Lucien's head was swimming with bewilderment. Blondet kissed him on both
cheeks.

"I am going to my shop," said he. And every man likewise departed to his
shop. For these "_hommes forts_," a newspaper office was nothing but a
shop.

They were to meet again in the evening at the Wooden Galleries,
and Lucien would sign his treaty of peace with Dauriat. Florine and
Lousteau, Lucien and Coralie, Blondet and Finot, were to dine at the
Palais-Royal; du Bruel was giving the manager of the Panorama-Dramatique
a dinner.

"They are right," exclaimed Lucien, when he was alone with Coralie.
"Men are made to be tools in the hands of stronger spirits. Four hundred
francs for three articles! Doguereau would scarcely give me as much for
a book which cost me two years of work."

"Write criticism," said Coralie, "have a good time! Look at me, I am
an Andalusian girl to-night, to-morrow I may be a gypsy, and a man the
night after. Do as I do, give them grimaces for their money, and let us
live happily."

Lucien, smitten with love of Paradox, set himself to mount and ride
that unruly hybrid product of Pegasus and Balaam's ass; started out at a
gallop over the fields of thought while he took a turn in the Bois, and
discovered new possibilities in Blondet's outline.

He dined as happy people dine, and signed away all his rights in the
_Marguerites_. It never occurred to him that any trouble might arise
from that transaction in the future. He took a turn of work at the
office, wrote off a couple of columns, and came back to the Rue de
Vendome. Next morning he found the germs of yesterday's ideas had sprung
up and developed in his brain, as ideas develop while the intellect
is yet unjaded and the sap is rising; and thoroughly did he enjoy
the projection of this new article. He threw himself into it with
enthusiasm. At the summons of the spirit of contradiction, new charms
met beneath his pen. He was witty and satirical, he rose to yet new
views of sentiment, of ideas and imagery in literature. With subtle
ingenuity, he went back to his own first impressions of Nathan's
work, when he read it in the newsroom of the Cour du Commerce; and the
ruthless, bloodthirsty critic, the lively mocker, became a poet in the
final phrases which rose and fell with majestic rhythm like the swaying
censer before the altar.

"One hundred francs, Coralie!" cried he, holding up eight sheets of
paper covered with writing while she dressed.

The mood was u