Thetwowidowsclubbedtheirrevenues，andsowereinpossessionofajointincomeoftwelvethousandfrancsayear。Thisseemsaverysimpleandnaturalproceeding。Butnothinginlifeismoredeservingofattentionthanthethingsthatarecallednatural；weareonourguardagainsttheunnaturalandextraordinary。Forthisreason，youwillfindmenofexperience——lawyers，judges，doctors，andpriests——
attachingimmenseimportancetosimplematters；andtheyareoftenthoughtover-scrupulous。Buttheserpentamidflowersisoneofthefinestmythsthatantiquityhasbequeathedfortheguidanceofourlives。Howoftenwehearfools，tryingtoexcusethemselvesintheirowneyesorintheeyesofothers，exclaiming，“Itwasallsonaturalthatanyonewouldhavebeentakenin。“
In1809，MadameDescoings，whonevertoldherage，wassixty-five。Inherheydayshehadbeenpopularlycalledabeauty，andwasnowoneofthoserarewomenwhomtimerespects。Sheowedtoherexcellentconstitutiontheprivilegeofpreservinghergoodlooks，which，however，wouldnotbearcloseexamination。Shewasofmediumheight，plump，andfresh，withfineshouldersandaratherrosycomplexion。
Herblondhair，borderingonchestnut，showed，inspiteofherhusband’scatastrophe，notatingeofgray。Shelovedgoodcheer，andlikedtoconcoctnicelittlemadedishes；yet，fondasshewasofeating，shealsoadoredthetheatreandcherishedavicewhichshewrappedinimpenetrablemystery——sheboughtintolotteries。CanthatbetheabyssofwhichmythologywarnsusunderthefableoftheDanaidesandtheircask？MadameDescoings，likeotherwomenwhoareluckyenoughtokeepyoungformanyyears，spendrathertoomuchuponherdress；butasidefromthesetriflingdefectsshewasthepleasantestofwomentolivewith。Ofeveryone’sopinion，neveropposinganybody，herkindlyandcommunicativegayetygavepleasuretoall。Shehad，moreover，aParisianqualitywhichcharmedtheretiredclerksandelderlymerchantsofhercircle，——shecouldtakeandgiveajest。Ifshedidnotmarryathirdtimeitwasnodoubtthefaultofthetimes。DuringthewarsoftheEmpire，marryingmenfoundrichandhandsomegirlstooeasilytotroublethemselvesaboutwomenofsixty。
MadameDescoings，alwaysanxioustocheerMadameBridau，oftentookthelattertothetheatre，ortodrive；preparedexcellentlittledinnersforherdelectation，andeventriedtomarryhertoherownsonbyherfirsthusband，Bixiou。Alas！todothis，shewasforcedtorevealaterriblesecret，carefullykeptbyher，byherlatehusband，andbyhernotary。TheyoungandbeautifulMadameDescoings，whopassedforthirty-sixyearsold，hadasonwhowasthirty-five，namedBixiou，alreadyawidower，amajorintheTwenty-FourthInfantry，whosubsequentlyperishedatLutzen，leavingbehindhimanonlyson。