l the lease of the adjoining house is made over to me, and I will get
permission to cut through the wall."

"Send me a note this evening," said the architect; "it will take me all
night to draw the plans--we would rather work for a bourgeois than for
the King of Prussia, that is to say for ourselves. I will now take the
dimensions, the pitch, the size of the widows, the pictures--"

"It must be finished on the appointed day," said Birotteau. "If not, no
pay."

"It shall be done," said the architect. "The workmen must do without
sleep; we will use drying oil in the paint. But don't let yourself be
taken in by the contractors; always ask their price in advance, and have
a written agreement."

"Paris is the only place in the world where you can wave a magic wand
like that," said Birotteau, with an Asiatic gesture worthy of the
Arabian Nights. "You will do me the honor to come to my ball, monsieur?
Men of talent are not all disdainful of commerce; and you will meet a
scientific man of the first order, Monsieur Vauquelin of the Institute;
also Monsieur de la Billardiere, Monsieur le comte de Fontaine,
Monsieur Lebas, judge and president of the Court of commerce, various
magistrates, Monsieur le comte de Grandville of the royal suite,
Monsieur Camusot of the Court of commerce, and Monsieur Cardot, his
father-in-law, and, perhaps, Monsieur le duc de Lenoncourt, first
gentleman of the bed-chamber to the king. I assemble my friends as
much--to celebrate the emancipation of our territory--as to commemorate
my--promotion to the order of the Legion of honor,"--here Grindot made
a curious gesture. "Possibly I showed myself worthy of that--signal--and
royal--favor, by my services on the bench, and by fighting for the
Bourbons upon the steps of Saint-Roch on the 13th Vendemiaire, where I
was wounded by Napoleon. These claims--"

Constance, in a morning gown, here came out of her daughter's bedroom,
where she had been dressing; her first glance cut short Cesar's
eloquence just as he was about to formulate in flowing phrase, though
modestly, the tale of his merits.

"_Tiens, Mimi_, this is Monsieur _de_ Grindot, a young man distinguished
in his own sphere of life, and the possessor of a great talent. Monsieur
is the architect recommended to us by Monsieur de la Billardiere to
superintend our _little_ alteration."

The perfumer slipped behind his wife and made a sign to the architect
to take notice of the word _little_, putting h