business with Mercadet. He is one of the greatest of schemers. You are
sure that he won't give less than a hundred and fifty thousand francs
to his daughter.

Mericourt
Judge yourself, my dear friend, from the style which Mme. Mercadet
puts on; you see her at all the first nights, in her own box, at the
opera, and her conspicuous elegance--

De la Brive
I myself am elegant enough, but--

Mericourt
Look round you here--everything indicates opulence--Oh! they are well
off!

De la Brive
Yet, it is a sort of middle-class splendor, something substantial
which promises well.

Mericourt
And then the mother is a woman of principle, of irreproachable
behavior. Can you possibly conclude matters to-day?

De la Brive
I have taken steps to do so. I won at the club yesterday sufficient to
go on with; I shall pay something on the wedding presents, and let the
balance stand.

Mericourt