o pay in March when
you have no mind to pay till October. By virtue of this article of his
particular code, Maxime regarded a creditor's scheme for making him pay
at once as a swindler's trick. It was a long time since he had grasped
the significance of the bill of exchange in all its bearings, direct
and remote. A young man once, in my place, called a bill of exchange
the 'asses' bridge' in his hearing. 'No,' said he, 'it is the Bridge of
Sighs; it is the shortest way to an execution.' Indeed, his knowledge
of commercial law was so complete, that a professional could not have
taught him anything. At that time he had nothing, as you know. His
carriage and horses were jobbed; he lived in his valet's house; and, by
the way, he will be a hero to his valet to the end of the chapter, even
after the marriage that he proposes to make. He belonged to three clubs,
and dined at one of them whenever he did not dine out. As a rule, he was
to be found very seldom at his own address--"

"He once said to me," interrupted La Palferine, "'My one affectation is
the pretence that I make of living in the Rue Pigalle.'"

"Well," resumed Desroches, "he was one of the combatants; and now for
the other. You have heard more or less talk of one Claparon?"

"Had hair like this!" cried Bixiou, ruffling his locks till they stood
on end. Gifted with the same talent for mimicking absurdities which
Chopin the pianist possesses to so high a degree, he proceeded forthwith
to represent the character with startling truth.

"He rolls his head like this when he speaks; he was once a commercial
traveler; he has been all sorts of things--"

"Well, he was born to travel, for at this minute, as I speak, he is on
the sea on his way to America," said Desroches. "It is his only chance,
for in all probability he will be condemned by default as a fraudulent
bankrupt next session."

"Very much at sea!" exclaimed Malaga.

"For six or seven years this Claparon acted as man of straw, cat's paw,
and scapegoat to two friends of ours, du Tillet and Nucingen; but in
1829 his part was so well known that--"

"Our friends dropped him," put in Bixiou.

"They left him to his fate at last, and he wallowed in the mire,"
continued Desroches. "In 1833 he went into partnership with one
Cerizet--"

"What! he that promoted a joint-stock company so nicely that the Sixth
Chamber cut short his career with a couple of years in jail?" asked the
lorette.

"The same. Under the R