he
protection of the strongest power of the day--the Church. Choose between
life and death--Answer."

Rastignac felt giddy, like a man who has slept in a forest and wakes to
see by his side a famishing lioness. He was frightened, and there was no
one to see him; the boldest men yield to fear under such circumstances.

"No one but HE can know--or would dare----" he murmured to himself.

The mask clutched his hand tighter to prevent his finishing his
sentence.

"Act as if I were _he_," he said.

Rastignac then acted like a millionaire on the highroad with a brigand's
pistol at his head; he surrendered.

"My dear Count," said he to du Chatelet, to whom he presently returned,
"if you care for your position in life, treat Lucien de Rubempre as
a man whom you will one day see holding a place far above where you
stand."

The mask made a imperceptible gesture of approbation, and went off in
search of Lucien.

"My dear fellow, you have changed your opinion of him very suddenly,"
replied the Prefet with justifiable surprise.

"As suddenly as men change who belong to the centre and vote with the
right," replied Rastignac to the Prefet-Depute, whose vote had for a few
days failed to support the Ministry.

"Are there such things as opinions nowadays? There are only interests,"
observed des Lupeaulx, who had heard them. "What is the case in point?"

"The case of the Sieur de Rubempre, whom Rastignac is setting up as a
person of consequence," said du Chatelet to the Secretary-General.

"My dear Count," replied des Lupeaulx very seriously, "Monsieur de
Rubempre is a young man of the highest merit, and has such good interest
at his back that I should be delighted to renew my acquaintance with
him."

"There he is, rushing into the wasps' nest of the rakes of the day,"
said Rastignac.

The three speakers looked towards a corner where a group of recognized
wits had gathered, men of more or less celebrity, and several men
of fashion. These gentlemen made common stock of their jests, their
remarks, and their scandal, trying to amuse themselves till something
should amuse them. Among this strangely mingled party were some men with
whom Lucien had had transactions, combining ostensibly kind offices with
covert false dealing.

"Hallo! Lucien, my boy, why here we are patched up again--new stuffing
and a new cover. Where have we come from? Have we mounted the high
horse once more with little offerings from Florine's boudoir?