n in his native town must now
be plain to everybody. Louise du Chatelet followed the example of that
King of France who left the Duke of Orleans unavenged; she chose to
forget the insults received in Paris by Mme. de Bargeton. She would
patronize Lucien, and overwhelming him with her patronage, would
completely crush him and get rid of him by fair means. Petit-Claud knew
the whole tale of the cabals in Paris through town gossip, and shrewdly
guessed how a woman must hate the man who would not love when she was
fain of his love.

The ovation justified the past of Louise de Negrepelisse. The next day
Petit-Claud appeared at Mme. Sechard's house, heading a deputation of
six young men of the town, all of them Lucien's schoolfellows. He meant
to finish his work, to intoxicate Lucien completely, and to have him in
his power. Lucien's old schoolfellows at the Angouleme grammar-school
wished to invite the author of the _Marguerites_ and _The Archer of
Charles IX._ to a banquet given in honor of the great man arisen from
their ranks.

"Come, this is your doing, Petit-Claud!" exclaimed Lucien.

"Your return has stirred our conceit," said Petit-Claud; "we made it a
point of honor to get up a subscription, and we will have a tremendous
affair for you. The masters and the headmaster will be there, and, at
the present rate, we shall, no doubt, have the authorities too."

"For what day?" asked Lucien.

"Sunday next."

"That is quite out of the question," said Lucien. "I cannot accept an
invitation for the next ten days, but then I will gladly----"

"Very well," said Petit-Claud, "so be it then, in ten days' time."

Lucien behaved charmingly to his old schoolfellows, and they regarded
him with almost respectful admiration. He talked away very wittily for
half an hour; he had been set upon a pedestal, and wished to justify the
opinion of his fellow-townsmen; so he stood with his hands thrust into
his pockets, and held forth from the height to which he had been raised.
He was modest and good-natured, as befitted genius in dressing-gown and
slippers; he was the athlete, wearied by a wrestling bout with Paris,
and disenchanted above all things; he congratulated the comrades who had
never left the dear old province, and so forth, and so forth. They were
delighted with him. He took Petit-Claud aside, and asked him for the
real truth about David's affairs, reproaching him for allowing his
brother-in-law to go into hiding, and tried t