"Well, I'll do my best."

"Try and find me a wealthy widower, or a young woman married to a very
old fellow. Now, do look round; I'll drop in again to-morrow;" and with
a farewell pinch of snuff, she left the office.

Paul listened to this conversation with feelings of anger and
humiliation, and in his heart cursed old Tantaine for having introduced
him into such company. He was seeking for some plausible excuse for
withdrawal, when the door at the end of the room was thrown open, and
two men came in, talking as they did so. The one was young and well
dressed, with an easy, swaggering manner, which ignorant people mistake
for good breeding. He had a many-colored rosette at his buttonhole,
showing that he was the knight of more than one foreign order. The other
was an elderly man, with an unmistakable legal air about him. He was
dressed in a quilted dressing-gown, fur-lined shoes, and had on his head
an embroidered cap, most likely the work of the hands of some one dear
to him. He wore a white cravat, and his sight compelled him to use
colored glasses.

"Then, my dear sir," said the younger man, "I may venture to entertain
hopes?"

"Remember, Marquis," returned the other, "that if I were acting alone,
what you require would be at once at your disposal. Unfortunately, I
have others to consult."

"I place myself entirely in your hands," replied the Marquis.