sieur de
Rastignac's past life has left him with odious acquaintances."

As she resumed her place, Monsieur de Ronquerolles was saying,--

"Ha! saved her child's life indeed! The fact is that poor l'Estorade is
turning as yellow as a lemon."

"Ah, monsieur, but that is shocking," cried Madame de Rastignac. "A
woman whom no breath of slander has ever touched; who lives only for her
husband and children; whose eyes were full of tears at the mere thought
of the danger the child had run!--"

"Heavens! madame," retorted Monsieur de Ronquerolles, paying no heed to
the rebuke, "all I can say is that newfoundlands are always dangerous.
If Madame de l'Estorade becomes too much compromised, she has one
resource,--she can marry him to the girl he saved."

Monsieur de Ronquerolles had no sooner said the words than he perceived
the horrible blunder he had committed in making such a speech before
Mademoiselle de Nucingen. He colored high,--a most unusual sign in
him,--and the solemn silence which seemed to wrap all present completed
his discomfiture.

"This clock must be slow," said the minister, catching at any words
that would make a sound and break up an evening that was ending
unfortunately.

"True," said de Ronquerolles, looking at his watch; "it is a quarter to
twelve."

He bowed to Madame de Rastignac ceremoniously, and went away, followed
by the rest of the company.

"You saw his embarrassment," said Rastignac to his wife; "he had no
malicious intention in what he said."

"It is of no consequence. I was saying just now to Madame de
l'Estorade's that your past life had given you a number of detestable
acquaintances."

"But, my dear, the King himself is compelled to smile graciously on men
he would fain put in the Bastille,--if we still had a Bastille and the
Charter permitted him."

Madame de Rastignac made no reply, and without bidding her husband
good-night, she went up to her room. A few moments later the minister
went to the private door which led into it, and not finding the key in
the lock, he said, "Augusta!" in the tone of voice a simple bourgeois
might have used in such a case.

For all answer, he heard a bolt run hastily on the other side of the
door.

"Ah!" he thought to himself with a gesture of vexation, "there are some
pasts very different from that door,--they are always wide open to the
present."

Then, after a moment's silence, he added, to cover his retreat,
"Augusta, I wanted to ask you