creditors, so little Crottat tells me. Besides this,
Monsieur Birotteau gets back the forty thousand on his note to Roguin's
client, which the lender never paid over; then, of course, he can borrow
on that property. We have four months ahead before we are obliged to
make a payment of two hundred thousand francs to the sellers. Between
now and then, Monsieur Birotteau can pay off his notes; though of course
he can't count on what Roguin has carried off to meet them. Even if
Monsieur Birotteau should be rather pinched, with a little manipulation
he will come out all right."

The poor man took courage, as he heard Claparon analyzing the affair and
summing it up with advice as to his future conduct. His countenance grew
firm and decided; and he began to think highly of the late commercial
traveller's capacity. Du Tillet had thought best to let Claparon believe
himself really the victim of Roguin. He had given Claparon a hundred
thousand francs to pay over to Roguin the day before the latter's
flight, and Roguin had returned the money to du Tillet. Claparon,
therefore, to that extent was playing a genuine part; and he told
whoever would listen to him that Roguin had cost him a hundred thousand
francs. Du Tillet thought Claparon was not bold enough, and fancied he
had still too much honor and decency to make it safe to trust him with
the full extent of his plans; and he knew him to be mentally incapable
of conjecturing them.

"If our first friend is not our first dupe, we shall never find a
second," he made answer to Claparon, on the day when his catchpenny
banker reproached him for the trick; and he flung him away like a
wornout instrument.

Monsieur Lebas and Claparon went out together.

"I shall pull through," said Birotteau to himself. "My liabilities
amount to two hundred and thirty-five thousand francs; that is,
sixty-five thousand in bills for the cost of the ball, and a hundred
and seventy-five thousand given in notes for the lands. To meet these,
I have my share of Roguin's assets, say perhaps one hundred thousand
francs; and I can cancel the loan on my property in the Faubourg du
Temple, as the mortgage never paid the money,--in all, one hundred and
forty thousand. All depends on making a hundred thousand francs out of
Cephalic Oil, and waiting patiently, with the help of a few notes, or
a credit at a banker's, until I repair my losses or the lands about the
Madeleine reach their full value."

When a man crush