FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   >>  
n years. "Love, you were saying just now that he would want two thousand francs?" he said in her ear. "Postel is only lending one thousand." Eve gave her betrothed a look, and he read all her anguish in her eyes. "Listen, my adored Eve, we are making a bad start in life. Yes, my expenses have taken all my capital; I have just two thousand francs left, and half of it will be wanted to carry on the business. If we give your brother the thousand francs, it will mean that we are giving away our bread, that we shall live in anxiety. If I were alone, I know what I should do; but we are two. Decide for us." Eve, distracted, sprang to her lover's arms, and kissed him tenderly, as she answered through her tears: "Do as you would do if you were alone; I will work to earn the money." In spite of the most impassioned kiss ever given and taken by betrothed lovers, David left Eve overcome with trouble, and went out to Lucien. "Do not worry yourself," he said; "you shall have your two thousand francs." "Go in to see Postel," said Mme. Chardon, "for you must both give your signatures to the bill." When Lucien and David came back again unexpectedly, they found Eve and her mother on their knees in prayer. The women felt sure that Lucien's return would bring the realization of many hopes; but at the moment they could only feel how much they were losing in the parting, and the happiness to come seemed too dearly bought by an absence that broke up their life together, and would fill the coming days with innumerable fears for Lucien. "If you could ever forget this sight," David said in Lucien's ear, "you would be the basest of men." David, no doubt, thought that these brave words were needed; Mme. de Bargeton's influence seemed to him less to be feared than his friend's unlucky instability of character, Lucien was so easily led for good or evil. Eve soon packed Lucien's clothes; the Fernando Cortez of literature carried but little baggage. He was wearing his best overcoat, his best waistcoat, and one of the two fine shirts. The whole of his linen, the celebrated coat, and his manuscript made up so small a package that to hide it from Mme. de Bargeton, David proposed to send it by coach to a paper merchant with whom he had dealings, and wrote and advised him to that effect, and asked him to keep the parcel until Lucien sent for it. In spite of Mme. de Bargeton's precautions, Chatelet found out that she was leaving A
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   >>  



Top keywords:
Lucien
 

thousand

 

francs

 
Bargeton
 

Postel

 

betrothed

 

thought

 

parcel

 

friend

 

feared


influence

 
needed
 

absence

 
Chatelet
 
bought
 

leaving

 

dearly

 

forget

 

precautions

 

coming


innumerable

 

basest

 

instability

 

happiness

 

overcoat

 
waistcoat
 

wearing

 

proposed

 

baggage

 

shirts


package

 

manuscript

 
celebrated
 

carried

 

literature

 

easily

 

dealings

 

effect

 

advised

 

character


clothes
 
Fernando
 

Cortez

 

merchant

 

packed

 
unlucky
 

Chardon

 
anxiety
 
giving
 

business