who kept on watching her with an exhilarated air.

But soon the conversation was resumed between the three ladies, whom
the presence of this girl had suddenly made friends, almost intimates.
It seemed to them that they should form a sort of "fasces" of their
conjugal dignities in the presence of this shameless mercenary;
for legalized love always looks down on its free brother.

The three men, also drawn closer by an instinct of conservation at
the sight of Cornudet, spoke of money matters with an expression
of contempt for the poor. Count Hubert related the damage done to
his property by the Prussians, the losses that would result from
their stealing of a tenfold millionaire grand Seigneur whom such
reverses would hardly incommodate for one year. Mr. Carre-Lamadon,
who had suffered serious losses in his cotton business, had taken
the precaution of sending six hundred thousand francs to England,
a provision for rainy days which would enable him to meet
emergencies. As to Loiseau, he had found a way of selling to the
French Quartermaster's Office all the low grade wines he had in
stock, so that the Government owed him a tremendous sum, which he
expected to cash in time at Havre.

And all three cast at each other quick and friendly glances.
Although belonging to different social sets, they felt united in the
brotherhood of money, the great freemasonry of those who possess,
who jingle gold when they put their hands in the pockets of their
trousers.

The coach was making such slow headway that at ten o'clock A. M.
they had traveled only four leagues. The men got off three times