\"CharlesCrochard’sfirstobjectonbeingliberatedwasvengeanceonToupillier，andhisfirststepwastodenouncehimtothepoliceasreceiverofthestolenproperty。Takeninhandbythelaw，Toupillierdefendedhimselfwithsuchsingulargood—humor，beingabletoshowthatnoproofwhateverexistedagainsthim，thattheexaminingjudgelethimoff。Helosthisplace，however，asgiverofholywater，obtaining，withgreatdifficulty，permissiontobegatthedoorofthechurch。Formypart，Iwascertainofhisguilt；andImanagedtohavetheclosestwatchkeptuponhim；thoughIreliedfarmoreuponmyself。
Beingamanofmeansandleisure，Istuck，asyoumaysay，totheskinofmythief，anddid，inordertounmaskhim，oneofthecleverestthingsofmycareer。HewaslivingatthattimeintherueduCoeur—
Volant。Isucceededinbecomingthetenantoftheroomadjoininghis；
andonenight，throughagimletholeIhaddrilledinthepartition，I
sawmymantakethecaseofdiamondsfromaverycleverlycontrivedhiding—place。Hesatforanhourgazingatthemandfondlingthem；hemadethemsparkleinthelight，hepressedthempassionatelytohislips。Themanactuallylovedthosediamondsforthemselves，andhadneverthoughtofturningthemtomoney。\"
\"Iunderstand，\"saidCerizet，——\"amanialikethatofCardillac，thejeweller，whichhasnowbeendramatized。\"
\"Thatisjustit，\"returnedduPortail；\"thepoorwretchwasinlovewiththatcasket；sothatwhen，shortlyafter，IenteredhisroomandtoldhimIknewall，heproposedtometoleavehimthelifeuseofwhathecalledtheconsolationofhisoldage，pledginghimselftomakeMademoiselledelaPeyradehissoleheir，revealingtomeatthesametimetheexistenceofahoardofgold（towhichhewasaddingeveryday），andalsothepossessionofahouseandaninvestmentintheFunds。\"
\"Ifhemadethatproposalingoodfaith，\"saidCerizet，\"itwasadesirableone。Theinterestofthecapitalsunkinthediamondswasmorethanreturnedbythatfromtheotherproperty。\"
\"Younowsee，mydearsir，\"saidduPortail，\"thatIwasnotmistakenintrustinghim。Allmyprecautionswerewelltaken；IexactedthatheshouldoccupyaroominthehouseIlivedin，whereIcouldkeepacloseeyeuponhim。Iassistedhiminmakingthathiding—place，thesecretofwhichyoudiscoveredsocleverly；butwhatyoudidnotfindoutwasthatintouchingthespringthatopenedtheironsafeyourangabellinmyapartment，whichwarnedmeofanyattemptthatwasmadetoremoveourtreasure。\"
\"PoorMadameCardinal！\"criedCerizet，good—humoredly，\"howfarshewasfromsuspectingit！\"
\"Nowhere’sthesituation，\"resumedduPortail。\"OnaccountoftheinterestIfeelinthenephewofmyoldfriend，andalso，onaccountoftherelationship，thismarriageseemstomeextremelydesirable；inshort，IuniteTheodosetohiscousinandher’dot。’Asitispossiblethat，consideringthementalstateofhisfuturewife，Theodosemayobjecttosharingmyviews，Ihavenotthoughtitwisetomakethisproposaldirectlytohimself。Youhavesuddenlyturnedupuponmypath；Iknowalreadythatyouarecleverandwily，andthatknowledgeinducesmetoputthislittlematrimonialnegotiationintoyourhands。
Now，Ithink，youunderstandthematterthoroughly；speaktohimofafinegirl，withonelittledrawback，but，ontheotherhand，acomfortablefortune。Donotnamehertohim；andcomehereandletmeknowhowtheproposalhasbeentaken。\"
\"Yourconfidencedelightsmeasmuchasithonorsme，\"repliedCerizet，\"andIwilljustifyitthebestIcan。\"
\"Wemustnotexpecttoomuch，\"saidduPortail。\"Refusalwillbethefirstimpulseofamanwhohasanaffaironhandelsewhere；butweneednotconsiderourselvesbeaten。IshallnoteasilygiveupaplanwhichIknowtobejust，evenifIpushmyzealsofarastoputlaPeyradeunderlockandkeyinClichy。Iamresolvednottotakenoforhisanswertoaproposalofwhich，intheend，hecannotfailtoseethepropriety。Therefore，inanycase，buyupthosenotesfromMonsieurDutocq。\"
\"Atpar？\"askedCerizet。
\"Yes，atpar，ifyoucannotdobetter；wearenotgoingtohaggleoverafewthousandfrancs；only，whenthistransactionisarranged，MonsieurDutocqmustpledgeuseitherhisassistance，or，attheveryleast，hisneutrality。Afterwhatyouhavesaidoftheothermarriage，itisunnecessaryformetowarnyouthatthereisnotamomenttoloseinputtingourironsintothefire。\"
\"TwodayshenceIhaveanappointmentwithlaPeyrade，\"saidCerizet。
\"Wehavealittlematterofbusinessofourowntosettle。Don’tyouthinkitwouldbebesttowaittillthen，whenIcanintroducetheproposalincidentally？Incaseofresistance，IthinkthatarrangementwouldbestconducetoOURdignity。\"
\"Sobeit，\"saidduPortail；\"itisn’tmuchofadelay。Remember，monsieur，thatifyousucceedyouhave，inplaceofamanabletobringyoutoasternaccountforyourIMPRUDENTASSISTANCEtoMadameCardinal，agreatlyobligedperson，whowillbereadyatalltimestoserveyou，andwhoseinfluenceisgreaterthanisgenerallysupposed。\"
Afterthesefriendlywords，thepairseparatedwithathoroughlygoodunderstanding，andwellsatisfiedwitheachother。
CHAPTERXVII
INWHICHTHELAMBDEVOURSTHEWOLF
Theeveningbeforethedayalreadyagreedupon，TheodosereceivedfromCerizetthefollowingnote：——
\"To—morrow，leaseornolease，RocherdeCancale，half—pastsixo’clock。\"
AsforDutocq，Cerizetsawhimeveryday，forhewasstillhiscopyingclerk；hethereforegavehimhisinvitationbywordofmouth；buttheattentivereadermustremarkadifferenceinthehournamed：\"Quarter—
past—six，RocherdeCancale，\"saidCerizet。Itwasevident，therefore，thathewantedthatfifteenminuteswithDutocqbeforethearrivaloflaPeyrade。
TheseminutestheusurerproposedtoemployinjockeyingDutocqinthepurchaseofthenotes；hefanciedthatifthepropositiontobuythemweresuddenlyputbeforehimwithouttheslightestpreparationitmightbemorereadilyreceived。Bynotleavingthesellertimetobethinkhimself，perhapshemightleadhimtoloosenhisgrasp，andthenotesonceboughtbelowpar，hecouldconsiderathisleisurewhethertopocketthedifferenceorcurryfavorwithduPortailforthediscounthehadobtained。Letussay，moreover，thatapartfromself—interest，Cerizetwouldstillhaveendeavoredtoscrapealittleprofitoutofhisfriend；’twasaninstinctandaneedofhisnature。
HehadasgreatahorrorforstraightcoursesastheloversofEnglishgardensshowinthelinesoftheirpaths。
Dutocq，havingstillaportionofthecostofhispracticetopayoff，wasforcedtoliveverysparingly，sothatadinnerattheRocherdeCancalewassomethingofaneventintheeconomyofhisstraitenedexistence。Hearrived，therefore，withthatpunctualitywhichtestifiestoaninterestintheoccasion，andpreciselyataquarterpastsixheenteredtheprivateroomoftherestaurantwhereCerizetawaitedhim。
\"Itisqueer，\"hesaid；\"herewearereturnedtopreciselythesituationinwhichwebeganourbusinessrelationshipwithlaPeyrade，——except，tobesure，thatthispresentplaceofmeetingofthethreeemperorsismorecomfortable；IprefertheTilsitoftherueMontgorgeuiltotheTilsitoftheChevalRouge。\"
\"Faith！\"saidCerizet，\"Idon’tknowthattheresultsjustifythechange，for，tobefrank，wherearetheprofitstoUSintheschemeofourtriumvirate？\"
\"But，\"saidDutocq，\"itwasabargainwithalongtimelimit。Itcan’tbesaidthatlaPeyradehaslostmuchtimeingettinginstalled——
forgivethepun——attheThuilleries。Thescamphasmadehiswayprettyfast，youmustownthat。\"
\"Notsofastbutwhathismarriage，\"saidCerizet，\"isatthepresentmomentaverydoubtfulthing。\"
\"Doubtful！\"criedDutocq；\"whydoubtful？\"
\"Well，Iamcommissionedtoproposetohimanotherwife，andI’mnotsurethatanychoiceislefttohim。\"
\"Whatthedevilareyouabout，mydearfellow，lendingyourhandinthiswaytoanothermarriagewhenyouknowwehaveamortgageonthefirst？\"
\"Oneisn’talwaysmasterofcircumstances，myfriend；Isawatoncewhenthenewaffairwaslaidbeforemethattheonewehadsettledonmustinfalliblygobytheboard。Consequently，I’vetriedtoworkitroundinourinterests，yoursandmine。\"
\"Ahca！doyoumeantheyarepullingcapsforthisTheodose？Whoisthenewmatch？Hasshemoney？\"
\"The’dot’isprettygood；quiteasmuchasMademoiselleColleville’s。\"
\"ThenIwouldn’tgiveafigforit。LaPeyradehassignedthosenotesandhewillpaythem。\"
\"Willhepaythem？that’sthequestion。Youarenotabusinessman，neitherisTheodose；itmaycomeintohisheadtodisputethevalidityofthosenotes。Whatsecurityhavewethatifthefactsabouttheiroriginshouldcomeout，andtheThuilliermarriageshouldn’tcomeoff，thecourtofcommercemightn’tannulthemas’obligationswithoutcause。’Formypart，Ishouldlaughatsuchadecision；Icanstandit；and，moreover，myprecautionsaretaken；butyou，asclerktoajustice—of—peace，don’tyouseethatsuchanaffairwouldgivethechancellorabonetopickwithyou？\"
\"But，mygoodfellow，\"saidDutocq，withtheill—humorofamanwhoseeshimselffacetofacewithanargumenthecan’trefute，\"youseemtohaveamaniaforstirringupmattersandmeddlingwith——\"
\"Itellyouagain，\"saidCerizet，\"thiscametome；Ididn’tseekit；
butIsawatoncethattherewasnousestrugglingagainsttheinfluencethatisopposingus；soIchosethecourseofsavingourselvesbyasacrifice。\"
\"Asacrifice！whatsortofsacrifice？\"
\"Parbleu！I’vesoldmyshareofthosenotes，leavingthosewhoboughtthemtofightitoutwithMasterbarrister。\"
\"Whoisthepurchaser？\"
\"Whodoyousupposewouldstepintomyshoesunlessitwerethepersonswhohaveaninterestinthisothermarriage，andwhowanttoholdapoweroverTheodose，andcontrolhimbyforceifnecessary。\"
\"Thenmyshareofthenotesisequallyimportanttothem？\"
\"Nodoubt；butIcouldn’tspeakforyouuntilIhadconsultedyou。\"
\"Whatdotheyoffer？\"
\"Hangit！mydearfellow，thesamethatIaccepted。KnowingbetterthanyouthedangeroftheircompetitionIsoldouttothemonverybadterms。\"
\"Well，butwhatarethey，thoseterms？\"
\"Igaveupmysharesforfifteenthousandfrancs。\"
\"Come，come！\"saidDutocq，shrugginghisshoulders，\"whatyouareafteristorecoveraloss（ifyoumadeit）byacommissiononmyshare——andperhaps，afterall，thewholethingisonlyaplotbetweenyouandlaPeyrade——\"
\"Atanyrate，mygoodfriend，youdon’tminceyourwords；aninfamousthoughtcomesintoyourheadandyoustateitwithcharmingfrankness。
LuckilyyoushallpresentlyhearmemaketheproposaltoTheodose，andyouarecleverenoughtoknowbyhismanneriftherehasbeenanyconnivancebetweenus。\"
\"Sobeit！\"saidDutocq。\"Iwithdrawtheinsinuation；butImustsayyouremployersarepirates；Icalltheirproposalthrottlingpeople。I
havenot，likeyou，somethingtofallbackupon。\"
\"Well，youpoorfellow，thisishowIreasoned：Isaidtomyself，ThatgoodDutocqisterriblypressedforthelastpaymentonhispractice；
thiswillgivehimenoughtopayitoffatonestroke；eventshaveprovedthattherearegreatuncertaintiesaboutourTheodose—and—
Thuillierscheme；here’smoneydown，livemoney，andthereforeitwon’tbesobadabargainafterall。\"
\"Itisalossoftwo—fifths！\"
\"Come，\"saidCerizet，\"youweretalkingjustnowofcommissions。Iseeameansofgettingoneforyouifyou’llengagetobatterdownthisCollevillemarriage。IfyouwillcryitdownasyouhavelatelycrieditupIshouldn’tdespairofgettingyouaroundtwentythousandoutoftheaffair。\"
\"ThenyouthinkthatthisnewproposalwillnotbeagreeabletolaPeyrade，——thathe’llrejectit？Isitsomeheiressonwhomhehasalreadytakenamortgage？\"
\"AllthatIcantellyouisthatthesepeopleexpectsomedifficultyinbringingthemattertoaconclusion。\"
\"Well，Idon’tdesirebetterthantofollowyourleadanddowhatisdisagreeabletolaPeyrade；butfivethousandfrancs——thinkofit！——itistoomuchtolose。\"
Atthismomentthedooropened，andawaiterusheredintheexpectedguest。
\"Youcanservedinner，\"saidCerizettothewaiter；\"weareallhere。\"
ItwasplainthatTheodosewasbeginningtotakewingtowardhighersocialspheres；elegancewasbecomingaconstantthoughtinhismind。
Heappearedinadresssuitandvarnishedshoes，whereashistwoassociatesreceivedhiminfrock—coatsandmuddyboots。
\"Gentlemen，\"hesaid，\"IthinkIamalittlelate，butthatdevilofaThuillieristhemostintolerableofhumanbeingsaboutapamphletI
amconcoctingforhim。Iwasunluckyenoughtoagreetocorrecttheproofswithhim，andovereveryparagraphthere’safight。’WhatI
can’tunderstand，’hesays，’thepubliccan’t，either。I’mnotamanofletters，butI’mapracticalman’；andthat’sthewaywebattleit，pageafterpage。Ithoughtthesittingthisafternoonwouldneverend。\"
\"Howunreasonableyouare，mydearfellow，\"saidDutocq；\"whenamanwantstosucceedhemusthavethecouragetomakesacrifices。Oncemarried，youcanliftyourhead。\"
\"Ah，yes！\"saidlaPeyradewithasigh，\"I’llliftit；forsincethedayyoumademeeatthisbreadofanguishI’vebecometerriblysickofit。\"
\"Cerizet，\"saidDutocq，\"hasaplanthatwillfeedyoumoresucculently。\"
Nothingmorewassaidatthemoment，forjusticehadtobedonetotheexcellentfareorderedbyCerizetinhonorofhiscominglease。Asusuallyhappensatdinnerswhereaffairsarelikelytobediscussed，eachman，withhismindfullofthem，tookpainsnottoapproachthosetopics，fearingtocompromisehisadvantagesbyseemingeager；theconversation，therefore，continuedforalongtimeongeneralsubjects，anditwasnotuntilthedessertwasservedthatCerizetbroughthimselftoasklaPeyradewhathadbeensettledaboutthetermsofhislease。
\"Nothing，myfriend，\"repliedTheodose。
\"What！nothing？Icertainlyallowedyoutimeenoughtodecidethematter。\"
\"Well，astothat，somethingisdecided。Therewillnotbeanyprincipaltenantatall；MademoiselleBrigitteisgoingtoletthehouseherself。\"
\"That’sasingularthing，\"saidCerizet，stiffly。\"Afteryouragreementwithme，Icertainlydidnotexpectsucharesultasthis。\"
\"HowcanIhelpit，mydearfellow？Iagreedwithyou，barringamendmentsontheotherside；Iwasn’tabletogiveanotherturntotheaffair。Inhernaturalcharacterasamanagingwomanandasampleofperpetualmotion，Brigittehasreflectedthatshemightaswellmanagethathouseherselfandputintoherownpockettheprofitsyouproposedtomake。IsaidallIcouldaboutthecaresandannoyanceswhichshewouldcertainlysaddleuponherself。’Oh！nonsense！’shesaid；’they’llstirmybloodanddomyhealthgood！’\"
\"Itispitiable！\"saidCerizet。\"Thatpooroldmaidwillneverknowwhichendtotakeholdof；shedoesn’timaginewhatitistohaveanemptyhouse，andwhichmustbefilledwithtenantsfromgarrettocellar。\"
\"Ipliedherwithallthosearguments，\"repliedlaPeyrade；\"butI
couldn’tmoveherresolution。Don’tyousee，mydeardemocrats，youstirreduptherevolutionof’89；youthoughttomakeafinespeculationindethroningthenoblebythebourgeois，andtheendofitisyouareshovedoutyourselves。Thislookslikeparadox；butyou’vefoundoutnowthatthepeasantandclodhopperisn’tmalleable；
hecan’tbeforceddownandkeptunderlikethenoble。Thearistocracy，onbehalfofitsdignity，wouldnotcondescendtocommoncares，andwasthereforedependentonacrowdofplebeianservitorstowhomithadtotrustforthree—fourthsoftheactionsofitsownlife。
Thatwasthereignofstewardsandbailiffs，wilyfellows，intowhosehandstheinterestsofthegreatfamiliespassed，andwhofedandgrewfatontheparingsofthegreatfortunestheymanaged。Butnow—a—days，utilitariantheories，astheycallthem，havecometothefore，——’Weareneversowellservedasbyourselves，’’There’snoshameinattendingtoone’sownbusiness，’andmanyotherbourgeoismaximswhichhavesuppressedtheroleofintermediaries。Whyshouldn’tMademoiselleBrigitteThuilliermanageherownhousewhendukesandpeersgoinpersontotheBourse，wheresuchmensigntheirownleasesandreadthedeedsbeforetheysignthem，andgothemselvestothenotary，whom，informerdays，theyconsideredaservant。\"
DuringthistimeCerizethadtimetorecoverfromtheblowhehadjustreceivedsquarelyintheface，andtothinkofthetransitionhehadtomakefromonesetofintereststotheother，ofwhichhewasnowtheagent。
\"Whatyouaredeclaimingthereisallveryclever，\"hesaid，carelessly，\"butthethingthatprovestomeourdefeatisthefactthatyouarenotonthetermswithMademoiselleThuillieryouwouldhaveusbelieveyouare。Sheisslippingthroughyourfingers；andI
don’tthinkthatmarriageisanythinglikeascertainasDutocqandI
havebeenfancyingitwas。\"
\"Well，nodoubt，\"saidlaPeyrade，\"therearestillsometouchestobegiventooursketch，butIbelieveitiswellunderway。\"
\"AndIthink，onthecontrary，thatyouhavelostground；andthereasonissimple：youhavedonethosepeopleanimmenseservice；andthat’sathingneverforgiven。\"
\"Well，weshallsee，\"saidlaPeyrade。\"Ihavemorethanoneholduponthem。\"
\"No，youaremistaken。Youthoughtyoudidabrilliantthinginputtingthemonapinnacle，butthefactisyouemancipatedthem；
they’llkeepyounowatheel。Thehumanheart，particularlythebourgeoisheart，ismadethatway。IfIwereinyourplaceIshouldn’tfeelsosureofbeingonsolidground，andifsomethingelseturnedupthatofferedmeagoodchance——\"
\"What！justbecauseIcouldn’tgetyoutheleaseofthathousedoyouwanttoknockeverythingtopieces？\"
\"No，\"saidCerizet，\"Iamnotlookingatthematterinthelightofmyowninterests；Idon’tdoubtthatasatrustworthyfriendyouhavedoneeveryimaginablethingtopromotethem；butIthinkthemannerinwhichyouhavebeenshovedasideaverydisturbingsymptom。ItevendecidesmetotellyousomethingIdidnotintendtospeakof；
because，inmyopinion，whenpersonsstartacoursetheyoughttokeeponsteadily，lookingneitherforwardnorback，andnotallowingthemselvestobedivertedtootheraspirations。\"
\"Ahca！\"criedlaPeyrade，\"whatdoesallthisverbiagemean？Haveyouanythingtoproposetome？What’sthepriceofit？\"
\"MydearTheodose，\"saidCerizet，payingnoattentiontotheimpertinence，\"youyourselfcanjudgeofthevalueofdiscoveringayounggirl，wellbrought—up，adornedwithbeautyandtalentsanda’dot’equaltothatofCeleste，whichshehasinherownright，PLUS
fiftythousandfrancs’worthofdiamonds（asMademoiselleGeorgessaysonherpostersintheprovinces），and，moreover，——afactwhichoughttostrikethemindofanambitiousman，——astrongpoliticalinfluence，whichshecanuseforahusband。\"
\"Andthistreasureyouholdinyourhand？\"saidlaPeyrade，inatoneofincredulity。
\"Betterstill，Iamauthorizedtoofferittoyou；infact，ImightsaythatIamchargedtodoso。\"
\"Myfriend，youarepokingfunatme；unless，indeed，thisphoenixhassomehideousorprohibitorydefect。\"
\"Well，I’lladmit，\"saidCerizet，\"thatthereisaslightobjection，notonthescoreoffamily，for，totellthetruth，theyoungwomanhasnone——\"
\"Ah！\"saidlaPeyrade，\"anaturalchild——Well，whatnext？\"
\"Next，sheisnotsoveryyoung，——somethingliketwenty—nineorso；
butthere’snothingeasierthantoturnanelderlygirlintoayoungwidowifyouhaveimagination。\"
\"Isthatallthevenominit？\"
\"Yes，allthatisirreparable。\"
\"Whatdoyoumeanbythat？Isitacaseofrhinoplasty？\"
AddressedtoCerizetthewordhadanaggressiveair，which，infact，wasnoticeablesincethebeginningofthedinnerinthewholemannerandconversationofthebarrister。Butitdidnotsuitthepurposeofthenegotiatortoresentit。
\"No，\"hereplied，\"ournoseisaswellmadeasourfootandourwaist；
butwemay，perhaps，haveaslighttouchofhysteria。\"
\"Oh！verygood，\"saidlaPeyrade；\"andasfromhysteriatoinsanitythereisbutastep——\"
\"Well，yes，\"interruptedCerizet，hastily，\"sorrowshaveaffectedourbrainslightly；butthedoctorsareunanimousintheirdiagnosis；theyallsaythatafterthebirthofthefirstchildnotatracewillremainofthislittletrouble。\"
\"Iamwillingtoadmitthatdoctorsareinfallible，\"repliedlaPeyrade；\"but，inspiteofyourdiscouragement，youmustallowme，myfriend，topersistinmysuittoMademoiselleColleville。Perhapsitisridiculoustoconfessit，butthetruthisIamgraduallyfallinginlovewiththatlittlegirl。Itisn’tthatherbeautyisresplendent，orthattheglitterofher’dot’hasdazzledme，butI
findinthatchildagreatfundofsoundsensejoinedtosimplicity；
and，whattomindisofgreaterconsequence，hersincereandsolidpietyattractsme；Ithinkahusbandoughttobeveryhappywithher。\"
\"Yes，\"saidCerizet，who，havingbeenonthestage，mayverywellhaveknownhisMoliere，\"thismarriagewillcrownyourwisheswithallgood；itwillbefilledwithsweetnessandwithpleasures。\"
TheallusiontoTartuffewaskeenlyfeltbylaPeyrade，whotookitupandsaid，hotly：——
\"ThecontactwithinnocencewilldisinfectmeofthevileatmosphereinwhichIhavelivedtoolong。\"
\"Andyouwillpayyournotesofhand，\"addedCerizet，\"whichIadviseyoutodowiththeleastpossibledelay；forDutocqherewassayingtomejustnowthathewouldliketoseethecolorofyourmoney。\"
\"I？notatall，\"interposedDutocq。\"Ithink，onthecontrary，thatourfriendhasarighttothedelay。\"
\"Well，\"saidlaPeyrade，\"IagreewithCerizet。Iholdthatthelessadebtisdue，andthereforethemoreinsecureandopentocontentionitis，thesooneroneoughttofreeone’sselfbypayingit。\"
\"But，mydearlaPeyrade，\"saidDutocq，\"whytakethisbittertone？\"
Pullingfromhispocketaportfolio，laPeyradesaid：——
\"Haveyouthosenoteswithyou，Dutocq？\"
\"Faith！no，mydearfellow，\"repliedDutocq，\"Idon’tcarrythemaboutwithme；besides，theyareinCerizet’shands。\"
\"Well，\"saidthebarrister，rising，\"wheneveryoucometomyhouseI’llpayyouonthenail，asCerizetcantellyou。\"
\"What！areyougoingtoleaveuswithoutyourcoffee？\"saidCerizet，amazedtothelastdegree。
\"Yes；Ihaveanarbitrationcaseateighto’clock。Besides，wehavesaidallwehadtosay。Youhaven’tyourlease，butyou’vegotyourtwentyfivethousandfrancsinfull，andthoseofDutocqarereadyforhimwheneverhechoosestocometomyoffice。Iseenothingnowtopreventmefromgoingwheremyprivatebusinesscallsme，andI
thereforeverycordiallybidyougood—bye。\"
\"Ahca！Dutocq，\"criedCerizet，aslaPeyradedisappeared，\"thismeansarupture。\"
\"Preparedwiththeutmostcare，\"addedDutocq。\"Didyounoticetheairwithwhichhepulledoutthatpocket—book？\"
\"Butwherethedevil，\"saidtheusurer，\"couldhehavegotthemoney？\"
\"Probably，\"repliedDutocq，sarcastically，\"wherehegotthatwithwhichhepaidyouinfullforthosenotesyousoldatasacrifice。\"
\"MydearDutocq，\"saidCerizet，\"I’llexplaintoyouthecircumstancesunderwhichthatinsolentfellowfreedhimself，andyou’llseeifhedidn’trobmeoffifteenthousandfrancs。\"
\"Possibly，butyou，myworthyclerk，weretryingtogettenthousandawayfromme。\"
\"No，no；Iwaspositivelyorderedtobuyupyourclaim；andyououghttorememberthatmyofferhadrisentotwentythousandwhenTheodosecamein。\"
\"Well，\"saidDutocq，\"whenweleaveherewe’llgotoyourhouse，whereyouwillgivemethosenotes；for，you’llunderstandthatto—morrowmorning，attheearliestdecenthour，IshallgotolaPeyrade’soffice；Idon’tmeantolethispayinghumorcool。\"
\"Andrightyouare；forIcantellyounowthatbeforelongthere’llbeafineupsetinhislife。\"
\"Thenthethingisreallyserious——thistaleofacrazywomanyouwanthimtomarry？Imustsaythatinhisplace，withthesemoney—mattersevidentlyontherise，Ishouldhavebackedoutofyourproposalsjustashedid。NinasandOpheliasareallverywellonthestage，butinahome——\"
\"Inahome，whentheybringa’dot，’wecanbetheirguardian，\"
repliedCerizet，sententiously。\"Inpointoffact，wegetafortuneandnotawife。\"
\"Well，\"saidDutocq，\"that’sonewaytolookatit。\"
\"Ifyouarewilling，\"saidCerizet，\"letusgoandtakeourcoffeesomewhereelse。ThisdinnerhasturnedoutsofoolishlythatIwanttogetoutofthisroom，wherethere’snoair。\"Herangforthewaiter。
\"Garcon！\"hesaid，\"thebill。\"
\"Monsieur，itispaid。\"