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"That doesn't prove anything," said Monsieur des Grassins; "the old
miser is always making mysteries."
"Des Grassins, my friend, I have invited the young man to dinner. You
must go and ask Monsieur and Madame de Larsonniere and the du Hautoys,
with the beautiful demoiselle du Hautoy, of course. I hope she will be
properly dressed; that jealous mother of hers does make such a fright
of her! Gentlemen, I trust that you will all do us the honor to come,"
she added, stopping the procession to address the two Cruchots.
"Here you are at home, madame," said the notary.
After bowing to the three des Grassins, the three Cruchots returned
home, applying their provincial genius for analysis to studying, under
all its aspects, the great event of the evening, which undoubtedly
changed the respective positions of Grassinists and Cruchotines. The
admirable common-sense which guided all the actions of these great
machinators made each side feel the necessity of a momentary alliance
against a common enemy. Must they not mutually hinder Eugenie from
loving her cousin, and the cousin from thinking of Eugenie? Could the
Parisian resist the influence of treacherous insinuations, soft-spoken
calumnies, slanders full of faint praise and artless denials, which
should be made to circle incessantly about him and deceive him?
IV
When the four relations were left alone, Monsieur Grandet said to his
nephew,--
"We must go to bed. It is too late to talk about the matters which
have brought you here; to-morrow we will take a suitable moment. We
breakfast at eight o'clock; at midday we eat a little fruit or a bit
of bread, and drink a glass of white wine; and we dine, like the
Parisians, at five o'clock. That's the order of the day. If you like
to go and see the town and the environs you are free to do so. You
will excuse me if my occupations do not permit me to accompany you.
You may perhaps hear people say that I am rich,--Monsieur Grandet
this, Monsieur Grandet that. I let them talk; their gossip does not
hurt my credit. But I have not a penny; I work in my old age like an
apprentice whose worldly goods are a bad plane and two good arms.
Perhaps you'll soon know yourself what a franc costs when you have got
to sweat for it. Nanon, where are the candles?"
"I trust, my nephew, that you will find all you want," said Madame
Grandet; "but if you should need anything else, you can call Nanon."
"My dear aunt, I shall need nothing; I have, I believe, brought
everything with me. Permit me to bid you good-night, and my young
cousin also."
Charles took a lighted wax candle from Nanon's hand,--an Anjou candle,
very yellow in color, and so shopworn that it looked like tallow and
deceived Monsieur Grandet, who, incapable of suspecting its presence
under his roof, did not perceive this magnificence.
"I will show you the way," he said.
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