y
of old Rouget's death, of which the Comte de Brambourg had openly
boasted; the history of Madame Descoings's death; the history of the
theft from the newspaper; and the history of Philippe's private morals
during his early days.

"Monsieur le comte, don't give him your daughter until you have made
every inquiry; interrogate his former comrades,--Bixiou, Giroudeau, and
others."

Three months later, the Comte de Brambourg gave a supper to du Tillet,
Nucingen, Eugene de Rastignac, Maxime de Trailles, and Henri de Marsay.
The amphitryon accepted with much nonchalance the half-consolatory
condolences they made to him as to his rupture with the house of
Soulanges.

"You can do better," said Maxime de Trailles.

"How much money must a man have to marry a demoiselle de Grandlieu?"
asked Philippe of de Marsay.

"You? They wouldn't give you the ugliest of the six for less than ten
millions," answered de Marsay insolently.

"Bah!" said Rastignac. "With an income of two hundred thousand francs
you can have Mademoiselle de Langeais, the daughter of the marquis; she
is thirty years old, and ugly, and she hasn't a sou; that ought to suit
you."

"I shall have ten millions two years from now," said Philippe Bridau.

"It is now the 16th of January, 1829," cried du Tillet, laughing. "I
have been hard at work for ten years and I have not made as much as that
yet."

"We'll take counsel of each other," said Bridau; "you shall see how well
I understand finance."

"How much do you really own?" asked Nucingen.

"Three millions, excluding my house and my estate, which I shall not
sell; in fact, I cannot, for the property is now entailed and goes with
the title."

Nucingen and du Tillet looked at each other; after that sly glance du
Tillet said to Philippe, "My dear count, I shall be delighted to do
business with you."

De Marsay intercepted the look du Tillet had exchanged with Nucingen,
and which meant, "We will have those millions." The two bank magnates
were at the centre of political affairs, and could, at a given time,
manipulate matters at the Bourse, so as to play a sure game against
Philippe, when the probabilities might all seem for him and yet be
secretly against him.

The occasion came. In July, 1830, du Tillet and Nucingen had helped the
Comte de Brambourg to make fifteen hundred thousand francs; he could
therefore feel no distrust of those who had given him such good advice.
Philippe, who owed his rise to the