capital, applied to Derues for the necessary information and begged for
advice. He arrived at the latter's house with a sum of eight thousand
livres, which he placed in Derues' hands, asking him for assistance in
finding a business. The sight of gold was enough to rouse the instinct
of crime in Derues, and the witches who hailed Macbeth with the promise
of royalty did not rouse the latter's ambitious desires to a greater
height than the chance of wealth did the greed of the assassin; whose
hands, once closed over the eight thousand livres, were never again
relaxed. He received them as a deposit, and hid them along with his
previous plunder, vowing never to return them. Several days had elapsed,
when one afternoon Derues returned home with an air of such unusual
cheerfulness that the young man questioned him. "Have you heard some
good news for me?" he asked, "or have you had some luck yourself?"

"My young friend," answered Derues, "as for me, success depends on my own
efforts, and fortune smiles on me. But I have promised to be useful to
you, your parents have trusted me, and I must prove that their confidence
is well founded. I have heard to-day of a business for disposal in one
of the best parts of Paris. You can have it for twelve thousand livres,
and I wish I could lend you the amount you want. But you must write to
your father, persuade him, reason with him; do not lose so good a chance.
He must make a little sacrifice, and he will be grateful to me later."

In accordance with their son's request, the young man's parents
despatched a sum of four thousand livres, requesting Derues to lose no
time in concluding the purchase.

Three weeks later, the father, very uneasy, arrived in Paris. He came to
inquire about his son, having heard nothing from him. Derues received
him with the utmost astonishment, appearing convinced that the young man