her by the shoulders; "but don't set things on fire." So saying, the
miser went down-stairs, grumbling indistinct sentences.

Charles stood aghast in the midst of his trunks. After casting his
eyes on the attic-walls covered with that yellow paper sprinkled with
bouquets so well known in dance-houses, on the fireplace of ribbed
stone whose very look was chilling, on the chairs of yellow wood with
varnished cane seats that seemed to have more than the usual four
angles, on the open night-table capacious enough to hold a small
sergeant-at-arms, on the meagre bit of rag-carpet beside the bed, on the
tester whose cloth valance shook as if, devoured by moths, it was about
to fall, he turned gravely to la Grande Nanon and said,--

"Look here! my dear woman, just tell me, am I in the house of Monsieur
Grandet, formerly mayor of Saumur, and brother to Monsieur Grandet of
Paris?"

"Yes, monsieur; and a very good, a very kind, a very perfect gentleman.
Shall I help you to unpack your trunks?"

"Faith! yes, if you will, my old trooper. Didn't you serve in the
marines of the Imperial Guard?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" laughed Nanon. "What's that,--the marines of the guard? Is
it salt? Does it go in the water?"

"Here, get me my dressing-gown out of that valise; there's the key."

Nanon was wonder-struck by the sight of a dressing-gown made of green
silk, brocaded with gold flowers of an antique design.

"Are you going to put that on to go to bed with?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Holy Virgin! what a beautiful altar-cloth it would make for the parish
church! My dear darling monsieur, give it to the church, and you'll save
your soul; if you don't, you'll lose it. Oh, how nice you look in it! I
must call mademoiselle to see you."

"Come, Nanon, if Nanon you are, hold your tongue; let me go to bed. I'll
arrange my things to-morrow. If my dressing-gown pleases you so much,
you shall save your soul. I'm too good a Christian not to give it to you
when I go away, and you can do what you like with it."

Nanon stood rooted to the ground, gazing at Charles and unable to put
faith into his words.

"Good night, Nanon."

"What in the world have I come here for?" thought Charles as he went
to sleep. "My father is not a fool; my journey must have some object.
Pshaw! put off serious thought till the morrow, as some Greek idiot
said."

"Blessed Virgin! how charming he is, my cousin!" Eugenie was saying,
interrupting her prayers, which that night at