, muscular arms, and strong
square-fisted hands; the joints of his fingers were covered with tufts
of fiery red hair. His face was furrowed by premature wrinkles; there
was a certain hardness about it in spite of his bland and insinuating
manner. His bass voice was by no means unpleasant, and was in keeping
with his boisterous laughter. He was always obliging, always in good
spirits; if anything went wrong with one of the locks, he would soon
unscrew it, take it to pieces, file it, oil and clean and set it in
order, and put it back in its place again; "I am an old hand at it,"
he used to say. Not only so, he knew all about ships, the sea, France,
foreign countries, men, business, law, great houses and prisons,--there
was nothing that he did not know. If any one complained rather more than
usual, he would offer his services at once. He had several times lent
money to Mme. Vauquer, or to the boarders; but, somehow, those whom he
obliged felt that they would sooner face death than fail to repay him; a
certain resolute look, sometimes seen on his face, inspired fear of him,
for all his appearance of easy good-nature. In the way he spat there was
an imperturbable coolness which seemed to indicate that this was a
man who would not stick at a crime to extricate himself from a false
position. His eyes, like those of a pitiless judge, seemed to go to
the very bottom of all questions, to read all natures, all feelings and
thoughts. His habit of life was very regular; he usually went out after
breakfast, returning in time for dinner, and disappeared for the rest
of the evening, letting himself in about midnight with a latch key, a
privilege that Mme. Vauquer accorded to no other boarder. But then he
was on very good terms with the widow; he used to call her "mamma," and
put his arm round her waist, a piece of flattery perhaps not appreciated
to the full! The worthy woman might imagine this to be an easy feat;
but, as a matter of fact, no arm but Vautrin's was long enough to
encircle her.

It was a characteristic trait of his generously to pay fifteen francs a
month for the cup of coffee with a dash of brandy in it, which he took
after dinner. Less superficial observers than young men engulfed by the
whirlpool of Parisian life, or old men, who took no interest in anything
that did not directly concern them, would not have stopped short at the
vaguely unsatisfactory impression that Vautrin made upon them. He knew
or guessed the conc