possession of a rifle or any other shooting-iron; and surely you will
not butcher me? Come, father, be reasonable! You know well what I mean
to become, and that the calling I have selected is honourable and
respected."

"It is not fit for the son of a gentleman and a Dumany. If you dare to
follow such an insane course, you may be sure of my malediction, and,
besides that, I'll discard you--disinherit you!"

"I am very much afraid, papa, that if our present course lasts awhile
longer, there will not be much left to bequeath to your heirs. So I am
not afraid of that threat; and as to maledictions, you are much too kind
and good-natured to utter such stuff; and, besides, curses are just as
harmless and useless as blessings. The Frauenhofer lines tell us all the
secrets of hell, and so I am not at all afraid of them. But I am
terribly afraid, dear father, that the road which you have pursued will
lead us to ruin in a very short time."

I had taken precise accounts of all that we possessed and all that we
owed. I had computed these accurately, and showed him the result, which
was rather alarming; but he waved the document away with his hands, and
said, "Don't be foolish; don't worry about these little inconveniences,
which can't be helped, and will soon cease to trouble us. Why, there is
your uncle Dion, with eighty-seven winters on his head (may God rest
him!) and not a soul to leave his large fortune to, but you, his only
nephew! Bless my soul! what a nuisance is this boy! Instead of going to
this paragon of an uncle, and trying to get into his good graces, as his
next of blood and kin, he talks of becoming an apothecary, smearing
plasters, mixing poisons, and setting sprained joints. Go to thy uncle,
I say, like a dutiful nephew, and doctor him, if doctor you must!"