s new
clothes for a quarter of what they were worth had rendered our hero
sufficiently celebrated in Orleans, a city where, in general, we should
be puzzled to say why he came to pass his days of penitence. Provincial
debauches, petits-maitres of six hundred livres a year, shared the
fragments of his opulence.

Among the admirers of these splendid toilettes, our friend Malicorne
was conspicuous; he was the son of a syndic of the city, of whom M.
de Conde, always needy as a De Conde, often borrowed money at enormous
interest. M. Malicorne kept the paternal money-chest; that is to
say, that in those times of easy morals, he had made for himself, by
following the example of his father, and lending at high interest for
short terms, a revenue of eighteen hundred livres, without reckoning
six hundred livres furnished by the generosity of the syndic, so that
Malicorne was the king of the gay youth of Orleans, having two thousand
four hundred livres to scatter, squander, and waste on follies of every
kind. But, quite contrary to Manicamp, Malicorne was terribly ambitious.
He loved from ambition; he spent money out of ambition; and he would
have ruined himself for ambition. Malicorne had determined to rise, at
whatever price it might cost, and for this, at whatever price it did
cost, he had given himself a mistress and a friend. The mistress,
Mademoiselle de Montalais, was cruel as regarded love; but she was of
a noble family, and that was sufficient for Malicorne. The friend had
little or no friendship, but he was the favorite of the Comte de
Guiche, himself the friend of Monsieur, the king's brother, and that was
sufficient for Malicorne. Only, in the chapter of charges, Mademoiselle
de Montalais cost per annum:--ribbons, gloves, and sweets, a thousand
livres. De Manicamp cost--money lent, never returned--from twelve to
fifteen hundred livres per annum. So that there was nothing left for
Malicorne. Ah! yes, we are mistaken; there was left the paternal strong
box. He employed a mode of proceeding, upon which he preserved the most
profound secrecy, and which consisted in advancing to himself from the
coffers of the syndic, half a dozen year's profits, that is to say,
fifteen thousand livres, swearing to himself--observe, quite to
himself--to repay this deficiency as soon as an opportunity should
present itself.

The opportunity was expected to be the concession of a good post in the
household of Monsieur, when that household w