r than led of himself, to
remain in that rugged way.

Godeschal, who watched and took note of Oscar, made it a matter of
principle not to allow his pupil to be exposed to temptation. Generally
the young clerk was without money, or had so little that he could
not, if he would, give way to excess. During the last year, the worthy
Godeschal had made five or six parties of pleasure with Oscar, defraying
the expenses, for he felt that the rope by which he tethered the young
kid must be slackened. These "pranks," as he called them, helped Oscar
to endure existence, for there was little amusement in breakfasting with
his uncle Cardot, and still less in going to see his mother, who lived
even more penuriously than Desroches. Moreau could not make himself
familiar with Oscar as Godeschal could; and perhaps that sincere friend
to young Husson was behind Godeschal in these efforts to initiate the
poor youth safely into the mysteries of life. Oscar, grown prudent, had
come, through contact with others, to see the extent and the character
of the fault he had committed on that luckless journey; but the volume
of his repressed fancies and the follies of youth might still get the
better of him. Nevertheless, the more knowledge he could get of the
world and its laws, the better his mind would form itself, and, provided
Godeschal never lost sight of him, Moreau flattered himself that between
them they could bring the son of Madame Clapart through in safety.

"How is he getting on?" asked the land-agent of Godeschal on his return
from one of his journeys which had kept him some months out of Paris.

"Always too much vanity," replied Godeschal. "You give him fine clothes
and fine linen, he wears the shirt-fronts of a stockbroker, and so my
dainty coxcomb spends his Sundays in the Tuileries, looking out for
adventures. What else can you expect? That's youth. He torments me
to present him to my sister, where he would see a pretty sort of
society!--actresses, ballet-dancers, elegant young fops, spendthrifts
who are wasting their fortunes! His mind, I'm afraid, is not fitted for
law. He can talk well, though; and if we could make him a barrister he
might plead cases that were carefully prepared for him."

In the month of November, 1825, soon after Oscar Husson had taken
possession of his new clerkship, and at the moment when he was about to
pass his examination for the licentiate's degree, a new clerk arrived to
take the place made vacant b