conditions given made the thing well-nigh impossible.

The next morning Agathe and Joseph came downstairs just before the



second breakfast, which took place at ten o'clock. In Monsieur

Hochon's household the name of first breakfast was given to a cup of



milk and slice of bread and butter which was taken in bed, or when

rising. While waiting for Madame Hochon, who notwithstanding her age



went minutely through the ceremonies with which the duchesses of Louis

XV.'s time performed their toilette, Joseph noticed Jean-Jacques



Rouget planted squarely on his feet at the door of his house across

the street. He naturally pointed him out to his mother, who was unable



to recognize her brother, so little did he look like what he was when

she left him.



"That is your brother," said Adolphine, who entered, giving an arm to

her grandmother.



"What an idiot he looks like!" exclaimed Joseph.

Agathe clasped her hands, and raised her eyes to heaven.



"What a state they have driven him to! Good God! can that be a man

only fifty-seven years old?"



She looked attentively at her brother, and saw Flore Brazier standing

directly behind him, with her hair dressed, a pair of snowy shoulders



and a dazzling bosom showing through a gauze neckerchief, which was

trimmed with lace; she was wearing a dress with a tight-fitting waist,



made of grenadine (a silk material then much in fashion), with leg-of-

mutton sleeves so-called, fastened at the wrists by handsome



bracelets. A gold chain rippled over the crab-girl's bosom as she

leaned forward to give Jean-Jacques his black silk cap lest he should



take cold. The scene was evidently studied.

"Hey!" cried Joseph, "there's a fine woman, and a rare one! She is



made, as they say, to paint. What flesh-tints! Oh, the lovely tones!

what surface! what curves! Ah, those shoulders! She's a magnificent



caryatide. What a model she would have been for one of Titians'

Venuses!"



Adolphine and Madame Hochon thought he was talking Greek; but Agathe

signed to them behind his back, as if to say that she was accustomed



to such jargon.

"So you think a creature who is depriving you of your property



handsome?" said Madame Hochon.

"That doesn't prevent her from being a splendid model!--just plump



enough not to spoil the hips and the general contour--"

"My son, you are not in your studio," said Agathe. "Adolphine is



here."

"Ah, true! I did wrong. But you must remember that ever since leaving



Paris I have seen nothing but ugly women--"

"My dear godmother," said Agathe hastily, "how shall I be able to meet



my brother, if that creature is always with him?"

"Bah!" said Joseph. "I'll go and see him myself. I don't think him



such an idiot, now I find he has the sense to rejoice his eyes with a

Titian's Venus."



"If he were not an idiot," said Monsieur Hochon, who had come in, "he

would have married long ago and had children; and then you would have



no chance at the property. It is an ill wind that blows no good."

"Your son's idea is very good," said Madame Hochon; "he ought to pay



the first visit. He can make his uncle understand that if you call

there he must be alone."



"That will affront Mademoiselle Brazier," said old Hochon. "No, no,

madame; swallow the pill. If you can't get the whole property, secure



a small legacy."

The Hochons were not clever enough to match Max. In the middle of



breakfast Kouski brought over a letter from Monsieur Rouget, addressed

to his sister, Madame Bridau. Madame Hochon made her husband read it



aloud, as follows:--

My dear Sister,--I learn from strangers of your arrival in



Issoudun. I can guess the reason which made you prefer the house

of Monsieur and Madame Hochon to mine; but if you will come to see



me you shall be received as you ought to be. I should certainly

pay you the first visit if my health did not compel me just now to



keep the house; for which I offer my affectionate regrets. I shall

be delighted to see my nephew, whom I invite to dine with me to-



morrow,--young men are less sensitive than women about the

company. It will give me pleasure if Messrs. Baruch Borniche and



Francois Hochon will accompany him.

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


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


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


• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)


• scheme [ski:m] n.计划；阴谋，诡计 (初中英语单词)


• terribly [´terəbli] ad.可怕地 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• vocabulary [və´kæbjuləri, vəu-] n.词汇；词汇量 (初中英语单词)


• spaniard [´spænjəd] n.西班牙人 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)


• procure [prə´kjuə] v.获得；完(达)成；实现 (初中英语单词)


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


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• essential [i´senʃəl] a.必需的 n.要素，要点 (初中英语单词)


• hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• consume [kən´sju:m] v.毁灭；浪费；憔悴 (初中英语单词)


• lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


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


• pigeon [pidʒin] n.鸽子 (初中英语单词)


• backward [´bækwəd] ad.向后 a.向后的 (初中英语单词)


• director [di´rektə] n.指导者；….长；导演 (初中英语单词)


• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• emperor [´empərə] n.皇帝 (初中英语单词)


• downstairs [,daun´steəz] ad.在楼下 a.楼下的 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


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


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)


• rejoice [ri´dʒɔis] v.(使)高兴；欢庆 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• swallow [swɔləu] n.燕子 v.吞，咽；淹没 (初中英语单词)


• arrival [ə´raivəl] n.到达；到达的人(物) (初中英语单词)


• nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)


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


• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)


• concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• charity [´tʃæriti] n.施舍；慈悲；博爱 (高中英语单词)


• hurrah [hu´rɑ:] int.好哇!万岁! (高中英语单词)


• frightful [´fraitfəl] a.可怕的；不愉快的 (高中英语单词)


• memorable [´memərəbəl] a.难忘的；重大的 (高中英语单词)


• surplus [´sə:pləs] n.&a.剩余(的) (高中英语单词)


• caesar [´si:zə] n.凯撒；暴君；独裁者 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• knight [nait] n.骑士；爵士 (高中英语单词)


• whoever [hu:´evə] pron.任何人，无论谁 (高中英语单词)


• inventor [in´ventə] n.发明者 (高中英语单词)


• notwithstanding [,nɔtwiθ´stændiŋ] prep.&conj.虽然；还是 (高中英语单词)


• so-called [´sou ´kɔ:ld] a.所谓的，号称的 (高中英语单词)


• affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)


• sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)


• armchair [´ɑ:mtʃeə] n.扶手椅 (英语四级单词)


• aristocracy [,æris´tɔkrəsi] n.贵族政治；贵族 (英语四级单词)


• sinister [´sinistə] a.阴险的；不吉的 (英语四级单词)


• essentially [i´senʃəli] ad.本质上，基本上 (英语四级单词)


• charitable [´tʃæritəbəl] a.仁爱的；慈善的 (英语四级单词)


• idleness [´aidlnis] n.懒；闲着不干事 (英语四级单词)


• insignificant [,insig´nifikənt] a.无意义的；无价值的 (英语四级单词)


• storehouse [´stɔ:haus] n.仓库；(知识的)宝库 (英语四级单词)


• venerable [´venərəbəl] a.可尊敬的；森严的 (英语四级单词)


• squarely [´skwɛəli] ad.成方形地；正直地 (英语四级单词)


• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)


• judicious [dʒu:´diʃəs] a.明智的；贤明的 (英语六级单词)


• boulevard [´bu:ləvɑ:d] n.林荫大道 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• distil [dis´til] v.蒸馏；精选；提取 (英语六级单词)


• admirably [´ædmərəbli] ad.令人钦佩地；极妙地 (英语六级单词)


• scoundrel [´skaundrəl] n.&a.无赖(的) (英语六级单词)


• paramount [´pærəmaunt] a.最高的 n.元首 (英语六级单词)


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


• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)


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