securities, the capital of which was immense, and re-invest the

proceeds in Paris, where interests were doubled."



"Don't talk nonsense to me. There are various ways of verifying the

property. What was the amount of your legacy tax? Those figures will



enable us to get at the total. Come to the point. Tell us frankly what

you received from the father's estate and how much remains of it. If



we are very much in love we'll see then what we can do."

"If you are marrying us for our money you can go about your business.



We have claims to more than a million; but all that remains to our

mother is this house and furniture and four hundred odd thousand



francs invested about 1817 in the Five-per-cents, which yield about

forty-thousand francs a year."



"Then why do you live in a style that requires one hundred thousand a

year at the least?" cried Mathias, horror-stricken.



"Our daughter has cost us the eyes out of our head," replied Solonet.

"Besides, we like to spend money. Your jeremiads, let me tell you,



won't recover two farthings of the money."

"With the fifty thousand francs a year which belong to Mademoiselle



Natalie you could have brought her up handsomely without coming to

ruin. But if you have squandered everything while you were a girl what



will it be when you are a married woman?"

"Then drop us altogether," said Solonet. "The handsomest girl in



Bordeaux has a right to spend more than she has, if she likes."

"I'll talk to my client about that," said the old notary.



"Very good, old father Cassandra, go and tell your client that we

haven't a penny," thought Solonet, who, in the solitude of his study,



had strategically massed his forces, drawn up his propositions, manned

the drawbridge of discussion, and prepared the point at which the



opposing party, thinking the affair a failure, could suddenly be led

into a compromise which would end in the triumph of his client.



The white dress with its rose-colored ribbons, the Sevigne curls,

Natalie's tiny foot, her winning glance, her pretty fingers constantly



employed in adjusting curls that needed no adjustment, these girlish

manoeuvres like those of a peacock spreading his tail, had brought



Paul to the point at which his future mother-in-law desired to see

him. He was intoxicated with love, and his eyes, the sure thermometer



of the soul, indicated the degree of passion at which a man commits a

thousand follies.



"Natalie is so beautiful," he whispered to the mother, "that I can

conceive the frenzy which leads a man to pay for his happiness by



death."

Madame Evangelista replied with a shake of her head:--



"Lover's talk, my dear count. My husband never said such charming

things to me; but he married me without a fortune and for thirteen



years he never caused me one moment's pain."

"Is that a lesson you are giving me?" said Paul, laughing.



"You know how I love you, my dear son," she answered, pressing his

hand. "I must indeed love you well to give you my Natalie."



"Give me, give me?" said the young girl, waving a screen of Indian

feathers, "what are you whispering about me?"



"I was telling her," replied Paul, "how much I love you, since

etiquette forbids me to tell it to you."



"Why?"

"I fear to say too much."



"Ah! you know too well how to offer the jewels of flattery. Shall I

tell you my private opinion about you? Well, I think you have more



mind than a lover ought to have. To be the Pink of Fashion and a wit

as well," she added, dropping her eyes, "is to have too many



advantages: a man should choose between them. I fear too, myself."

"And why?"



"We must not talk in this way. Mamma, do you not think that this

conversation is dangerous inasmuch as the contract is not yet signed?"



"It soon will be," said Paul.

"I should like to know what Achilles and Nestor are saying to each



other in the next room," said Natalie, nodding toward the door of the

little salon with a childlike expression of curiosity.



"They are talking of our children and our death and a lot of other

such trifles; they are counting our gold to see if we can keep five



horses in the stables. They are talking also of deeds of gift; but

there, I have forestalled them."



"How so?"

"Have I not given myself wholly to you?" he said, looking straight at

• complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)


• investment [in´vestmənt] n.投资；(时间等)投入 (初中英语单词)


• economy [i´kɔnəmi] n.经济；机制；组织 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• relieve [ri´li:v] v.救济，援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• permanent [´pə:mənənt] a.永久的；不变的 (初中英语单词)


• carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)


• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• deposit [di´pɔzit] vt.存放，存储 n.存款 (初中英语单词)


• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• old-fashioned [´əuld´feʃənd] a.老式的；过时的 (初中英语单词)


• convey [kən´vei] vt.运送；传达；转让 (初中英语单词)


• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)


• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)


• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)


• motive [´məutiv] n.动机；主题 a.运动的 (初中英语单词)


• intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)


• domestic [də´mestik] a.家庭的；本国的 (初中英语单词)


• selfish [´selfiʃ] a.自私的，利己的 (初中英语单词)


• gravely [´greivli] ad.庄重地，严肃地 (初中英语单词)


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


• reckon [´rekən] v.计算；认为；估计 (初中英语单词)


• amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)


• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)


• assign [ə´sain] vt.分配；指派；指定 (初中英语单词)


• withdraw [wið´drɔ:] v.收回；撤销；撤退 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• frankly [´fræŋkli] ad.直率地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• discussion [di´skʌʃən] n.讨论；辩论 (初中英语单词)


• failure [´feiljə] n.失败；衰竭；破产 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• screen [skri:n] n.银幕 vt.遮蔽 (初中英语单词)


• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)


• consequently [´kɔnsikwəntli] ad.因此，所以 (高中英语单词)


• legion [´li:dʒən] n.军团；大批 (高中英语单词)


• doubtful [´dautful] a.怀疑的，可疑的 (高中英语单词)


• eminent [´eminənt] a.卓越的；杰出的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• inclination [,inkli´neiʃən] n.倾斜；爱好；天资 (高中英语单词)


• nobility [nəu´biliti, nə-] n.高贵；贵金属性 (高中英语单词)


• ridiculous [ri´dikjuləs] a.荒谬的；可笑的 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• recess [ri´ses] n.休息；休会 (高中英语单词)


• lessen [´lesən] v.减少；缩小 (高中英语单词)


• client [´klaiənt] n.委托人；顾客 (高中英语单词)


• preliminary [pri´liminəri] a.初步的 n.预赛 (高中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• gravity [´græviti] n.严肃；严重；重力 (高中英语单词)


• openly [´əupənli] ad.公开地；直率地 (高中英语单词)


• document [´dɔkjumənt] n.公文；文件；证件 (高中英语单词)


• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)


• mansion [´mænʃən] n.大厦；宅第；官邸 (高中英语单词)


• sincerely [sin´siəli] ad.真诚地；诚恳地 (高中英语单词)


• guardian [´gɑ:diən] n.监护人；保护人 (高中英语单词)


• nonsense [´nɔnsəns] n.胡说 int.胡说!废话 (高中英语单词)


• solitude [´sɔlitju:d] n.孤独；寂寞；荒凉 (高中英语单词)


• compromise [´kɔmprəmaiz] n.妥协，和解 (高中英语单词)


• adjustment [ə´dʒʌstmənt] n.调整；适应；调解 (高中英语单词)


• peacock [´pi:kɔk] n.(雄)孔雀 vi.炫耀 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• extravagance [iks´trævigəns] n.奢侈；极端 (英语四级单词)


• ultimately [´ʌltimitli] ad.最后，最终 (英语四级单词)


• preceding [pri(:)´si:diŋ] a.在先的；前面的 (英语四级单词)


• respective [ri´spektiv] a.各自的，各个的 (英语四级单词)


• status [´steitəs] n.身份；情形；状况 (英语四级单词)


• winning [´winiŋ] n.&a.胜利(的) (英语四级单词)


• frenzy [´frenzi] n.&vt.(使)狂乱 (英语四级单词)


• flattery [´flætəri] n.奉承；谄媚的举动 (英语四级单词)


• inasmuch [,inəz´mʌtʃ] conj.因为；鉴于 (英语四级单词)


• honorably [´ɔnərəbli] ad.光荣地；光明正大地 (英语六级单词)


• vaudeville [´vɔ:dəvil] n.滑稽通俗喜剧；杂耍 (英语六级单词)


• affront [ə´frʌnt] vt.&n.(当众)侮辱 (英语六级单词)


• heroism [´herəuizəm] n.英勇；英雄主义 (英语六级单词)


• survivor [sə´vaivə] n.未死的人；残存者 (英语六级单词)


• mademoiselle [,mædəmə´zel] n.小姐；法国女教师 (英语六级单词)


• legacy [´legəsi] n.遗产；传代物 (英语六级单词)