ace.

Lucien, in his excitement and rapture, gave not another thought to
Nathan. Nathan was a stepping-stone for him--that was all; and he
(Lucien) was happy exceedingly--he thought himself rich. The money
brought by Dauriat was a very Potosi for the lad who used to go about
unnoticed through the streets of Angouleme and down the steep path into
L'Houmeau to Postel's garret, where his whole family had lived upon an
income of twelve hundred francs. The pleasures of his life in Paris must
inevitably dim the memories of those days; but so keen were they, that,
as yet, he seemed to be back again in the Place du Murier. He thought of
Eve, his beautiful, noble sister, of David his friend, and of his poor
mother, and he sent Berenice out to change one of the notes. While she
went he wrote a few lines to his family, and on the maid's return
he sent her to the coach-office with a packet of five hundred francs
addressed to his mother. He could not trust himself; he wanted to sent
the money at once; later he might not be able to do it. Both Lucien and
Coralie looked upon this restitution as a meritorious action. Coralie
put her arms about her lover and kissed him, and thought him a model son
and brother; she could not make enough of him, for generosity is a trait
of character which delights these kindly creatures, who always carry
their hearts in their hands.

"We have a dinner now every day for a week," she said; "we will make a
little carnival; you have worked quite hard enough."

Coralie, fain to delight in the beauty of a man whom all other women
should envy her, took Lucien back to Staub. He was not dressed finely
enough for her. Thence the lovers went to drive in the Bois de Boulogne,
and came back to dine at Mme. du Val-Noble's. Rastignac, Bixiou, des
Lupeaulx, Finot, Blondet, Vignon, the Baron de Nucingen, Beaudenord,
Philippe Bridau, Conti, the great musician, all the artists and
speculators, all the men who seek for violent sensations as a relief
from immense labors, gave Lucien a welcome among them. And Lucien had
gained confidence; he gave himself out in talk as though he had not to
live by his wit, and was pronounced to be a "clever fellow" in the slang
of the coterie of semi-comrades.

"Oh! we must wait and see what he has in him," said Theodore Gaillard,
a poet patronized by the Court, who thought of starting a Royalist paper
to be entitled the _Reveil_ at a later day.

After dinner, Merlin and Lucien, Cora