Other People's Money

. Vincent Favoral's situatio

factory in theFaubourg St. Antoine, where he wa

at the usual hour, he announc

t of what her husband might be,witho

ecome of us?"

ly he was much excited. His chee

e for all that." And, as his wife

rst time thathe spoke of his business otherwise than to groan and complain, toaccuse fate, and curse the high price of living. The very day before,he had declared himself ruined by the purchas

AmI a fool, then? Would I impose upon myself privations of all sorts,if it were to accomplish nothing? Parbleu! I love fine living

That'sthe power of the little penny put out to fatten!"As she went to bed that night, Mme. Favoral felt more happy than shehad

ured nameless sufferings; but my children shall be rich, theirlife shall be e

regretted hi

pillageevery thing," he declared rudely. "Besides, I have g

industry. Whilst the parties discussed in theChamber, there were on the street twenty t

to keepbooks in various places, - an hour here, an hou

more than he did at the factory;

coat. The idea that heshould on one and the same day have to do with five or six differenthouses, and be compelled to walk an hour, to go and work another hourat the ot

could find a place suited to his tasteand his convenience; and, in the mean time, all they woul

ned until dinner-time. And hedid the

o'clock, dined in haste, and disappearedagain, not to return until about midnight. He had hou

doing?" though

he question one morning,

at thebourse, that's all!"He could hardly have owned to

all we have sopainfully accumulated? We hav

o economize in your householdexpenses, and don't meddle with my business."And he continued. And he mus

or's, and was evidentlytrying to look elegant

ook the habit of handing it to his wife every week, on Sunday. Ama

Thursday."He became also more communicative. Often during the dinne

spoken. He named anumber of people whom h

lly stored awa

pect, a boundless admiration, and of whom he never tired oftalking. He

hasideas, he'll go far. It would be a great piece of luck if

very rich once.?"

d it said,"

al of money, did they

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

e had never received at his table anyone but a fellow-clerk at the factory, named Desclave

le?" exclaime

g?""That depends upon the number of guests.""Say three or four persons."The poor woman set hers

with a hundred francs "Her

Do asyour parents did when they did their best; and, if it's well, Ishall not complain of the expense. Take a good cook,

a hundred purchases tobe made, and swore that he would make them. He even hesitated amoment about renewing t

finished h

t dress will you wear?""I have my

very handsome, amagnificent one; and you'll send it to be made to a fashionabledressmaker. And at the same time

e you going to invit

uish yourself. Our fortuneis at stake."That this dinner was a matter of considerable import, Mme. Favoralco

ject of some exotic viand he had just noticed in someshop-window. Daily he brought home wines of the most fantasticvintages, - those wines which d

tracted cross-examina

ouses where she had cooked. He absolutely required the man who w

. He breathed only when he had seen thetable set and loaded with the new china he had purchased and themagnificent silver he had gone to hire in person. And

hly delighted. "Nothing could bebet

n, in two carriages, themagnificence o

o see seated at his table the Baron andBaroness de Thaller, M. Saint Pavin, who call

bserved thesepeople whom her husband called his fr

ave been much over thirty, wasalrea

style, he expressedhimself in brief sen

and the nose very thin. Hisscanty hair was spread over the top of his head with laboredsymmet

, dark and bearded,with thick lips, the eye bright and prominent, spreading upon thetable-cloth broad hands or

cate, blonde,sallow, almost beardless, M. Jottras distinguished himself only bya sort of unconscious impudence,

de Thaller who excited M

sh black,twisted over the neck in heavy ringlets, she had skin of a pearlywhiteness, lips redder than blood, and great eyes that threw flamesfrom beneath their long, curved lashes. It was the poetry of flesh;and one could not help admiring. Did she

s, and filling theglasses, complaining that they ate and drank nothing, askinganxiously if the cooking was

petite. But M. Saint Pavin officiated for all; and the sole taskof

ng passed the champagne allaround, he ra

ss.""To the success of the business,"

r they passed into the

e question; Mme. de Thallerdragging her almost by force to a seat by her side on the sofa,pretendi

atters of bonnets anddresses; and it was

her dressmaker, and to whatjeweler s

les could not help smiling whilst answering that she hadno dressmaker, and t

st place, itwould have been impossible for her, she swore, to live with a husbandeither miserly or poor. Hers had just presented her with a lovelycoupe, lined with yellow satin, a perfect bijon. And she made gooduse of it too; for she loved to go about. S

owed: it was herweakness, her passion. She had herself a little girl, eighteenmonths old, called Cesarine, to

mur to Mme. Favoral'sears. "Yes, no," she ans

ion, it required her utmostattention

enable her tohear all they said. It was only when M. Saint Pavin spoke that sheunderstood that they were still discu

a certainmoment she saw her husband and M. de Thaller str

o'clock

a ora glass of punch; but M. de Thaller declared that he had s

e door having closed upon them,M. Favoral found himself alone with his wife,"Well," he exclaimed, s

jumped at

she commencedexplaining that M. de Thaller's face inspired her with no con

that, finally, the youngbaroness had gi

refused t

ver seen people of the be

fe -""Eh! Your mother never received but sh

ore doing any thing withthese new friends,

Here, don't let us speak of it any more,and let us go to bed. You'll see what this dinner wil