the surface and out of sight. People talk if
somebody comes to grief; they joke about a newcomer's fortune till
their minds are set at rest, and at this they draw the line. Victurnien
d'Esgrignon, with all the Faubourg Saint-Germain to back him, with all
his protectors exaggerating the amount of his fortune (were it only to
rid themselves of responsibility), and magnifying his possessions in the
most refined and well-bred way, with a hint or a word; with all these
advantages--to repeat--Victurnien was, in fact, an eligible Count. He
was handsome, witty, sound in politics; his father still possessed the
ancestral castle and the lands of the marquisate. Such a young fellow
is sure of an admirable reception in houses where there are marriageable
daughters, fair but portionless partners at dances, and young married
women who find that time hangs heavy on their hands. So the world,
smiling, beckoned him to the foremost benches in its booth; the seats
reserved for marquises are still in the same place in Paris; and if the
names are changed, the things are the same as ever.

In the most exclusive circle of society in the Faubourg Saint-Germain,
Victurnien found the Chevalier's double in the person of the Vidame de
Pamiers. The Vidame was a Chevalier de Valois raised to the tenth power,
invested with all the prestige of wealth, enjoying all the advantages of
high position. The dear Vidame was a repositary for everybody's secrets,
and the gazette of the Faubourg besides; nevertheless, he was discreet,
and, like other gazettes, only said things that might safely be
published. Again Victurnien listened to the Chevalier's esoteric
doctrines. The Vidame told young d'Esgrignon, without mincing matters,
to make conquests among women of quality, supplementing the advice with
anecdotes from his own experience. The Vicomte de Pamiers, it seemed,
had permitted himself much that it would serve no purpose to relate
here; so remote was it all from our modern manners, in which soul and
passion play so large a part, that nobody would believe it. But the
excellent Vidame did more than this.

"Dine with me at a tavern to-morrow," said he, by way of conclusion. "We
will digest our dinner at the Opera, and afterwards I will take you to a
house where several people have the greatest wish to meet you."

The Vidame gave a delightful little dinner at the Rocher de Cancale;
three guests only were asked to meet Victurnien--de Marsay, Rastignac,
and B