e had been called early on the list at
the Ecole de Droit, and he had gone back at once to the Rue
Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve. No one had seen him come in, for Goriot had gone
to find a porter, and the mistress of the house was likewise out. Eugene
had thought to pay her himself, for it struck him that if he left this,
Goriot in his zeal would probably pay for him. As it was, Eugene went
up to his room to see that nothing had been forgotten, and blessed his
foresight when he saw the blank bill bearing Vautrin's signature lying
in the drawer where he had carelessly thrown it on the day when he had
repaid the amount. There was no fire in the grate, so he was about to
tear it into little pieces, when he heard a voice speaking in Goriot's
room, and the speaker was Delphine! He made no more noise, and stood
still to listen, thinking that she should have no secrets from him;
but after the first few words, the conversation between the father
and daughter was so strange and interesting that it absorbed all his
attention.

"Ah! thank heaven that you thought of asking him to give an account of
the money settled on me before I was utterly ruined, father. Is it safe
to talk?" she added.

"Yes, there is no one in the house," said her father faintly.

"What is the matter with you?" asked Mme. de Nucingen.

"God forgive you! you have just dealt me a staggering blow, child!" said
the old man. "You cannot know how much I love you, or you would not have
burst in upon me like this, with such news, especially if all is not
lost. Has something so important happened that you must come here about
it? In a few minutes we should have been in the Rue d'Artois."

"Eh! does one think what one is doing after a catastrophe? It has turned
my head. Your attorney has found out the state of things now, but it
was bound to come out sooner or later. We shall want your long business
experience; and I come to you like a drowning man who catches at a
branch. When M. Derville found that Nucingen was throwing all sorts of
difficulties in his way, he threatened him with proceedings, and told
him plainly that he would soon obtain an order from the President of the
Tribunal. So Nucingen came to my room this morning, and asked if I meant
to ruin us both. I told him that I knew nothing whatever about it, that
I had a fortune, and ought to be put into possession of my fortune, and
that my attorney was acting for me in the matter; I said again that I
knew absolutely