Monsieur de la Thoma.s.siniere's face grew long and the marquis's anxious.

Athalie alone seemed to take any interest in Auguste's situation.

"What!" she exclaimed; "do you really mean, Monsieur Dalville, that that wretched man has ruined you?"

"Yes, madame, the fact is only too certain."

"And you take it as calmly as this?"

"If I should rage and tear my hair, that would not give me back my money."

"Philosophy is a fine thing, that is sure," said the marquis. "It helps us to take things as they come, it makes us superior to adversity, and--But it occurs to me that I am invited out to dinner, to eat a truffled turkey. I promised to be on hand at the overture, and a man of honor has only his word. Au revoir, my dear friends."

The marquis rose and was about to leave the room, when Dalville ran after him and stopped him.

"I beg your pardon, my dear Monsieur de Cligneval," he said under his breath, "but you probably have forgotten a little debt of a hundred louis. If I venture to remind you of it, you will understand that just at this time I am in need of whatever I possess."

"My dear friend, what do you say? Pardieu! it had slipped my mind entirely."

"You were to repay it that same week, and as it was two months ago, I thought you had forgotten that trifle."

"Entirely, my dear friend, entirely; I have no memory except for important things, and a hundred louis, you will agree, is the merest bagatelle. Send to my house."

"They could not give me your address at your former residence."

"True, I am on the wing. I will send the money to you--that will be the better way. But they are waiting for me; the turkey is probably served.

It's a party of gentlemen only, and I promised to be prompt. I am very particular about keeping my word."

"I can rely, then, upon----"

"Yes, you shall hear from me to-morrow at the latest. Adieu; pardon me for leaving you so abruptly, but a truffled turkey admits of no postponement."

And Monsieur de Cligneval, who was in truth very particular about keeping his word when a dinner or luncheon was concerned, shook off his creditor and escaped from the salon. But as he was by no means anxious to meet Dalville frequently at his friend La Thoma.s.siniere's, monsieur le marquis, when he reached the reception-room, told a servant to go to his master and tell him privately that Monsieur de Cligneval had something to impart to him in confidence.

The servant did the errand and La Thoma.s.siniere hastily left the salon and joined the marquis, whose obsequious servant he deemed himself very fortunate to be.

"What is it, my dear marquis? I am at your service," cried the parvenu.

"Sh! let us go into your study, my friend. Dalville thinks that I have gone, and I don't want him to meet me when he goes away."

They went into Monsieur de la Thoma.s.siniere's study, and there the marquis seemed to hesitate, as if he did not know whether he ought to speak.

"I am dreadfully perplexed," he said at last to La Thoma.s.siniere, who was waiting humbly to hear what he had to tell him.

"Perplexed!--you! Is it possible that a marquis can ever be perplexed?

Nonsense, you are joking!"

"No, my friend, no. Mon Dieu! because one happens to have been born in an exalted sphere, because one enjoys some consideration and has some little power, do you suppose that one is not human just the same, and subject to all the weaknesses that nature has allotted to us?"

"Surely not, monsieur le marquis! and----"

"Bless my soul! we are all very much alike! In the eyes of men of intelligence what does a little more or a little less n.o.bility amount to?--For my own part, I give you my word that, if you were a duke, I should esteem you no more highly!"

"You are too kind, monsieur le marquis!"

"No, I am frank, that's all."

La Thoma.s.siniere was wondering how this discussion would take the marquis to the truffled turkey that awaited him, when Monsieur de Cligneval resumed:

"It was about Dalville that I wanted to speak to you in private. That young man allowed himself to be taken in like an idiot."

"Like an absolute idiot, monsieur le marquis."

"And he was so conceited, so self-sufficient! He wouldn't take anybody's advice; he thought that he knew how to manage his business. It was a pitiable thing!"

"It was, as you say, pitiable."

"The idea of entrusting all his money to Destival! He must have lost his senses."

"However that may be, monsieur le marquis, I always come back to my principle--I never forgive a man for allowing himself to be robbed."

"And you are quite right. Let him rob others--that is to say, make sport of others--and I've not a word to say; that is cleverness, tact!--However, this Dalville is in a most infernal position!"

"That's what I thought as soon as he told me he had nothing left."

"If he even had any social rank--a t.i.tle--any of those things that may lead to everything."

"In short, if he were n.o.ble."

"Oh! in that case he might get out of it--but when a man isn't n.o.ble it's essential that he should be rich!"

"To be sure--that's another of my principles."

"And it's all a part of the system of equality and philosophy that I was describing to you just now. I was interested in this Dalville; but my friendship for you takes precedence of everything; that is why I conceive it to be my duty not to conceal anything from you."

"Conceal nothing, I pray, monsieur le marquis!"

"Do you know what he said to me just now when I was leaving the salon?"

"No, I haven't any idea."

"Didn't you overhear a word?"

"Not a single word."

"Well, my dear fellow, he was asking me to lend him money."

"Asking you to lend him money?"

"Yes, my dear fellow; on my word, that did seem a little bit hasty on his part, I admit."