ling. The great man now grew anxious
and gloomy, but to Florine only, in whom he confided. She advised him to
borrow money on unwritten plays, and write than at once, giving a lien
on his work. Nathan followed this advice and obtained thereby twenty
thousand francs, which reduced his debt to forty thousand.

On the 10th of February the twenty-five days expired. Du Tillet, who did
not want Nathan as a rival before the electoral college, where he meant
to appear himself, instigated Gigonnet to sue Nathan without compromise.
A man locked up for debt could not present himself as a candidate for
election. Florine was herself in communication with the sheriff on the
subject of her personal debts, and no resource was left to her but the
"I" of Medea, for her new furniture and belongings were now attached.
The ambitious Raoul heard the cracking in all directions of his
prosperous edifice, built, alas! without foundations. His nerve failed
him; too weak already to sustain so vast an enterprise, he felt himself
incapable of attempting to build it up again; he was fated to perish in
its ashes. Love for the countess gave him still a few thrills of life;
his mask brightened for a moment, but behind it hope was dead. He did
not suspect the hand of du Tillet, and laid the blame of his misfortune
on the usurer. Rastignac, Blondet, Lousteau, Vernou, Finot, and Massol
took care not to enlighten him. Rastignac, who wanted to return to
power, made common cause with Nucingen and du Tillet. The others felt
a satisfaction in the catastrophe of an equal who had attempted to make
himself their master. None of them, however, would have said a word to
Florine; on the contrary, they praised Raoul to her.

"Nathan," they said, "has the shoulders of an Atlas; he'll pull himself
through; all will come right."

"There were two new subscribers yesterday," said Blondet, gravely.
"Raoul will certainly be elected deputy. As soon as the budget is voted
the dissolution is sure to take place."

But Nathan, sued, could no longer obtain even usury; Florine, with all
her personal property attached, could count on nothing but inspiring a
passion in some fool who might not appear at the right moment. Nathan's
friends were all men without money and without credit. An arrest for
debt would destroy his hopes of a political career; and besides all
this, he had bound himself to do an immense amount of dramatic work for
which he had already received payment. He coul