacity. I wanted to

M. de Tregars had come to the Thaller mansion with a plan well settled in advance. He had pondered long

before deciding what he would do, and what he would say, and how he would begin the decisive struggle.

What had taken place showed him the idleness of his conjectures, and, as a natural consequence, upset his

plans. To abandon himself to the chances of the hour, and to make the best possible use of them, was now the

Give me credit, mademoiselle," he uttered, "for sufficient penetration to have perfectly well discerned your

intentions. There was no need of artifice, because I have nothing to conceal. You had but to question me, I

would have answered you frankly, 'Yes, it is true I love Mlle. Gilberte; and before a month she will be

Mme. de Thaller, at those words, had started to her feet, pushing back her armchair so violently, that it

"The daughter of a defaulting cashier, a dishonored man whom justice pursues and the galleys await!"

"Yes!" And in an accent that caused a shiver to run over the white shoulders of Mme. de Thaller,

"Whatever may have been," he uttered, "Vincent Favoral's crime; whether he has or has not stolen, the twelve

millions which are wanting from the funds of the Mutual Credit; whether he is alone guilty, or has

accomplices; whether he be a knave, or a fool, an impostor, or a dupe, Mlle. Gilberte is not responsible."

The agitation of the baroness was so great, that she did not even attempt to conceal it.

Why, that's the very reason why a man may marry her!" she exclaimed, and, holding out her hand to M. de

And who, then, would report our conversation to him? M. de Traggers? He would not do such a thing. You?

Drawing herself up to her fullest height, her breast swelling with anger, her head thrown back, her eyes

Cesarine," ordered Mme. de Thaller, her arm extended towards the door "Cesarine, leave the room; I

"Come, calm yourself," she said in a tone of crushing irony, "or you'll spoil your complexion for the rest of

the evening. Do I complain? do I get excited? And yet whose fault is it, if honor makes it a duty for me to cry

'Beware!' to an honest man who wishes to marry me? That Gilberte should get married : that she should be

very happy, have many children, darn her husband's stockings, and skim her Potaufue, that is her part in

life. Ours, dear mother, that which you have taught me is to laugh and have fun, all the time, night and

An embarrassing, painful silence followed, as it was inevitable that it would, the Baroness de Thaller's

Mlle. Cesarine had approached the mantelpiece. She was leaning her elbow upon it, her forehead on her

hand, all palpitating and excited. Intimidated for, perhaps, the first time in her life, she turned away her great

As to M. de Tregars, he remained at his place, not having one whit too much of that power of selfcontrol,

which is acquired by a long experience of the world, to conceal his impressions. If he had a fault, it was

certainly not selfconceit; but Mlle. de Thaller had been too explicit and too clear to leave him a doubt. All

"My parents were in hopes that I would become your wife: I had judged you well enough to understand their

error. Precise because I love you I acknowledge myself unworthy of you and I wish you to know that if you

had asked my hand, the hand of a girl who has a dowry of a million I would have ceased to esteem you.

That such a feeling should have budded and blossomed in Mlle. Cesarine's soul, withered as it was by vanity,

and blunted by pleasure was almost a miracle. It was, at any rate, an astonishing proof of love which she

gave; and Marius de Tregars would not have been a man, if he had not been deeply moved by it. Suddenly,

"What can you think of my sincerity? You must, doubtless, find it strange, impudent, grotesque."

And yet," she went on, this is not the first time that I am assailed by sinister ideas, and that I feel ashamed of

myself. I was convinced once that this mad existence of mine is the only enviable one, the only one that can

give happiness. And now I discover that it is not the right path which I have taken, or, rather, which I have

Every thing fails me," she said. "It seems as though I were rolling into a bottomless abyss, without a branch

or a tuft of grass to cling to. Around me, emptiness, night, chaos. I am not yet twenty and it seems to me that

I have lived thousands of years, and exhausted every sensation. I have seen every thing, learned every thing,

experienced every thing; and I am tired of every thing, and satiated and nauseated. You see me looking like a

brainless hoyden, I sing, I jest, I talk slang. My gayety surprises everybody. In reality, I am literally tired to

death. What I feel I could not express there are no words to render absolute disgust. Sometimes I say to

myself, 'It is stupid to be so sad. What do you need? Are you not young, handsome, rich? But I must need

something, or else I would not be thus agitated, nervous, anxious, unable to stay in one place, tormented by

confused aspirations, and by desires which I cannot formulate. What can I do? Seek oblivion in pleasure and

dissipation? I try, and I succeed for an hour or so; but the reaction comes, and the effect vanishes, like froth

from champagne. The lassitude returns; and, whilst outwardly I continue to laugh, I shed within tears of

blood which scald my heart. What is to become of me, without a memory in the past, or a hope in the future,

M. de Tregars rose, feeling more deeply moved than he would, perhaps, have liked to acknowledge.

"I was laughing at you only a moment since," he said in his grave and vibrating voice, Pardon me,

mademoiselle, It is with the utmost sincerity, and from the innermost depths of my soul, that I pity you."

She was looking at him with an air of timid doubt, big tears trembling between her long eyelashes.

"I shall retain the firm belief that when you were yet but a child, you were spoiled by insane theories."

"Yes, that's it," she murmured. "How could I resist examples coming from certain persons? How could I help

becoming intoxicated when I saw myself, as it were, in a cloud of incense when I heard nothing but praises

and applause? And then there is the money, which depraves when it comes in a certain way."

She ceased to speak; but the silence was soon again broken by a slight noise, which came from the adjoining

Mechanically, M. de Traggers looked around him. The little parlor in which he found himself was divided

from the main drawingroom of the house by a tall and broad door, closed only by heavy curtains, which had

remained partially drawn. Now, such was the disposition of the mirrors in the two rooms, that M. de Traggers

could see almost the whole of the large one reflected in the mirror over the mantelpiece of the little parlor. A

And, the more M. de Traggers examined him, the more it seemed to him that he had already seen somewhere

that uneasy countenance, that anxious glance, that wicked smile flitting upon flat and thin lips.

But suddenly the man bowed very low. It was probable that Mme. de Thaller, who had gone around through

the hall to reach the grand parlor, must be coming in; and in fact she almost immediately appeared within the

range of the glass. She seemed much agitated; and, with a finger upon her lips, she was recommending to the

man to be prudent, and to speak low. It was therefore in a whisper, and such a low whisper that not even a

vague murmur reached the little par1or that the man uttered a few words. They were such that the baroness

started back as if she had seen a precipice yawning at her feet; and by this action it was easy to understand

With the voice which still could not be heard, but with a gesture which could be seen, the man evidently

And leaning towards Mme. de Thaller, who seemed in no wise shocked to feel this repulsive personage's lips

The surprise which this species of vision caused to M. de Tregars was great, but did not keep him from

reflecting what could be the meaning of this scene. How came this suspiciouslooking man to have obtained

access, without difficulty, into the grand parlor? Why had the baroness, on receiving his card, turned whiter

than the laces on her dress? What news had he brought, which had made such a deep impression? What was

But soon she interrupted the man, beckoned to him to wait, disappeared for a minute; and, when she came in

again, she held in her hand a package of banknotes, which she began counting upon the parlortable.

She counted twentyfive, which, so far as M. de Tregars could judge, must have been hundredfranc notes.

The man took them counted them over, slipped them into his pocket with a grin of satisfaction, and then

The baroness detained him, however; and it was she now, who, leaning towards him, commenced to explain

to him, or rather, as far as her attitude showed, to ask him something. It must have been a serious matter; for

he shook his head, and moved his arms, as if he meant to say, "The deuse, the deuse!"

The strangest suspicions flashed across M. de Tregars' mind. What was that bargain to which the mirror made

him thus an accidental witness? For it was a bargain: there could be no mistake about it. The man, having

received a mission, had fulfilled it, and had come to receive the price of it. And now a new commission was

But M. de Traggers' attention was now called off by Mlle. Cesarine. Shaking off the torpor which for a

"But why fret and worry?" she said, answering, rather, the objections of her own mind than addressing herself

"Ah! if the mistakes of life were like soiled clothes, which are allowed to accumulate in a wardrobe, and

which are all sent out at once to the wash. But nothing washes the past, not even repentance, whatever they

may say. There are some ideas which should be set aside. A prisoner should not allow himself to think of

"And yet," she added, shrugging her shoulders, "a prisoner has always the hope of escaping; whereas I"

Bash!" she said, "that's enough sentiment for one day; and instead of staying here, boring you to death, I

ought to go and dress; for I am going to the opera with my sweet mamma, and afterwards to the ball. You

ought to come. I am going to wear a stunning dress. The ball is at Mme. de Bois d'Ardon's, one of our

friends, a progressive woman. She has a smokingroom for ladies. What do you think of that? Come, will

you go? We'll drink champagne, and we'll laugh. No? Zut then, and my compliments to your family."

"This is doubtless the last time I shall ever see you, M. de Traggers," she said. "Farewell! You know now

why I, who have a dowry of a million, I envy Gilberte Favoral. Once more farewell. And, whatever happiness

may fall to your lot in life, remember that Cesarine has wished it all to you.".

"Cesarine!" Mme. de Thaller called, in a voice which sounded at once like a prayer and a threat.

"So that you can scold me if I am not ready when you want to go? Thank you, no."

Mme. de Thaller closed the door of the little parlor, and returning to take a seat by M. de Traggers,

Meantime he was watching in the glass what was going on in the other room. The suspiciouslooking man

was there still, and alone. A servant had brought him pen, ink and paper; and he was writing rapidly.

And he endeavored to find upon the features of the baroness an answer to the confused presentiments which

agitated his brain. But there was no longer any trace of the emotion which she had manifested when taken

unawares. Having had time for reflection, she had composed for herself an impenetrable countenance.

"And such is," said the baroness with a sigh, "the result of M. de Thaller's weakness, and above all of my

"We have no child but Cesarine; and it was natural that we should spoil her. Her fancy has been, and is still,

our only law. She has never had time to express a wish: she is obeyed before she has spoken."

She sighed again, and deeper than the first time. "You have just seen," she went on, "the results of that insane

education. And yet it would not do to trust appearances. Cesarine, believe me, is not as extravagant as she

seems. She possesses solid qualities, of those which a man expects of the woman who is to be his wife."

"With her father, with me especially, she is capricious, wilful, and violent; but, in the hands of the husband of

The man in the parlor had finished his letter, and, with an equivocal smile, was reading it over.

"Believe me, madame," replied M. de Traggers, "I have perfectly understood how much naive boasting there

The baroness shook her head in a melancholy way, to convey an idea of her maternal affection and anxiety.

"Yes, from you, my dear marquis," she replied, "from you alone. On the very day you entered this house,

Having read his letter over, the man in the grand parlor had folded it, and slipped it into his pocket, and,

having left his seat, seemed to be waiting for something. M. de Traggers was following, in the glass, his

every motion, with the most eager curiosity. And nevertheless, as he felt the absolute necessity of saying

"In one night. Had she not met the hero of whom every girl dreams? a man of thirty, bearing one of the

She stopped, expecting an answer, a word, an exclamation. But, as M. de Traggers said nothing,

"And suppose I were to tell you myself, that my poor Cesarine, alas! loves you?"

M. de Traggers started. Had he been less occupied with the personage in the grand parlor, he would certainly

not have allowed the conversation to drift in this channel. He understood his mistake; and, in an icy tone,

"For the reason which I have already told you, that I love Mlle. Gilberte Favoral with the deepest and the

purest love, and that for the past three years she has been, before God, my affianced bride."

"I wish it were still more so, that I might the better show to Gilberte how dear she is to me."

Calm in appearance, the baroness was scratching with her nails the satin of the chair on which she was sitting.

"Still, now, come, between us who are no longer children, suppose M. de Thaller were to double Cesarine's

An expression of intense disgust contracted the manly features of Marius de Tregars.

There was no hope left. Mme. de Thaller fully realized it by the tone in which he spoke. She remained

pensive for over a minute, and suddenly, like a person who has finally made up her mind, she rang.

"Alas!" she said, "who would have thought that I would curse the day when you first entered our house?"

But, whilst, she spoke, M. de Traggers noticed in the glass the result of the order she had just given.

The footman walked into the grand parlor, spoke a few words; and at once the man with the alarming

"This is very strange!" thought M. de Traggers. Meantime, the baroness was going on,

"If your intentions are to that point irrevocable, how is it that you are here? You have too much experience of

the world not to have understood, this morning, the object of my visit and of my allusions."

Fortunately, M. de Traggers' attention was no longer drawn by the proceedings in the next room. The decisive

moment had come: the success of the game he was playing would, perhaps, depend upon his coolness and

"It is because I did understand, madame, and even better than you suppose, that I am here."

"I came, expecting to deal with M. de Thaller alone. I have been compelled, by what has happened, to alter

Mme. de Thaller continued to manifest the same tranquil assurance; but she stood up. Feeling the approach of

There was, henceforth, no human power capable of turning Marius de Tregars from the object he had in view.

"It is to you I shall speak," he repeated, "because, after you have heard me, you may perhaps judge that it is

your interest to join me in endeavoring to obtain from your husband what I ask, what I demand, what I must

With an air of surprise marvelously well simulated, if it was not real, the baroness was looking at him.

"My father," he proceeded to say, "the Marquis de Tregars, was once rich: he had several millions. And yet

when I had the misfortune of losing him, three years ago, he was so thoroughly ruined, that to relieve the

scruples of his honor, and to make his death easier, I gave up to his creditors all I had in the world. What had

become of my father's fortune? What filter had been administered to him to induce him to launch into

hazardous speculations, he an old Breton gentleman, full, even to absurdity, of the most obstinate

She was a strongminded woman, the Baroness de Thaller. She had had so many adventures in her life, she

had walked on the very edge of so many precipices, concealed so many anxieties, that danger was, as it were,

her element, and that, at the decisive moment of an almost desperate game, she could remain smiling like

those old gamblers whose face never betrays their terrible emotion at the moment when they risk their last

stake. Not a muscle of her face moved; and it was with the most imperturbable calm that she said,

That was not the way to propitiate M. de Traggers. He resumed, in a brief and harsh tone,

"When my father died, I was young. I did not know then what I have learned since, that to contribute to

insure the impunity of knaves is almost to make one's self their accomplice. And the victim who says nothing

and submits, does contribute to it. The honest man, on the contrary, should speak, and point out to others the

The baroness was listening with the air of a person who is compelled by politeness to hear a tiresome story.

"That is a rather gloomy preamble," she said. M. de Tregars took no notice of the interruption.

"At all times," he went on, "my father seemed careless of his affairs: that affectation, he thought, was due to

the name he bore. But his negligence was only apparent. I might mention things of him that would do honor

to the most methodical tradesman. He had, for instance, the habit of preserving all the letters of any

importance which he received. He left twelve or fifteen boxes full of such. They were carefully classified;

and many bore upon their margin a few notes indicating what answer had been made to them."

"At the first moment, determined not to stir up the past, I attached no importance to those letters; and they

would certainly have been burnt, but for an old friend of the family, the Count de Villegre, who had them

carried to his own house. But later, acting under the influence of circumstances which it would be too long to

explain to you, I regretted my apathy; and I thought that I should, perhaps, find in that correspondence

something to either dissipate or justify certain suspicions which had occurred to me."

"So that, like a respectful son, you read it?" M. de Tregars bowed ceremoniously.

"I believe," he said, "that to avenge a father of the imposture of which he was the victim during his life, is to

render homage to his memory. Yes, madame, I read the whole of that correspondence, and with an interest

which you will readily understand. I had already, and without result, examined the contents of several boxes,

when in the package marked 1852, a year which my father spent in Paris, certain letters attracted my

attention. They were written upon coarse paper, in a very primitive handwriting and wretchedly spelt. They

were signed sometimes Phrasie, sometimes Marquise de Javelle. Some gave the address, 'Rue des Bergers,

"Those letters left me no doubt upon what had taken place. My father had met a young workinggirl of rare

beauty: he had taken a fancy to her; and, as he was tormented by the fear of being loved for his money alone,

"A romance, perhaps," he said, "but in that case a moneyromance, not a loveromance. This Phrasie or

Marquise de Javelle, announces in one of her letters, that in February, 1853, she has given birth to a daughter,

whom she has confided to some relatives of hers in the south, near Toulouse. It was doubtless that event

which induced my father to acknowledge who he was. He confesses that he is not a poor clerk, but the

Marquis de Tregars, having an income of over a hundred thousand francs. At once the tone of the

correspondence changes. The Marquise de Javelle has a stupid time where she lives; the neighbors reproach

her with her fault; work spoils her pretty hands. Result: less than two weeks after the birth of her daughter,

my father hires for his pretty mistress a lovely apartment, which she occupies under the name of Mme. Devil;

Mme. de Thaller was giving signs of the utmost impatience. Without paying any attention to them, M. de

"Henceforth free to see each other daily, my father and his mistress cease to write. But Mme. Devil does not

waste her time. During a space of less than eight months, from February to September, she induces my father

to dispose not in her favor, she is too disinterested for that, but in favor of her daughter of a sum

exceeding five hundred thousand francs. In September, the correspondence is resumed. Mme. Devil discovers

that she is not happy, and acknowledges it in a letter, which shows, by its improved writing and more correct

"She complains of her precarious situation: the future frightens her: she longs for respectability. Such is, for

three months, the constant burden of her correspondence. She regrets the time when she was a working girl:

why has she been so weak? Then, at last, in a note which betrays long debates and stormy discussions, she

announces that she has an unexpected offer of marriage; a fine fellow, who,, if she only had two hundred

thousand francs, would give his name to herself and to her darling little daughter. For a long time my father

hesitates; but she presses her point with such rare skill, she demonstrates so conclusively that this marriage

will insure the happiness of their child, that my father yields at last, and resigns himself to the sacrifice. And

in a memorandum on the margin of a last letter, he states that he has just given two hundred thousand francs

to Mme. Devil; that he will never see her again; and that he returns to live in Brittany, where he wishes, by

"I beg your pardon: this one is not ended yet. For many years, my father kept his word, and never left our

homestead of Tregars. But at last he grew tired of his solitude, and returned to Paris. Did he seek to see his

former mistress again? I think not. I suppose that chance brought them together; or else, that, being aware of

his return, she managed to put herself in his way. He found her more fascinating, than ever, and, according to

what she wrote him, rich and respected; for her husband had become a personage. She would have been

perfectly happy, she added, had it been possible for her to forget the man whom she had once loved so much,

"I have that letter. The elegant hand, the style, and the correct orthography, express better than any thing else

the transformations of the Marquise de Javelle. Only it is not signed. The little workinggirl has become

"A week later, in a laconic note, apparently dictated by an irresistible passion, she begs my father to come to

see her at her own house. He does so, and finds there a little girl, whom he believes to be his own child, and

"And that's all. Again he falls under the charm. He ceases to belong to himself: his former mistress can

"But see now what bad luck! The husband takes a notion to become jealous of my father's visits. In a letter

which is a masterpiece of diplomacy, the lady explains her anxiety. '"He has suspicions,' she writes; 'and to

what extremities might he not resort, were he to discover the truth!' And with infinite art she insinuates that

the best way to justify his constant presence is to associate himself with that jealous husband.

"It is with childish haste that my father jumps at the suggestion. But money is needed. He sells his lands, and

everywhere announces that he has great financial ideas, and that he is going to increase his fortune tenfold.

"There he is now, partner of his former mistress's husband, engaged in speculations, director of a company.

He thinks that he is doing an excellent business: he is convinced that he is making lots of money. Poor honest

man! They prove to him, one morning, that he is ruined, and, what is more, compromised. And this is made

to look so much like the truth, that I interfere myself, and pay the creditors. We were ruined; but honor was

Mme. de Thaller half rose from her seat with a gesture which indicated the joy of escaping at last a merciless

bore. A glance from M. de Traggers riveted her to her seat, freezing upon her lips the jest she was about to

"From this correspondence," he resumed, "resulted the flagrant, irrefutable proof of a shameful intrigue, long

since suspected by my old friend, General Count de Villegre, it became evident to me that my poor father had

been most shamefully imposed upon by that mistress, so handsome and so dearly loved, and, later, despoiled

by the husband of that mistress. But all this availed me nothing. Being ignorant of my father's life and

connections, the letters giving neither a name nor a precise detail, I knew not whom to accuse. Besides, in

The baroness had resumed her seat; and every thing about her her attitude, her gestures, the motion of her

"You are my guest. Civility has its demands; but really you abuse your privileges."

"At this moment I was still a sort of savage, wholly absorbed in my experiments, and scarcely ever setting

foot outside my laboratory. I was indignant; I ardently wished to find and to punish the villains who had

robbed us: but I knew not how to go about it, nor in what direction to seek information. The wretches would,

perhaps, have gone unpunished, but for a good and worthy man, now a commissary of police, to whom I once

rendered a slight service, one night, in a riot, when he was close pressed by some halfdozen rascals. I

explained the situation to him: he took much interest in it, promised his assistance, and marked out my line of

"I must confess," she began, "that I am not wholly mistress of my time. I am dressed, as you see: I have to go

If she had preserved any hope of adjourning the explanation which she felt coming, she must have lost it

"Advised, as I have just told you," he continued, "and assisted by the experience of a professional man, I went

first to No. 3, Rue des Bergers, in Grenelle. I found there some old people, the foreman of a neighboring

factory and his wife, who had been living in the house for nearly twentyfive years. At my first question,

they exchanged a glance, and commenced laughing. They remembered perfectly the Marquise de Javelle,

which was but a nickname for a young and pretty laundress, whose real name was Euphrasie Taponnet. She

had lived for eighteen months on the same landing as themselves: she had a lover, who passed himself off for

a clerk, but who was, in fact, she had told them, a very wealthy nobleman. They added that she had given

birth to a little girl, and that, two weeks later she had disappeared, and they had never heard a word from her.

When I left them, they said to me, 'If you see Phrasie, ask her if she ever knew old Chandour and his wife. I

For the first time Mme. de Thaller shuddered slightly; but it was almost imperceptible.

"From Grenelle," continued M. de Traggers, "I went to the house where my father's mistress had lived under

the name of Mme. Devil. I was in luck. I found there the same concierge as in 1853. As soon as I mentioned

Mme. Devil, she answered me that she had not in the least forgotten her, but, on the contrary, would know

her among a thousand. She was, she said, one of the prettiest little women she had ever seen, and the most

generous tenant. I understood the hint, handed her a couple of napoleons, and heard from her every thing she

knew on the subject. It seemed that this pretty Mme. Devil had, not one lover, but two, the acknowledged

one, who was the master, and footed the bills; and the other an anonymous one, who went out through the

backstairs, and who did not pay, on the contrary. The first was called the Marquis de Tregars: of the second,

she had never known but the first name, Frederic. I tried to ascertain what had become of Mme. Devil; but the

"One morning, like a person who is going abroad, or who wishes to cover up her tracks, Mme. Devil had sent

for a furnituredealer, and a dealer in secondhand clothes, and had sold them every thing she had, going

away with nothing but a little leather satchel, in which were her jewels and her money."

The Baroness de Thaller still kept a good countenance. After examining her for a moment, with a sort of

"When I communicated this information to my friend, the commissary of police, he shook his head. 'Two

years ago,' he told me, 'I would have said, that's more than we want to find those people; for the public

records would have given us at once the key of this enigma. But we have had the war and the Commune; and

the books of record have been burnt up. Still we must not give up. A last hope remains; and I know the man

"Two days after, he brought me an excellent fellow, named Victor Chupin, in whom I could have entire

confidence; for he was recommended to me by one of the men whom I like and esteem the most, the Duke de

Champdoce. Giving up all idea of applying at the various mayors' offices, Victor Chupin, with the patience

and the tenacity of an Indian following a scent, began beating about the districts of Grenelle, Vargirard, and

the Invalids. And not in vain; for, after a week of investigations he brought me a nurse, residing Rue de

l'Universite, who remembered perfectly having once attended, on the occasion of her confinement, a

remarkably pretty young woman, living in the Rue des Bergers, and nicknamed the Marquise de Javelle. And

as she was a very orderly woman, who at all times had kept a very exact account of her receipts, she brought

me a little book in which I read this entry: 'For attending Euphrasie Taponnet, alias the Marquise de Javelle (a

girl), one hundred francs.' And this is not all. This woman informed me, moreover, that she had been

requested to present the child at the mayor's office, and that she had been duly registered there under the

names of Euphrasie Cesarine Taponnet, born of Euphrasie Taponnet, laundress, and an unknown father.

Taxed beyond measure; the energy of the baroness was beginning to fail her; she was turning livid under her

"You can understand, madame," said Marius de Tregars, "that this woman's testimony, together with the

letters which are in my possession, enables me to establish before the courts the exact date of the birth of a

daughter whom my father had of his mistress. But that's nothing yet. With renewed zeal, Victor Chupin had

resumed his investigations. He had undertaken the examination of the marriageregisters in all the parishes of

Paris, and, as early as the following week, he discovered at Notre Dame des Lorettes the entry of the marriage

Though she must have expected that name, the baroness started up violently and livid, and with a haggard

"Five minutes' reflection will prove to you that it is useless to deny," he interrupted. "But wait. In the books

of that same church, Victor Chupin has found registered the baptism of a daughter of M. and Mme de Thaller,

"That proves, madame, the wellsettled intention of substituting one child for another; that proves that my

father was imprudently deceived when he was made to believe that the second Cesarine was his daughter, the

daughter in whose favor he had formerly disposed of over five hundred thousand francs; that proves that there

is somewhere in the world a poor girl who has been basely forsaken by her mother, the Marquise de Javelle,

"The evidence of the truth of my statements," he said, "I shall find at Louveciennes, and at the Hotel des

Night had come. A footman came in carrying lamps, which he placed upon the mantelpiece. He was not all

together one minute in the little parlor; but that one minute was enough to enable the Marquise de Thaller to

recover her coolness, and to collect her ideas. When the footman retired, she had made up her mind, with the

resolute promptness of a person accustomed to perilous situations. She gave up the discussion, and, drawing

"Enough allusions," she said: "let us speak frankly, and face to face now. What do you want?"

"Well, I claim first the five hundred thousand francs which my father had settled upon his daughter, the

"I want besides, my own and my father's fortune, of which we have been robbed by M. de Thaller, with your

An attorney who is defending the interests of a client is neither calmer nor cooler than Mme. de Thaller at this

"Do the affairs of my husband's cashier concern me, then?" she said with' a shade of irony.

"I know it from excellent sources, because, on my return from Louveciennes, I called in the Rue du Cirque,

He thought that the baroness would at least start on hearing that name. Not at all. With a look of profound

"Rue du Cirque," she repeated, like a person who is making a prodigious effort of memory, "Rue du

But, from the glance which M. de Traggers cast upon her, she must have understood that she would not easily

"I demand, not for Favoral, but for the stockholders who have been impudently defrauded, the twelve

"Well, then, it seems to me that you should present your reclamations to M. Favoral himself. You have the

"It is useless, for the reason that it is not he, the poor fool! who has carried off the twelve millions."

With that accent of pity which one takes to reply to an absurd proposition, " You are mad, my poor

"But suppose I should refuse to do any thing more?" He fixed upon her a glance in which she could read an

"I have a perfect horror of scandal," he replied, "and, as you perceive, I am trying to arrange every thing

quietly between us. But, if I do not succeed thus, I must appeal to the courts."

Marius was getting somewhat uneasy in presence of Mme. de Thaller's imperturbable assurance. What hope

had she? Could she see some means of escape from a situation apparently so desperate? Determined to prove

"Oh! I know, madame," he replied, "that you have taken your precautions. But, when Providence interferes,

you see, human foresight does not amount to much. See, rather, what happens in regard to your first daughter,

And briefly he called to her mind the principal incidents of Mlle. Lucienne's life from the time that she had

left her with the poor gardeners at Louveciennes, without giving either her name or her address, the injury

she had received by being run over by Mme. de Thaller's carriage; the long letter she had written from the

hospital, begging for assistance; her visit to the house, and her meeting with the Baron de Thaller; the effort

to induce her to emigrate to America; her arrest by means of false information, and her escape, thanks to the

kind peaceofficer; the attempt upon her as she was going home late one night; and, finally, her

imprisonment after the Commune, among the petroleuses, and her release through the interference of the

And, charging her with the responsibility of all these infamous acts, he paused for an answer or a protest.

"You are looking at me, madame, and wondering how I have discovered all that. A single word will explain it

all. The peaceofficer who saved your daughter is precisely the same to whom it was once my good fortune

to render a service. By comparing notes, we have gradually reached the truth, reached you, madame. Will

you acknowledge now that I have more proofs than are necessary to apply to the courts?"

But M. de Traggers was too much on his guard to expose himself, by continuing to speak thus, to reveal the

Besides, whilst he was thoroughly satisfied as to the manoeuvres used to defraud his father he had, as yet, but

"Permit me not to say another word, madame," he replied. "I have told you enough to enable you to judge of

She must have felt that she could not make him change his mind, for she rose to go.

"That is sufficient," she uttered. "I shall reflect; and tomorrow I shall give you an answer."

She started to go; but M. de Traggers threw himself quickly between her and the door.

"Excuse me," he said; "but it is not tomorrow that I want an answer: it is tonight, this instant!"

"Why, this is violence," she said in a voice which betrayed the incredible effort she was making to control

He must have been within hearing; for suddenly the door opened, and he appeared upon the threshold. There

are people for whom the unforeseen does not exist, and whom no event can disconcert. Having ventured

every thing, they expect every thing. Such was the Baron de Thaller. With a sagacious glance he examined

"The matter is, that M. de Traggers is endeavoring to take an odious advantage of some incidents of our past

"Let me make your peace for you, my dear marquis," he said: "that's within the province of the husband."

"An enemy!" he repeated in a tone of surprise which was wonderfully well assumed, if it was not real.

"Yes," interrupted the baroness; "and I must speak to you at once, Frederic. Come: M. de Traggers will wait

And she led her husband into the adjoining room, not without first casting upon Marius a look of burning and

Left alone, M. de Traggers sat down. Far from annoying him, this sudden intervention of the manager of the

Mutual Credit seemed to him a stroke of fortune. It spared him an explanation more painful still than the first,

and the unpleasant necessity of having to confound a villain by proving his infamy to him.

"And besides," he thought, "when the husband and the wife have consulted with each other, they will

acknowledge that they cannot resist, and that it is best to surrender." The deliberation was brief. In less than

ten minutes, M. de Thaller returned alone. He was pale; and his face expressed well the grief of an honest

"You see me distressed. Ah, M. le Marquis! how could I ever expect such a thing from you? you, whom I

thought I had the right to look upon as a friend. And it is you, who, when a great misfortune befalls me,

attempts to give me the finishing stroke. It is you who would crush me under the weight of slanders gathered

"Mme. de Thaller cannot have correctly repeated my words to you, else you would not utter that word

"Then she cannot have told you the importance of the proofs I have in my hands."

But the Baron persisted, as Mlle. Cesarine would have said, to "do it up in the tender style."

"There is scarcely a family," he resumed, " in which there is not some one of those painful secrets which they

try to withhold from the wickedness of the world. There is one in mine. Yes, it is true, that before our

marriage, my wife had had a child, whom poverty had compelled her to abandon. We have since done

everything that it was humanly possible to find that child, but without success. It is a great misfortune, which

has weighed upon our life; but it is not a crime. If, however, you deem it your interest to divulge our secret,

and to disgrace a woman, you are free to do so: I cannot prevent you. But I declare it to you, that fact is the

only thing real in your accusations. You say that your father has been duped and defrauded. From whom did

"From Marcolet, doubtless, a man without character, who has become my mortal enemy since the day when

he tried a sharp game on me, and came out second best. Or from Costeclar, perhaps, who does not forgive me

for having refused him my daughter's hand, and who hates me because I know that he committed forgery

once, and that he would be in prison but for your father's extreme indulgence. Well, Costeclar and Marcolet

have deceived you. If the Marquis de Tregars ruined himself, it is because he undertook a business that he

knew nothing about, and speculated right and left. It does not take long to sink a fortune, even without the

"As to pretend that I have benefitted by the embezzlements of my cashier that is simply stupid; and there can

be no one to suggest such a thing, except Jottras and Saint Pavin, two scoundrels whom I have had ten times

the opportunity to send to prison and who were the accomplices of Favoral. Besides, the matter is in the

hands of justice; and I shall prove in the broad daylight of the courtroom, as I have already done in the

office of the examining judge, that, to save the Mutual Credit, I have sacrificed more than half my private

Tired of this speech, the evident object of which was to lead him to discuss, and to betray himself,

"Conclude, sir," M. de Traggers interrupted harshly. Still in the same placid tone,

"To conclude is easy enough," replied the baron. "My wife has told me that you were about to marry the

daughter of my old cashier, a very handsome girl, but without a sou. She ought to have a dowry."

"Let us show our hands. I am in a critical position: you know it, and you are trying to take advantage of it.

Very well: we can still come to an understanding. What would you say, if I were to give to Mlle. Gilberte the

"Ah, not another word!" he exclaimed with a gesture of unprecedented violence. But, controlling himself

"I demand," he added, "my father's fortune. I demand that you should restore to the Mutual Credit Company

"I will go as far as fifteen hundred thousand francs," replied M. de Thaller, "and I pay cash."

"Very well, we'll see, then," said M. de Traggers. But as he walked out and got into his cab, which had been

waiting for him at the door, he could not help wondering what gave the Baron de Thaller so much assurance,

It was nearly eight o'clock, and Maxence, Mme. Favoral and Mlle. Gilberte must have been waiting for him

with a feverish impatience; but he had eaten nothing since morning, and he stopped in front of one of the

He had just ordered his dinner, when a gentleman of a certain age, but active and vigorous still, of military

bearing, wearing a mustache, and a vancolored ribbon at his buttonhole, came to take a seat at the adjoining

In less than fifteen minutes M. de Traggers had despatched a bowl of soup and a slice of beef, and was

hastening out, when his foot struck his neighbor's foot, without his being able to understand how it had

Though fully convinced that it was not his fault, he hastened to excuse himself. But the other began to talk

But the other, like those cowards who think they have found a greater coward than themselves, was pouring

M. de Traggers was lifting his hand to administer a welldeserved correction, when suddenly the scene in the

grand parlor of the Thaller mansion came back vividly to his mind. He saw again, as in the glass, the

illlooking man listening, with an anxious look, to Mme. de Thaller's propositions, and afterwards sitting

"That's it!" he exclaimed, a multitude of circumstances occurring to his mind, which had escaped him at the

And, without further reflection, seizing his adversary by the throat, he threw him over on the table, holding

"I am sure he must have the letter about him," he said to the people who surrounded him.

And in fact he did take from the sidepocket of the villain a letter, which he unfolded, and commenced

"I am waiting for you, my dear major, come quick, for the thing is pressing, a troublesome gentleman who

is to be made to keep quiet. It will be for you the matter of a swordthrust, and for us the occasion to divide a

Two Waiters had taken hold of the villain, who was struggling furiously, and wanted to surrender him to the

"What's the use?" said Marius. " I have his letter: that's enough. The police will find him when they want

In the Rue St. Giles the hours were dragging, slow and gloomy. After Maxence had left to go and meet M. de

Tregars, Mme. Favoral and her daughter had remained alone with M. Chapelain, and had been compelled to

He was certainly an excellent man, that old lawyer, and too just to hold Mlle. Gilberte or her mother

responsible for Vincent Favoral's acts. He spoke the truth when he assured them that he had for them a

sincere affection, and that they might rely upon his devotion. But he was losing a hundred and sixty thousand

francs; and a man who loses such a large sum is naturally in bad humor, and not much disposed to optimism.

The cruellest enemies of the poor women would not have tortured them so mercilessly as this devoted friend.

He spared them not one sad detail of that meeting at the Mutual Credit office, from which he had just come.

He exaggerated the proud assurance of the manager, and the confiding simplicity of the stockholders. "That

Baron de Thaller," he said to them, "is certainly the most impudent scoundrel and the cleverest rascal I have

ever seen. You'll see that he'll get out of it with clean hands and full pockets. Whether or hot he has

His positive intention was to console Mme. Favoral and Gilberte. Had he sworn to drive them to distraction,

"Poor woman!" he said, "what is to become of you? Maxence is a good and honest fellow, I am sure, but so

weak, so thoughtless, so fond of pleasure! He finds it difficult enough to get along by himself. Of what

Mme. Favoral, he declared, should not hesitate to ask for a separation, which the tribunal would certainly

grant. For want of this precaution, she would remain all her life under the burden of her husband's debts, and

"Who could ever have expected such a thing from Vincent, a friend of twenty years' standing! A hundred

Big tears were rolling slowly down Mme. Favoral's withered cheeks. But Mlle. Gilberte was of those for

"Keep your compassion, sir: we are neither so much to be pitied nor so much forsaken as you think. Our

At last, as twelve o'clock struck, M. Chapelain withdrew, announcing that he would return the next day to get

Great as had been the noise of Vincent Favoral's disaster, it had not reached at once all those who had

intrusted their savings to him. All day long, the belated creditors kept coming in; and the scenes of the

morning were renewed on a smaller scale. Then legal summonses began to pour in, three or four at a time.

And she exhausted herself in useless conjectures upon the causes of the catastrophe; and such was the

disorder of her mind, that she knew not what to hope and what to fear, and that from one minute to another

She would have been glad to hear that her husband was safe out of the country, and yet she would have

deemed herself less miserable, had she known that he was hid somewhere in Paris.

"Where is he now? What is he doing? What is he thinking about? How can he leave us without news? Is it

possible that it is a woman who has driven him into the precipice? And, if so, who is that woman?"

The great calamity that befell her family had brought about the sudden realization of her hopes. Her father's

disaster had given her an opportunity to test the man she loved; and she had found him even superior to all

that she could have dared to dream. The name of Favoral was forever disgraced;, but she was going to be the

And, in the candor of her loyal soul, she accused herself of not taking enough interest in her mother's grief,

So well was she convinced of this, that she had given orders to the servant to have a somewhat better dinner

than usual; and her heart was beating at the thought of being seated near Marius, between her mother and her

But no: it was only the porter, bringing up a summons ordering Mme. Favoral, under penalty of the law, to

appear the next day, at one o'clock precisely, before the examining judge, Barban d'Avranchel, at his office in

"What can this judge want with me? It ought to be forbidden to call a wife to testify against her husband," she

Meantime, seven o'clock came, then eight, and still neither Maxence nor M. de Tregars had come.

Both mother and daughter were becoming anxious, when at last, a little before nine, they heard steps in the

He was pale; and his face bore the trace of the crushing fatigues of the day, of the cares which oppressed him,

of the reflections which had been suggested to his mind by the quarrel of which he had nearly been the victim

"Nothing, madame," said M. de Tregars, "nothing that should alarm you. Compelled, about two hours ago,

to part from Maxence, I was to have met him here. Since he has not come, he must have been detained. I

"You owe me no thanks, my beloved; for, in what I am doing, there is more selfishness than you think. It is

my own cause, more than yours, that I am defending. Any way, every thing is going on well."

And, without giving any more explanations, he started again. He had no doubt that Maxence, after leaving

him, had run to the Hotel des Folies to give to Mlle. Lucienne an account of the day's work. And, though

somewhat annoyed that he had tarried so long, on second thought, he was not surprised.

It was, therefore, to the Hotel des Folies that he was going. Now that he had unmasked his batteries and

In less than five minutes he had reached the Boulevard du Temple. In front of the Fortins' narrow corridor a

"As to me," said another, "it is the driver that I pity the most; for after all, if that pretty miss was in that

carriage, it was for her own pleasure; whereas, the poor coachman was only attending to his business."

A confused presentiment oppressed M. de Tregars' heart. Addressing himself to one of those worthy citizens,

"Certainly I have," he replied. "I didn't see the thing with my own proper eyes; but my wife did. It was

terrible. The carriage, a magnificent private carriage too, came from the direction of the Madeleine. The

horses had run away; and already there had been an accident in the Place du Chateau d'Eau, where an old

woman had been knocked down. Suddenly, here, over there, opposite the toyshop, which is mine, by the

way, the wheel of the carriage catches into the wheel of an enormous truck; and at once, palata! the coachman

is thrown down, and so is the lady, who was inside, a very pretty girl, who lives in this hotel."

Leaving there the obliging narrator, M. de Tregars rushed through the narrow corridor of the Hotel des Folies.

At the moment when he reached the yard, he found himself in presence of Maxence.

Pale, his head bare, his eyes wild, shaking with a nervous chill, the poor fellow looked like a madman.

"Dead, perhaps. The doctor will not answer for her recovery. I am going to the druggist's to get a

He was interrupted by the commissary of police, whose kind protection had hitherto preserved Mlle.

Lucienne. He was coming out of the little room on the groundfloor, which the Fortins used for an office,

He had recognized Marius de Tregars, and, coming up to him, he pressed his hand, saying, "Well, you

"It is my fault, M. le Marquis; for we were fully notified. I knew so well that Mlle. Lucienne's existence was

threatened, I was so fully expecting a new attempt upon her life, that, whenever she went out riding, it was

one of my men, wearing a footman's livery, who took his seat by the side of the coachman. Today my man

was so busy, that I said to myself, 'Bash, for once!' And behold the consequences!"

It was with inexpressible astonishment that Maxence was listening. It was with a profound stupor that he

discovered between Marius and the commissary that serious intimacy which is the result of long intercourse,

"Do me the favor to go and take a walk for about fifteen minutes," said the commissary to him. "We have to

Humbly, without a word, and like a man who does himself justice, M. Fortin slipped off.

And at once, "It is clear, M. le Marquis, it is manifest, that a crime has been committed. Listen, and judge

for yourself. I was just rising from dinner, when I was notified of what was called our poor Lucienne's

accident. Without even changing my clothes, I ran. The carriage was lying in the street, broken to pieces.

Two policemen were holding the horses, which had been stopped. I inquire. I learn that Lucienne, picked up

by Maxence, has been able to drag herself as far as the Hotel des Folies, and that the driver has been taken to

the nearest drugstore. Furious at my own negligence, and tormented by vague suspicions, it is to the

druggist's that I go first, and in all haste. The driver was in a backroom, stretched on a mattress.

"His head having struck the angle of the curbstone, his skull was broken; and he had just breathed his last. It

was, apparently, the annihilation of the hope which I had, of enlightening myself by questioning this man.

Nevertheless, I give orders to have him searched. No paper is discovered upon him to establish his identity;

but, in one of the pockets of his pantaloons, do you know what they find? Two banknotes of a thousand

It was not to the present circumstance that he applied that word. But the commissary naturally mistook him.

"Yes," he went on, "it was a revelation. To me these two thousand francs were worth a confession: they could

only be the wages of a crime. So, without losing a moment, I jump into a cab, and drive to Brion's.

Everybody was upside down, because the horses had just been brought back. I question; and, from the very

first words, the correctness of my presumption is demonstrated to me. The wretch who had just died was not

one of Brion's coachmen. This is what had happened. At two o'clock, when the carriage ordered by M. Van

Klopen was ready to go for Mlle. Lucienne, they had been compelled to send for the driver and the footman,

who had forgotten themselves drinking in a neighboring wineshop, with a man who had called to see them

in the morning. They were slightly under the influence of wine, but not enough so to make it imprudent to

trust them with horses; and it was even probable that the fresh air would sober them completely. They had

then started; but, they had not gone very far, for one of their comrades had seen them stop the carriage in

front of a wineshop, and join there the same individual with whom they had been drinking all the morning"

"Wait. Having obtained this information, I get some one to take me to the wineshop; and I ask for the

coachman and the footman from Brion's. They were there still; and they are shown to me in a private room,

lying on the floor, fast asleep. I try to wake them up, but in vain. I order to water them freely; but a pitcher of

water thrown on their faces has no effect, save to make them utter an inarticulate groan. I guess at once what

they have taken. I send for a physician, and I call on the winemerchant for explanations. It is his wife and

his barkeeper who answer me. They tell me, that, at about two o'clock, a man came in the shop, who stated

that he was employed at Brion's, and who ordered three glasses for himself and two comrades, whom he was

"A few moments later, a carriage stops at the door; and the driver and the footman leave it to come in. They

were in a great hurry, they said, and only wished to take one glass. They do take three, one after another; then

they order a bottle. They were evidently forgetting their horses, which they bad given to hold to a

commissionaire. Soon the man proposes a game. The others accept; and here they are, settled in the

backroom, knocking on the table for sealed wine. The game must have lasted at least twenty minutes. At the

end of that time, the man who had come in first appeared, looking very much annoyed, saying that it was very

unpleasant, that his comrades were dead drunk, that they will miss their work, and that the boss, who is

anxious to please his customers, will certainly dismiss them. Although he had taken as much, and more than

the rest, he was perfectly steady; and, after reflecting for a moment, I have an idea,' he says. 'Friends should

help each other, shouldn't they? I am going to take the coachman's livery, and drive in his stead. I happen to

know the customer they were going after. She is a very kind old lady, and I'll tell her a story to explain the

"Convinced that the man is in Brion's employment, they have no objection to offer to this fine project.

"The brigand puts on the livery of the sleeping coachman, gets up on the box, and starts off, after stating that

he will return for his comrades as soon as he has got through the job, and that doubtless they will be sober by

M. de Tregars knew well enough the savoirfaire of the commissary not to be surprised at his promptness in

"Just as I was closing my examination, the doctor arrived. I show him my drunkards; and at once he

recognizes that I have guessed correctly, and that these men have been put asleep by means of one of those

narcotics of which certain thieves make use to rob their victims. A potion, which he administers to them by

forcing their teeth open with a knife, draws them from this lethargy. They open their eyes, and soon are in

condition to reply to my questions. They are furious at the trick that has been played upon them; but they do

not know the man. They saw him they swear to me, for the first time that very morning; and they are ignorant

There was no doubt possible after such complete explanations. The commissary had seen correctly, and he

It was not of a vulgar accident that Mlle. Lucienne had just been the victim, but of a crime laboriously

conceived, and executed with unheardof audacity, of one of those crimes such as too many are committed,

whose combinations, nine times out of ten, set aside even a suspicion, and foil all the efforts of human

M. de Tregars knew now what had taken place, as clearly as if he had himself received the confession of the

A man had been found to execute that perilous programme, to make the horses run away, and then to run

into some heavy wagon. The wretch was staking his life on that game; it being evident that the light carriage

must be smashed in a thousand pieces. But he must have relied upon his skill and his presence of mind, to

avoid the shock, to jump off safe and sound'; whilst Mlle. Lucienne, thrown upon the pavement, would

probably be killed on the spot. The event had deceived his expectations, and he had been the victim of his

"Because now," resumed the commissary, "the thread is broken in our hands which would infallibly have led

us to the truth. Who is it that ordered the crime, and paid for it? We know it, since we know who benefits by

the crime. But that is not sufficient. Justice requires something more than moral proofs. Living, this bandit

would have spoken. His death insures the impunity of the wretches of whom he was but the instrument."

And at the same time he took out of his pocket, and showed the note found in Vincent Favoral's pocketbook,

"I cannot understand your negligence. You should get through with that Van Klopen affair: there is the

The commissary of police cast but a glance upon it, and, replying to the objections of his old experience

"There can be no doubt about it," he murmured. "It is to the crime committed today that these pressing

recommendations relate; and, directed as they are to Vincent Favoral, they attest his complicity. It was he

who had charge of finishing the Van Klopen affair; in other words, to get rid of Lucienne. It was he, I'd wager

"But who is the author of these recommendations to Vincent Favoral? Do you know that, M. le Marquis?" he

The commissary had placed himself under the gasburner which gave light to the Fortin's office; and,

adjusting his glasses, he was scrutinizing the note with the most minute attention, studying the grain and the

"This note," he declared, "cannot constitute a proof against its author: I mean an evident, material proof, such

"This note," he insisted, "is written with the left hand, with common ink, on ordinary foolscap paper, such as

is found everywhere. Now all lefthand writings look alike. Draw your own conclusions."

And briefly, though with the utmost exactness, he began telling his visit to the Thaller mansion, his

conversation with Mlle. Cesarine, then with the baroness, and finally with the baron himself.

He described in the most graphic manner the scene which had taken place in the grand parlor between Mme.

de Thaller and a worse than suspiciouslooking man, that scene, the secret of which had been revealed to

him in its minutest details by the lookingglass. Its meaning was now as clear as day.

This suspiciouslooking man had been one of the agents in arranging the intended murder: hence the

agitation of the baroness when she had received his card, and her haste to join him. If she had started when he

first spoke to her, it was because he was telling her of the successful execution of the crime. If she had

afterwards made a gesture of joy, it was because he had just informed her that the coachman had been killed

at the same time, and that she found herself thus rid of a dangerous accomplice.

And he went on saying how he had been suddenly and brutally assaulted by an unknown man in a restaurant;

how he had collared this abject scoundrel, and taken out of his pocket a crushing letter, which left no doubt as

"That letter! " he exclaimed, "that letter! And, as soon as he had looked over it,

"Ah! This time," he resumed, "I think that we have something tangible. 'A troublesome gentleman to keep

quiet,' the Marquis de Tregars, of course, who is on the right track. 'It will be for you the matter of a

swordthrust.' Naturally, dead men tell no tales. 'It will be for us the occasion of dividing a round amount.'

"At last we have a positive fact," he went on, "a foundation upon which to base our accusations. Don't be

uneasy. That letter is going to place into our hands the scoundrel who assaulted you, who will make known

the gobetween, who himself will not fail to surrender the Baroness de Thaller. Lucienne shall be avenged. If

we could only now lay our hands on Vincent Favoral! But we'll find him yet. I set two fellows after him this

He was here interrupted by Maxence, who was returning all out of breath, holding in his hand the medicines

And regretting to have remained away so long, feeling uneasy, and anxious to return up stairs,

"Don't you wish to see Lucienne?" he added, addressing himself to M. de Tregars rather more than to the

A cheerlesslooking place was Mlle. Lucienne's room, without any furniture but a narrow iron bedstead, a

dilapidated bureau, four strawbottomed chairs, and a small table. Over the bed, and at the windows, were

white muslin curtains, with an edging that had once been blue, but had become yellow from repeated

Often Maxence had begged his friend to take a more comfortable lodging, and always she had refused.

"We must economize," she would say. "This room does well enough for me; and, besides, I am accustomed

When M. de Tregars and the commissary walked in, the estimable hostess of the Hotel des Folies was

It was only necessary to see the poor girl in order to understand Maxence's frightful anxiety. She was whiter

than the sheet; and fever, that horrible fever which follows severe wounds, gave to her eyes a sinister lustre.

"I am with him, my child," replied the commissary. "I come to beg your pardon for having so badly protected

"It was myself who lacked prudence," she said; "for today, while out, I thought I noticed something wrong;

but it looked so foolish to be afraid! If it had not happened today, it would have happened some other day.

The villains who have been pursuing me for years must be satisfied now. They will soon be rid of me."

"You shall live, mademoiselle," he uttered in a grave voice. "You shall live to learn to love life."

Had he had the control of events, Marius de Tregars would probably not have been in such haste to reveal this

But how could he control himself in presence of that bed where a poor girl was, perhaps, about to die,

sacrificed to the terrors and to the cravings of the miserable woman who was her mother, to die at twenty,

victim of the basest and most odious of crimes? How could he help feeling an intense pity at the sight of this

unfortunate young woman who had endured every thing that a human being can suffer, whose life had been

but a long and painful struggle, whose courage had risen above all the woes of adversity, and who had been

Besides, Marius was not one of those men who mistrust their first impulse, who manifest their emotion only

for a purpose, who reflect and calculate before giving themselves up to the inspirations of their heart.

Lucienne was the daughter of the Marquis de Tregars: of that he was absolutely certain. He knew that the

He told her so, above all, because he believed her in danger; and he wished, were she to die, that she should

have, at least, that supreme joy. Poor Lucienne! Never had she dared to dream of such happiness. All her

blood rushed to her cheeks; and, in a voice vibrating with the most intense emotion,

"Do not be alarmed, my child," he said in his kindest tone. "Before two weeks you will be up. M. de Tregars

In the mean time, she had attempted to raise herself on her pillow; and that simple effort had wrung from her

"That's because you won't keep quiet, my darling," said Mme. Fortin in a tone of gentle scolding. "Have you

Then taking aside the commissary, Maxence, and M. de Tregars, she explained to them how imprudent it was

to disturb Mlle. Lucienne's rest. She was very ill, affirmed the worthy hostess; and her advice was, that they

She would have been extremely happy, of course, to spend the night by the side of her dear lodger; but,

unfortunately, she could not think of it, the hotel requiring all her time and attention. Fortunately, however,

she knew in the neighborhood a widow, a very honest woman, and without her equal in taking care of the

With an anxious and beseeching look, Maxence was consulting M. de Tregars. In his eyes could be read the

But that proposition he had no time to express. Though they had been speaking very low, Mlle. Lucienne had

"I have a friend," she said, "who would certainly be willing to sit up with me."

"You know her very well, sir. It is that poor girl who had taken me home with her at Batignolles when I left

the hospital, who came to my assistance during the Commune, and whom you helped to get out of the

"Only since yesterday, when I received a letter from her, a very friendly letter. She writes that she has found

money to set up a dressmaking establishment, and that she is relying upon me to be her forewoman. She is

going to open in the Rue St. Lazare; but, in the mean time, she is stopping in the Rue du Cirque."

Not being aware of the particulars of the two young men's visit to the Rue du Cirque, the commissary of

"It is to her alone, on the contrary, that we must resort," interrupted M. de Tregars.

And, as he had good reasons to mistrust Mme. Fortin, he took the commissary outside the room, on the

landing; and there, in a few words, he explained to him that this Zelie was precisely the same woman whom

they had found in the Rue du Cirque, in that sumptuous mansion where Vincent Favoral, under the simple

name of Vincent, had been living, according to the neighbors, in such a princely style.

The commissary of police was astounded. Why had he not known all this sooner? Better late than never,

"Ah! you are right, M. le Marquis, a hundred times right!" he declared. "This girl must evidently know

Vincent Favoral's secret, the key of the enigma that we are vainly trying to solve. What she would not tell to

No," answered Marius. " If she should happen to know you, she would mistrust you, and would refuse to

It was, therefore, M. Fortin who was despatched to the Rue du Cirque, and who went off muttering, though

he had received five francs to take a carriage, and five francs for his trouble.

"And now," said the commissary of police to Maxence, "we must both of us get out of the way. I, because the

fact of my being a commissary would frighten Mme. Cadelle; you because, being Vincent Favoral's son, your

And so they went out; but M. de Tregars did not remain long alone with Mlle. Lucienne. M. Fortin had had

Eleven o'clock struck as Zelie Cadelle rushed like a whirlwind into her friend's room.

Such had been his haste, that she had given no thought whatever to her dress. She had stuck upon her

uncombed hair the first bonnet she had laid her hand upon, and thrown an old shawl over the wrapper in

But she stopped short as she recognized M. de Tregars; and, in a suspicious tone,

What she meant by that he understood perfectly. "Lucienne is my sister, madame," he said coldly.

"And, what's more, it is because Lucienne is my sister that you see her there lying upon that bed. They

"It was her mother who tried to get rid of her, so as to possess herself of the fortune which my father had left

her; and there is every reason to believe that the snare was contrived by Vincent Favoral."

Mme. Zelie did not understand very well; but, when Marius and Mlle. Lucienne had informed her of all that it

"This afternoon," she went on, "I didn't tell you any stories; but I didn't tell you every thing, either." She

"'Well, I don't care for old Vincent," she said. "Ah! he tried to have Lucienne killed, did he? Well, then, I am

going to tell every thing I know. First of all, he wasn't any thing to me. It isn't very flattering; but it is so. He

has never kissed so much as the end of my finger. He used to say that he loved me, but that he respected me

still more, because I looked so much like a daughter he had lost. Old humbug! And I believed him too! I did,

upon my word, at least in the beginning. But I am not such a fool as I look. I found out very soon that he was

making fun of me; and that he was only using me as a blind to keep suspicion away from another woman."

"Ah! now, I do not know! All I know is that she is married, that he is crazy about her, and that they are to run

Mme. Cadelle's face had become somewhat anxious, and for over a minute she seemed to hesitate.

"Do you know," she said at last, "that my answer is going to cost me a lot? They have promised me a pile of

money; but I haven't got it yet. And, if I say any thing, goodby! I sha'n't have any thing."

M. de Tregars was opening his lips to tell her that she might rest easy on that score; but she cut him short.

"Well, no," she said: "Old Vincent hasn't gone. He got up a comedy, so he told me, to throw the lady's

husband off the track. He sent off a whole lot of baggage by the railroad; but he staid in Paris."

"In the Rue St. Lazare, of course: in the apartment that I hired two weeks ago."

In a voice trembling with the excitement of almost certain success, "Would you consent to take me there?"

"There is nothing more to keep me at the Hotel des Folies," said the commissary of police to Maxence.

"Every thing possible will be done, and well done, by M. de Tregars. I am going home, therefore; and I am

That was not exactly true; but he feared, on the part of Maxence, some imprudence which might compromise

He was trying to think of every thing to leave as little as possible to chance; like a man who has seen the best

Once in the yard, he opened the door of the lodge where the honorable Fortins, man and wife, were

deliberating, and exchanging their conjectures, instead of going to bed. For they were wonderfully puzzled by

all those events that succeeded each other, and anxious about all these goings and comings.

"I am going home," the commissary said to them; "but, before that, listen to my instructions. You will allow

no one, you understand, no one who is not known to you, to go up to Mlle. Lucienne's room. And

remember that I will admit of no excuse, and that you must not come and tell me afterwards, 'It isn't our fault,

He was speaking in that harsh and imperious tone of which policeagents have the secret, when they are

addressing people who have, by their conduct, placed themselves under their dependence.

"We are going to close our frontdoor," replied the estimable hotelkeepers. " We will comply strictly with

"I trust so; because, if you should disobey me, I should hear it, and the result would be a serious trouble to

you. Besides your hotel being unmercifully closed up, you would find yourselves implicated in a very bad

"I have not done yet. It may be that tonight or tomorrow some one will call and inquire how Mlle.

"You will answer that she is as bad as possible; and that she has neither spoken a word, nor recovered her

senses, since the accident; and that she will certainly not live through the day."

The effort which Mme. Fortin made to remain silent gave, better than any thing else, an idea of the terror with

"That is not all," he went on. "As soon as the person in question has started off, you will follow him, without

affectation, as far as the streetdoor, and you will point him out with your finger, here, like that, to one of my

The looks of distress which the honorable hotelkeepers were exchanging did not announce a very tranquil

"In other words, here we are under surveillance," said M. Fortin with a groan. "What have we done to be thus

"Do as I tell you," insisted the commissary harshly, "and don't mind the rest, and, meantime, goodnight."

He was right in trusting implicitly to his agent's punctuality; for, as soon as he came out of the Hotel des

Folies, a man passed by him, and without seeming to address him, or even to recognize him, said in a

Nothing," he replied, "except that the Fortins are notified. The trap is well set. Keep your eyes open now, and

And he hurried on, still followed by Maxence, who walked along like a body without soul, tortured by the

As he had been away the whole evening, four or five persons were waiting for him at his office on matters of

current business. He despatched them in less than no time; after which, addressing himself to an agent on

"This evening," he said, "at about nine o'clock, in a restaurant on the Boulevard, a quarrel took place. A

"You will proceed at once to that restaurant; you will get the particulars of what took place; and you will

ascertain exactly who this man is, his name, his profession, and his residence."

"Yes. He is a man past middle age, military bearing, heavy mustache, ribbons in his buttonhole."

"Very well. Go then. I shall not retire before your return. Ah, I forgot; find out what they thought tonight on

the 'street' about the Mutual Credit affair, and what they said of the arrest of one Saint Pavin, editor of 'The

The agent started; and he was not fairly out of the house, when the commissary, opening a door which gave

It was his secretary, a man of about thirty, blonde, with a gentle and timid countenance, having, with his long

coat, somewhat the appearance of a theological student. He appeared immediately.

"My dear Felix," replied the commissary, "I have seen you, sometimes, imitate very nicely all sorts of

The secretary blushed very much, no doubt on account of Maxence, who was sitting by the side of his

employer. He was a very honest fellow; but there are certain little talents of which people do not like to boast;

and the talent of imitating the writing of others is of the number, for the reason, that, fatally and at once, it

"Would you be here if it had been otherwise?" said the commissary. "Only this time it is not for fun, but to do

And, taking out of his pocket the letter taken by M. de Tregars from the man in the restaurant,

"Examine this writing," he said. "and see whether you feel capable of imitating it tolerably well."

Spreading the letter under the full light of the lamp, the secretary spent at least two minutes examining it with

"Not at all convenient, this. Hard writing to imitate. Not a salient feature, not a characteristic sign! Nothing to

strike the eye, or attract attention. It must be some old lawyer's clerk who wrote this."

"It is not perfect," he murmured; "but at night, with the imagination excited by a great peril Besides, we

"But you have not. Come, take up your pen, and write as well as you can, in that same hand, what I am going

"All goes well. T. drawn into a quarrel, is to fight in the morning with swords. But our man, whom I cannot

leave, refuses to go ahead, unless he is paid two thousand francs before the duel. I have not the amount.

The commissary, leaning over his secretary's shoulder, was following his hand, and, the last word being

"Perfect! "he exclaimed. "Now quick, the address: Mme. le Baronne de Thaller, Rue de le Pepiniere."

There are professions which extinguish, in those who exercise them, all curiosity. It is with the most complete

indifference, and without asking a question, that the secretary had done what he had been requested.

"Now, my dear Felix," resumed the commissary, you will please get yourself up as near as possible like a

"Yes. The Baroness de Thaller is out to a ball. You will tell the servants that you are bringing her an answer

concerning an important matter. They know nothing about it; but they will allow you to wait for their

mistress in the porter's lodge. As soon as she comes in, you will hand her the letter, stating that two

gentlemen who are taking supper in your restaurant are waiting for the answer. It may be that she will

exclaim that you are a scoundrel, that she does not know what it means: in that case, we shall have been

anticipated, and you must get away as fast as you can. But the chances are, that she will give you two

thousand francs; and then you must so manage, that she will be seen plainly when she does it. Is it all

Away from Mlle. Lucienne, Maxence had gradually been recalled to the strangeness of the situation; and it

was with a mingled feeling of curiosity and surprise that he observed the commissary acting and bustling

The good man had found again all the activity of his youth, together with that fever of hope and that

He was going over the whole of the case again, his first meeting with Mlle. Lucienne, the various attempts

upon her life; and he had just taken out of the file the letter of information which had been intrusted to him, in

order to compare the writing with that of the letter taken from his adversary by M. de Tregars, when the latter

"No. Lucienne is getting on well enough. Zelie has spoken; but there is no certainty, that, after due reflection,

she will not repent, and go and give the alarm. You will return, therefore, and you will not lose sight of her

until I call for her in the morning. If she wishes to go out, you must prevent her."

"You must prevent her," he added, "even by force; and I authorize you, if need be, to call upon the agent

whom I have placed on duty, watching the Hotel des Folies, and to whom I am going to send word

"Poor fellow!" murmured Marius, "I know where your father is. What are we going to learn now?"

He had scarcely had time to communicate the information he had received from Mme. Cadelle, when the first

"The commission is done," he said, in that confident tone of a man who thinks he has successfully

"His name is Corvi. He is well known in all the tables d'hote, where there are women, and where they deal a

healthy little game after dinner. I know him well too. He is a bad fellow, who passes himself off for a former

"He lives at Rue de la Michodiere, in a furnished house. I went there. The porter told me that my man had

just gone out with an illlooking individual, and that they must be in a little caf on the corner of the next

"It is an idea of mine. I just thought, 'Suppose they put off?' And at once I went to notify some policemen,

and I returned to station myself near the caf . It was just closing up. My two fellows came out: I picked a

"That's almost too much zeal," he murmured. "Well, what's done is done. Did you make any inquiries about

"I had no time, it was too late. You forget, perhaps, sir, that it is nearly two o'clock."

Just as he got through, the secretary who had been sent to the Rue de la Pepiniere came in.

"I waited for Mme. de Thaller over an hour," he said. "When she came home, I gave her the letter. She read

it; and, in presence of a number of her servants, she handed me these two thousand francs."

It was after four o'clock when M. de Tregars was at last permitted to return home. He had minutely, and at

length, arranged every thing with the commissary: he had endeavored to anticipate every eventuality. His line

of conduct was perfectly well marked out, and he carried with him the certainty that on the day which was

about to dawn the strange game that he was playing must be finally won or lost. When he reached home,

It was doubtless anxiety that had kept up the old man all night; but so absorbed was Marius's mind, that he

"Yes, sir. A gentleman called during the evening, M. Costeclar, who appeared very much vexed not to find

you in. He stated that he came on a very important matter that you would know all about: and he requested

Was M. Costeclar sent by M. de Thaller? Had the manager of the Mutual Credit changed his mind? and had

he decided to accept the conditions which he had at first rejected? In that case, it was too late. It was no

longer in the power of any human being to suspend the action of justice. Without giving any further thought

"I am worn out with fatigue," said M. de Tregars, "and I am going to lie down. At eight o'clock precisely you

But it was in vain that he tried to find a short respite in sleep. For fortyeight hours his mind had been taxed

beyond measure, his nerves had been wrought up to an almost intolerable degree of exaltation.

As soon as he closed his eyes, it was with a merciless precision that his imagination presented to him all the

events which had taken place since that afternoon in the PlaceRoyale when he had ventured to declare his

love to Mlle. Gilberte. Who could have told him then, that he would engage in that struggle, the issue of

which must certainly be some abominable scandal in which his name would be mixed? Who could have told

him, that gradually, and by the very force of circumstances, he would be led to overcome his repugnance, and

to rival the ruses and the tortuous combinations of the wretches he was trying to reach?

But he was not of those who, once engaged, regret, hesitate, and draw hack. His conscience reproached him

for nothing. It was for justice and right that he was battling; and Mlle. Gilberte was the prize that would

He was ready, in fact, when the old servant returned; and, as he had in his pocket some of those arguments

that lend wings to the poorest cabhorses, in less than ten minutes he had reached the Hotel des Folies.

The intervention of the commissary of police had made M. Fortin and his wife more supple than gloves, and

"The poor dear child is much better," answered Mme. Fortin; "and the doctor, who has just left, now feels

"Yes. That lady whom my husband went after last night insists upon going out; and M. Maxence won't let

The loud noise of a violent altercation could be heard distinctly. M. de Tregars started up stairs, and on the

secondstory landing he found Maxence holding on obstinately to the railing, whilst Mme. Zelie Cadelle,

redder than a peony, was trying to induce him to let her pass, treating him at the same time to some of the

"Is it you," she cried, "who gave orders to keep me here against my wishes? By what right? Am I your

"Why did you wish to leave," said M. de Tregars gently, "at the very moment when you knew that I was to

"You are wrong! What I promise to do I do. I only wanted to go home to dress. Can I go in the street in this

"You must," said he, "go at once to the Rue St. Gilles, and in my name request your sister to accompany you.

You will take a closed carriage, and you'll go and wait in the Rue St. Lazare, opposite No.25. It may be that

Mlle. Gilberte's assistance will become indispensable to me. And, as Lucienne must not be left alone, you

They started but the young woman was far from being in her usual spirits. It was clear that she was regretting

bitterly having gone so far, and not having been able to get away at the last moment. As the carriage went on,

"Do you repent then, assisting me to punish your friend's assassins?" said M. de Tregars.

"I know very well that old Vincent is a scoundrel," she said; "but he had trusted me, and I am betraying him."

"You are mistaken, madame. To furnish me the means of speaking to M. Favoral is not to betray him; and I

shall do every thing in my power to enable him to escape the police, and make his way abroad."

"It is the exact truth: I give you my word of honor." She seemed to feel easier; and, when the carriage turned

"So that I can buy old Vincent's breakfast. He can't go out to eat, of course; and so I have to take all his meals

Marius's mistrust was far from being dissipated; and yet he did not think it prudent to refuse, promising

himself, however, not to lose sight of Mme. Zelie. He followed her, therefore, to the baker's and the butcher's;

and when she had done her marketing, he entered with her the house of modest appearance where she had her

"Here it is. A lady brought it less than five minutes ago. Really, she looked annoyed not to find you in. But

The porter returned to his lodge. Mme. Zelie broke the seal. The first envelope contained another, upon which

"Some one knows that he is hiding here," she said in a tone of utter surprise. "Who can it be?"

"Who? Why, the woman whose reputation M. Favoral was so anxious to spare when he put you in the Rue du

"You are right," she said. "What a fool he made of me; the old rascal! But never mind. I am going to pay him

Nevertheless when she reached her story, the third, and at the moment of slipping the key into the keyhole,

"Old Vincent has got all sorts of arms in there. He has sworn to me that the first person who forced his way

into the apartments, he would kill him like a dog. Suppose he should fire at us?"

"No. Only, if you were a good fellow, you would do what I am going to ask you. Say, will you?"

"Oh, certainly! Here is the thing. We'll go in together; but you must not make any noise. There is a large

closet with glass doors, from which every thing can be heard and seen that goes on in the large room. You'll

get in there. I'll go ahead, and draw out old Vincent into the parlor and at the right moment, v'lan! you

"Then," she said, "every thing will go on right. The entrance of the closet with the glass doors is on the right

The apartment was exactly as described by Mme. Cadelle. In the dark and narrow antechamber, three doors

opened, on the left, that of the diningroom; in the centre, that of a parlor and bedroom which

communicated; on the right, that of the closet. M. de Tregars slipped in noiselessly through the latter, and at

once recognized that Mme. Zelie had not deceived him, and that he would see and hear every thing that went

on in the parlor. He saw the young woman walk into it. She laid her provisions down upon the table, and

The former cashier of the Mutual Credit appeared at once, coming out of the bedroom.

He was so changed, that his wife and children would have hesitated in recognizing him. He had cut off his

beard, pulled out almost the whole of his thick eyebrows, and covered his rough and straight hair under a

brown curly wig, He wore patentleather boots, wide pantaloons, and one of those short jackets of rough

material, and with broad sleeves which French elegance has borrowed from English stableboys. He tried to

appear calm, careless, and playful; but the contraction of his lips betrayed a horrible anguish, and his look had

the strange mobility of the wild beasts' eye, when, almost at bay, they stop for a moment, listening to the

"The porter detained me too, to hand me a letter, in which I found one for you. Here it is."

And, snatching it from her, he tore off the envelope. But he had scarcely looked over it, when he crushed it in

"It is monstrous! It is a mean, infamous treason!" He was interrupted by a violent ringing of the doorbell.

She obeyed; and almost at once a woman walked into the parlor, wearing a cheap, black woolen dress. With a

sudden gesture, she threw off her veil; and M. de Tregars recognized the Baroness de Thaller.

"Leave us!" she said to Mme. Zelie, in a tone which one would hardly dare to assume towards a barmaid.

He made no answer. All his attention was centred upon the parlor. The Baroness de Thaller and the former

cashier were standing opposite each other, like two adversaries about to fight a duel.

"And yet it was all agreed upon. I have acted wholly under your urgent, pressing advice. How many times

have you repeated to me that to live with your husband had become an intolerable torment to you! How many

times have you sworn to me that you wished to be mine alone, begging me to procure a large sum of money,

"I was in earnest at the time. I have discovered, at the last moment, that it would be impossible for me thus to

"I am here to make you understand that we must give up projects which cannot be realized. There are some

social conventionalities which cannot be torn up. As if he scarcely understood what she said, he repeated,

And suddenly falling at Mme. de Thaller's feet, his head thrown back, and his hands clasped together,

"You lie!" he said. "Confess that you lie, and that it is a final trial which you are imposing upon me. Or else

have you, then, never loved me? That's impossible! I would not believe you if you were to say so. A woman

who does not love a man cannot be to him what you have been to me: she does not give herself up thus so

joyously and so completely. Have you, then, forgotten every thing? Is it possible that you do not remember

those divine evenings in the Rue de Cirque? those nights, the mere thought of which fires my brain, and

He was horrible to look at, horrible and ridiculous at the same time. As he wished to take Mme. de Thaller's

"Where could you find," he continued, "a man to worship you like me, with an ardent, absolute, blind, mad

passion? With what can you reproach me? Have I not sacrificed to you without a murmur every thing that a

man can sacrifice here below, fortune, family, honor, to supply your extravagance, to anticipate your

slightest fancies, to give you gold to scatter by the handful. Did I not leave my own family struggling with

poverty. I would have snatched bread from my children's mouths in order to purchase roses to scatter under

your footsteps. And for years did ever a word from me betray the secret of our love? What have I not

endured? You deceived me. I knew it, and I said nothing. Upon a word from you I stepped aside before him

whom your caprice made happy for a day. You told me, 'Steal!' and I stole. You told me, 'Kill!' and I tried to

"Fly. A man who has twelve hundred thousand francs in gold, banknotes, and good securities, can always

"Maxence is old enough to help his mother. Gilberte will find a husband: depend upon it. Besides, what's to

To Vincent Favoral's first stupor and miserable weakness now succeeded a terrible passion. All the blood had

"Then I have been duped like the rest, like that poor Marquis de Tregars, whom you had made mad also.

But he, at least saved his honor; whereas I And I have no excuse; for I should have known. I knew that you

"Then you think," he said with a threatening laugh, "that it will all end that way?"

"There is such a thing as justice, I imagine, and judges too. I can give myself up, and reveal every thing."

"That would be throwing yourself into the wolf's mouth for nothing," she said. "You know better than any

one else that my precautions are well enough taken to defy any thing you can do or say. I have nothing to

The former cashier of the Mutual Credit made a terrible gesture; but, checking himself at once, he seized one

of the baroness's hands. She withdrew it quickly, however, and, in an accent of insurmountable disgust,

In the adjoining closet Marius de Tregars could feel Mme. Zelie Cadelle shuddering by his side.

"And you would forsake me," he groaned, "when we are united by a past such as ours! How could you

This time he did start up, as if lashed with a whip and, double locking the door which communicated with the

antechamber, he put the key in his pocket; and, with a step as stiff and mechanical as that of an automaton,

"Run down quick," he said to Mme. Zelie. "In a cab standing opposite No.25, you will find Mlle. Gilberte

It was but time. Vincent Favoral reappeared upon the threshold of the bedroom. But, if it was a weapon he

had gone for, it was not for the one which Marius and Mme. Cadelle supposed. It was a bundle of papers

which he held in his hand. Seeing M. de Tregars there, instead of Mme. de Thaller, an exclamation of terror

and surprise rose to his lips. He understood vaguely what must have taken place; that the man who stood

there must have been concealed in the glass closet, and that he had assisted the baroness to escape.

"Ah the miserable wretch!" he stammered with a tongue made thick by passion, "the infamous wretch! She

Collecting all the energy that the devouring passion which had blasted his existence had left him, the former

"Do you not know me? I am the son of that unfortunate Marquis de Tregars of whom you spoke a moment

Like a man who has received a stunning blow, Vincent Favoral sank heavily upon a chair.

The old cashier had reached that point when all the faculties, after being strained to their utmost limits,

He had hid his face in his hands; and in one second, as it happens, they say, to the dying on the threshold of

"And yet," he said, "I had not the soul of a villain. I wanted to get rich; but honestly, by labor, and by rigid

economy. And I should have succeeded. I had a hundred and fifty thousand francs of my own when I met the

Baron de Thaller. Alas! why did I meet him? 'Twas he who first gave me to understand that it was stupid to

work and save, when, at the bourse, with moderate luck, one might become a millionaire in six months."

"Do you know the Baron de Thaller?" he asked. And, without giving Marius time to answer,

"He is a German," he went on, "a Prussian. His father was a cabdriver in Berlin, and his mother

waitingmaid in a brewery. At the age of eighteen, he was compelled to leave his country, owing to some

petty swindle, and came to take up his residence in Paris. He found employment in the office of a

stockbroker, and was living very poorly, when he made the acquaintance of a young laundress named

Affrays, who had for a lover a very wealthy gentleman, the Marquis de Tregars, whose weakness was to pass

himself off for a poor clerk. Affrays and Thaller were well calculated to agree. They did agree, and formed an

association, she contributing her beauty; he, his genius for intrigue; both, their corruption and their vices.

Soon after they met, she gave birth to a child, a daughter; whom she intrusted to some poor gardeners at

Louveciennes, with the firm and settled intention to leave her there forever. And yet it was upon this

daughter, whom they firmly hoped never to see again, that the two accomplices were building their fortune.

"It was in the name of that daughter that Affrays wrung considerable sums from the Marquis de Tregars. As

soon as Thaller and she found themselves in possession of six hundred thousand francs, they dismissed the

marquis, and got married. Already, at that time, Thaller had taken the title of baron, and lived in some style.

But his first speculations were not successful. The revolution of 1848 finished his ruin, and he was about

being expelled from the bourse, when he found me on his way, I, poor fool, who was going about

everywhere, asking how I could advantageously invest my hundred and fifty thousand francs."

He was speaking in a hoarse voice, shaking his clinched fist in the air, doubtless at the Baron de Thaller.

"Unfortunately," he resumed, "it was only much later that I discovered all this. At the moment, M. de Thaller

dazzled me. His friends, Saint Pavin and the bankers Jottras, proclaimed him the smartest and the most honest

man in France. Still I would not have given my money, if it had not been for the baroness. The first time that

I was introduced to her, and that she fixed upon me her great black eyes, I felt myself moved to the deepest

recesses of my soul. In order to see her again, I invited her, together with her husband and her husband's

friends, to dine with me, by the side of my wife and children. She came. Her husband made me sign every

"The next day," he went on, "I handed to Thaller all I had in the world; and, in exchange, he gave me the

position of cashier in the Mutual Credit, which he had just founded. He treated me like an inferior, and did

not admit me to visit his family. But I didn't care: the baroness had permitted me to see her again, and almost

every afternoon I met her at the Tuileries; and I had made bold to tell her that I loved her to desperation. At

last, one evening, she consented to make an appointment with me for the second following day, in an

"The day before I was to meet her, and whilst I was beside myself with joy, the Baron de Thaller requested

me to assist him, by means of certain irregular entries, to conceal a deficit arising from unsuccessful

speculations. How could I refuse a man, whom, as I thought, I was about to deceive grossly! I did as he

Was he trying to exculpate himself? Was he merely yielding to that imperious sentiment, more powerful than

the will or the reason, which impels the criminal to reveal the secret which oppresses him?

"From that day," he went on, "began for me the torment of that double existence which I underwent for years.

I had given to my mistress all I had in the world; and she was insatiable. She wanted money always, any way,

and in heaps. She made me buy the house in the Rue du Cirque for our meetings; and, between the demands

of the husband and those of the wife, I was almost insane. I drew from the funds of the Mutual Credit as from

an inexhaustible mine; and, as I foresaw that some day must come when all would be discovered, I always

carried about me a loaded revolver, with which to blow out my brains when they came to arrest me."

"And if only she had been faithful to me!" he continued, becoming more and more animated. "But what have

I not endured! When the Marquis de Tregars returned to Paris, and they set about defrauding him of his

fortune, she did not hesitate a moment to become his mistress again. She used to tell me, 'What a fool you

are! all I want is his money. I love no one but you.' But after his death she took others. She made use of our

house in the Rue du Cirque for purposes of dissipation for herself and her daughter Cesarine. And I

miserable coward that I was! I suffered all, so much did I tremble to lose her, so much did I fear to be

weaned from the semblance of love with which she paid my fearful sacrifices. And now she would betray me,

forsake me! For every thing that has taken place was suggested by her in order to procure a sum wherewith to

fly to America. It was she who imagined the wretched comedy which I played, so as to throw upon myself

the whole responsibility. M. de Thaller has had millions for his share: I have only had twelve hundred

Violent nervous shudders shook his frame: his face became purple. He drew himself up, and, brandishing the

"But all is not over!" he exclaimed. "There are proofs which neither the baron nor his wife know that I have. I

have the proof of the infamous swindle of which the Marquis de Tregars was the victim. I have the proof of

the farce got up by M. de Thaller and myself to defraud the stockholders of the Mutual Credit!

"I? I shall go and hide myself in some suburb of Paris, and write to Affrays to come. She knows that I have

twelve hundred thousand francs. She will come; and she will keep coming as long as I have any money. And

He stopped short, starting back, his arms outstretched as if to repel a terrifying apparition. Mlle. Gilberte had

An inexpressible look of terror and anguish convulsed the features of Vincent Favoral: he guessed that it was

"The money that you have stolen, father," replied the girl in an inexorable tone of voice," the twelve

hundred thousand francs which you have here, then the proofs which are in your hands, and, finally your

"Take away my money!" he said. "Why, that would be compelling me to give myself up! Do you wish to see

"The disgrace would fall back upon your children, sir," said M. de Tregars. "We shall, on the contrary, do

"You have lost your mind, father," said Mlle. Gilberte. "Come, do as I ask you."

But it was the last effort of his will. He yielded, though not without an agonizing struggle and gave up to his

daughter the money, the proofs and the arms. And as she was walking away, leaning on M. de Tregars' arm,

"But send me your mother, at least," he begged. "She will understand me: she will not be without pity. She is

It was with convulsive haste that the Baroness de Thaller went over the distance that separated the Rue St.

Lazare from the Rue de la Pepiniere. The sudden intervention of M. de Tregars had upset all her ideas. The

most sinister presentiments agitated her mind. In the courtyard of her residence, all the servants, gathered in a

group, were talking. They did not take the trouble to stand aside to let her pass; and she even noticed some

smiles and ironical gigglings. This was a terrible blow to her. What was the matter? What had they heard? In

the magnificent vestibule, a man was sitting as she came in. It was the same suspicious character that Marius

"That little Lucienne must have her soul riveted to her body. She is only wounded; and she'll get over it."

"Oh! he is another sharp one. Instead of taking up our man's provocation, he collared him, and took away

"What is the meaning, then," she asked, "of your letter of last night, in which you requested me to hand two

"They wanted proofs. They imitated my handwriting, and you swallowed the bait. That's the reason why I

spent the night in the stationhouse; and, if they let me go this morning, it was to find out where I'd go. I have

been followed, they are shadowing me. We are gone up, Mme. le Baronne. Sauve qui peut!"

More agitated than ever Mme. de Thaller went up stairs. In the little redandgold parlor, the Baron de

Thaller and Mlle. Cesarine were waiting for her. Stretched upon an armchair, her legs crossed, the tip of her

boot on a level with her eye, Mlle. Cesarine, with a look of ironical curiosity, was watching her father, who,

livid and trembling with nervous excitement, was walking up and down, like a wild beast in his cage. As soon

"Things are going badly," said her husband, "very badly. Our game is devilishly compromised."

"I am but too sure of it. Such a wellcombined stroke too! But every thing is against us. In presence of the

examining magistrate, Jottras held out well; but Saint Pavin spoke. That dirty rascal was not satisfied with the

share allotted to him. On the information furnished by him, Costeclar was arrested this morning. And

Costeclar knows all, since he has been your confidant, Vincent Favoral's, and my own. When a man has, like

him, two or three forgeries in his record, he is sure to speak. He will speak. Perhaps he has already done so,

since the police has taken possession of Latterman's office, with whom I had organized the panic and the

With a surer glance than her husband, Mme. de Thaller had measured the situation.

"Because M. de Tregars has found Vincent Favoral; because, at this very moment, they are together,

"Ab, thunder and lightning!" he exclaimed. "I always told you that this stupid fool, Favoral, would cause our

ruin. It was so easy for you to find an occasion for him to blow his brains out."

For years, Mlle. Cesarine had not seemed so amused; and, in a half whisper, she was humming the famous

M. de Thaller, beside himself, was advancing to seize the baroness: she was drawing back, knowing him,

perhaps to be capable of any thing, when suddenly there was a violent knocking at the door.

"Orphan on both sides!" exclaimed Mlle. Cesarine, "I am free, then. Now we'll have some fun!"

At that very moment, M. de Tregars and Mlle. Gilberte reached the Rue St. Giles.

And, in spite of any thing they could tell her, she threw a shawl over her shoulders, and started with Mlle.

When they had entered Mme. Zelie's apartment, of which they had a key, they found in the parlor, with his

back towards them, Vincent Favoral sitting at the table, leaning forward, and apparently writing. Mme.

Favoral approached on tiptoe, and over her husband's shoulder she read what he had just written,

"Affrays, my beloved, eternallyadored mistress, will you forgive me? The money that I was keeping for

you, my darling, the proofs which will crush your husband they have taken every thing from me, basely, by

He made no answer. She pushed him with her finger. He rolled to the ground. He was dead.

Three months later the great Mutual Credit suit was tried before the Sixth Court. The scandal was great; but

public curiosity was strangely disappointed. As in most of these financial affairs, justice, whilst exposing the

She managed, at least, to lay hands upon every thing that the Baron de Thaller had hoped to save. That

worthy was condemned to five years' prison; M. Costeclar got off with three years; and M. Jottras with two.

Arrested for subornation of murder, the former Marquise de Javelle the Baroness de Thaller, was released for

want of proper proof. But, implicated in the suit against her husband, she lost threefourths of her fortune,

and is now living with her daughter, whose debut is announced at the BouffesParisiens, or at the

Already, before that time, Mlle. Lucienne, completely restored, had married Maxence Favoral.

Of the five hundred thousand francs which were returned to her, she applied three hundred thousand to

discharge the debts of her fatherinlaw, and with the rest she induced her husband to emigrate to America.

Marius and Mlle. Gilberte, who has now become Marquise de Tregars, have taken up their residence at the

Chateau de Tregars, three leagues from Quimper. They have been followed in their retreat by Mme. Favoral

The greater portion of his father's fortune, Marius had applied to pay off all the personal creditors of the

former cashier of the Mutual Credit, all the tradespeople, and also M. Chapelain, old man Desormeaux, and

All that is left to the Marquis and Marquise de Tregars is some twenty thousand francs a year, and if they