agreeable to them. Pompous
imbeciles, like Thuillier, are horribly embarrassing in the Opposition;
they are pitchers without handles; you can't take hold of them
anywhere."

"Monsieur Cerizet," said la Peyrade, beginning to assume a protecting
tone, and wishing to discover his late associate's place in Corentin's
confidence, "you seem to know a good deal about the secret intentions of
the government; have you found your way to a certain desk in the rue de
Grenelle?"

"No. All that I tell you," said Cerizet, "I get from du Portail."

"Ah ca!" said la Peyrade, lowering his voice, "who _is_ du Portail? You
seem to have known him for some time. A man of your force ought to have
discovered the real character of a man who seems to me to be rather
mysterious."

"My friend," replied Cerizet, "du Portail is a pretty strong man. He's
an old slyboots, who has had some post, I fancy, in the administration
of the national domain, or something of that kind, under government; in
which, I think, he must have been employed in the departments suppressed
under the Empire."

"Yes?" said la Peyrade.

"That's where I think he made his money," continued Cerizet; "and being
a shrewd old fellow, and having a natural daughter to marry, he has
concocted this philanthropic tale of her being the daughter of an old
friend named Peyrade; and your name being the same may have given him
the idea of fastening upon you--for, after all, he has to marry her to
somebody."

"Yes, that's all very well; but his close relations with the government,
and the interest he takes in elections, how do you explain all that?"

"Naturally enough," replied Cerizet. "Du Portail is a man who loves
money, and likes to handle it; he has done Rastignac, that great
manipulator of elections, who is, I think, his compatriot, several
signal services as an amateur; Rastignac, in return, gives him
information, obtained through Nucingen, which enables him to gamble at
the Bourse."

"Did he himself tell you all this?" asked la Peyrade.

"What do you take me for?" returned Cerizet. "With that worthy old
fellow, from whom I have already wormed a promise of thirty thousand
francs, I play the ninny; I flatten myself to nothing. But I've made
Bruneau talk, that old valet of his. You can safely ally yourself to
his family, my dear fellow; du Portail is powerfully rich; he'll get you
made sub-prefect somewhere; and thence to a prefecture and a fortune is
but one step."

"Than