the receptions-rooms became so loud that Natalie and her mother were

forced to appear. The salons were filled in a few moments, and the



fete began.

"Profit by the honeymoon to sell those diamonds," said the old notary



to Paul as he went away.

While waiting for the dancing to begin, whispers went round about the



marriage, and doubts were expressed as to the future of the promised

couple.



"Is it finally arranged?" said one of the leading personages of the

town to Madame Evangelista.



"We had so many documents to read and sign that I fear we are rather

late," she replied; "but perhaps we are excusable."



"As for me, I heard nothing," said Natalie, giving her hand to her

lover to open the ball.



"Both of those young persons are extravagant, and the mother is not of

a kind to check them," said a dowager.



"But they have founded an entail, I am told, worth fifty thousand

francs a year."



"Pooh!"

"In that I see the hand of our worthy Monsieur Mathias," said a



magistrate. "If it is really true, he has done it to save the future

of the family."



"Natalie is too handsome not to be horribly coquettish. After a couple

of years of marriage," said one young woman, "I wouldn't answer for



Monsieur de Manerville's happiness in his home."

"The Pink of Fashion will then need staking," said Solonet, laughing.



"Don't you think Madame Evangelista looks annoyed?" asked another.

"But, my dear, I have just been told that all she is able to keep is



twenty-five thousand francs a year, and what is that to her?"

"Penury!"



"Yes, she has robbed herself for Natalie. Monsieur de Manerville has

been so exacting--"



"Extremely exacting," put in Maitre Solonet. "But before long he will

be peer of France. The Maulincours and the Vidame de Pamiers will use



their influence. He belongs to the faubourg Saint-Germain."

"Oh! he is received there, and that is all," said a lady, who had



tried to obtain him as a son-in-law. "Mademoiselle Evangelista, as the

daughter of a merchant, will certainly not open the doors of the



chapter-house of Cologne to him!"

"She is grand-niece to the Duke of Casa-Reale."



"Through the female line!"

The topic was presently exhausted. The card-players went to the



tables, the young people danced, the supper was served, and the ball

was not over till morning, when the first gleams of the coming day



whitened the windows.

Having said adieu to Paul, who was the last to go away, Madame



Evangelista went to her daughter's room; for her own had been taken by

the architect to enlarge the scene of the fete. Though Natalie and her



mother were overcome with sleep, they said a few words to each other

as soon as they were alone.



"Tell me, mother dear, what was the matter with you?"

"My darling, I learned this evening to what lengths a mother's



tenderness can go. You know nothing of business, and you are ignorant

of the suspicions to which my integrity has been exposed. I have



trampled my pride under foot, for your happiness and my reputation

were at stake."



"Are you talking of the diamonds? Poor boy, he wept; he did not want

them; I have them."



"Sleep now, my child. We will talk business when we wake--for," she

added, sighing, "you and I have business now; another person has come



between us."

"Ah! my dear mother, Paul will never be an obstacle to our happiness,



yours and mine," murmured Natalie, as she went to sleep.

"Poor darling! she little knows that the man has ruined her."



Madame Evangelista's soul was seized at that moment with the first

idea of avarice, a vice to which many become a prey as they grow aged.



It came into her mind to recover in her daughter's interest the whole

of the property left by her husband. She told herself that her honor



demanded it. Her devotion to Natalie made her, in a moment, as shrewd

and calculating as she had hitherto been careless and wasteful. She



resolved to turn her capital to account, after investing a part of it

in the Funds, which were then selling at eighty francs. A passion



often changes the whole character in a moment; an indiscreet person

• postpone [pəust´pəun] v.延迟；搁置；延缓发作 (初中英语单词)


• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)


• missing [´misiŋ] a.缺掉的；失踪的 (初中英语单词)


• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• transport [træn´spɔ:t] n.运输；流放 (初中英语单词)


• ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中英语单词)


• female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• agreement [ə´gri:mənt] n.同意；一致；协议 (初中英语单词)


• doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)


• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)


• volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• analysis [ə´næləsis] n.分解；分析(结果) (初中英语单词)


• payment [´peimənt] n.支付；报酬；报偿 (初中英语单词)


• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)


• suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)


• transfer [træns´fə:] v.&n.迁移；调动；转让 (初中英语单词)


• responsible [ri´spɔnsəbəl] a.尽责的；责任重大的 (初中英语单词)


• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)


• insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为….所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• drawer [drɔ:ə] n.抽屉 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• overcome [,əuvə´kʌm] vt.战胜，克服 (初中英语单词)


• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)


• devotion [di´vəuʃən] n.献身；忠诚；热爱 (初中英语单词)


• careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)


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


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


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


• perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)


• chancellor [´tʃɑ:nsələ] n.首相；大臣 (高中英语单词)


• margin [´mɑ:dʒin] n.边缘；空白；余地 (高中英语单词)


• declaration [,deklə´reiʃən] n.宣布；宣言；申报 (高中英语单词)


• ultimate [´ʌltimit] a.最终的 n.终极；顶点 (高中英语单词)


• certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)


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


• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)


• inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)


• extravagant [ik´strævəgənt] a.奢侈的；过度的 (高中英语单词)


• architect [´ɑ:kitekt] n.建筑师 (高中英语单词)


• enlarge [in´lɑ:dʒ] vt.扩大，增大；详述 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• obstacle [´ɔbstəkl] n.障碍(物)；妨碍 (高中英语单词)


• hitherto [,hiðə´tu:] ad.至今，迄今 (高中英语单词)


• clause [klɔ:z] n.条(款)；分句，从句 (英语四级单词)


• indirect [,indi´rekt] a.间接的；迂回的 (英语四级单词)


• necklace [´neklis] n.项链 (英语四级单词)


• embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt] n.窘迫；困惑；为难 (英语四级单词)


• unwilling [ʌn´wiliŋ] a.不愿意的；不情愿的 (英语四级单词)


• console [kən´səul] vt.安慰；慰问 (英语四级单词)


• honeymoon [´hʌnimu:n] n.蜜月 (英语四级单词)


• cologne [kə´ləun] n.科隆香水 (英语四级单词)


• integrity [in´tegriti] n.完整；完善；正直 (英语四级单词)


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


• foreseen [fɔ:´si:n] foresee的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• entail [in´teil] vt.限定(继承人)；需要 (英语六级单词)


• ratification [,rætifi´keiʃən] n.批准；认可 (英语六级单词)


• affectionately [ə´fekʃnitli] ad.热情地；体贴地 (英语六级单词)


• outburst [´autbə:st] n.喷发；爆发；激增 (英语六级单词)


• hypocrisy [hi´pɔkrisi] n.伪善 (英语六级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


• avarice [´ævəris] n.贪婪，贪心 (英语六级单词)


• wasteful [´weistfəl] a.浪费的，挥霍的 (英语六级单词)