h he had walked an hour ago, when he exchanged vows in the
softest whispers with Mlle. Taillefer. To Victorine it seemed as if she
heard an angel's voice, that heaven was opening above her; the Maison
Vauquer took strange and wonderful hues, like a stage fairy-palace. She
loved and she was loved; at any rate, she believed that she was loved;
and what woman would not likewise have believed after seeing Rastignac's
face and listening to the tones of his voice during that hour snatched
under the Argus eyes of the Maison Vauquer? He had trampled on his
conscience; he knew that he was doing wrong, and did it deliberately;
he had said to himself that a woman's happiness should atone for this
venial sin. The energy of desperation had lent new beauty to his face;
the lurid fire that burned in his heart shone from his eyes. Luckily
for him, the miracle took place. Vautrin came in in high spirits, and
at once read the hearts of these two young creatures whom he had brought
together by the combinations of his infernal genius, but his deep voice
broke in upon their bliss.

"A charming girl is my Fanchette
In her simplicity,"

he sang mockingly.

Victorine fled. Her heart was more full than it had ever been, but it
was full of joy, and not of sorrow. Poor child! A pressure of the hand,
the light touch of Rastignac's hair against her cheek, a word whispered
in her ear so closely that she felt the student's warm breath on
her, the pressure of a trembling arm about her waist, a kiss upon her
throat--such had been her betrothal. The near neighborhood of the stout
Sylvie, who might invade that glorified room at any moment, only made
these first tokens of love more ardent, more eloquent, more entrancing
than the noblest deeds done for love's sake in the most famous
romances. This _plain-song_ of love, to use the pretty expression of our
forefathers, seemed almost criminal to the devout young girl who went to
confession every fortnight. In that one hour she had poured out more of
the treasures of her soul than she could give in later days of wealth
and happiness, when her whole self followed the gift.

"The thing is arranged," Vautrin said to Eugene, who remained. "Our two
dandies have fallen out. Everything was done in proper form. It is
a matter of opinion. Our pigeon has insulted my hawk. They will meet
to-morrow in the redoubt at Clignancourt. By half-past eight in the
morning Mlle. Taillefer, calmly dipping her bread an