on. "If you should not take
madame's fancy--and that is on the cards--she would be angry, and I am
done for!--and my place is worth a thousand francs a year."

"De capital to make ein tousant franc is twenty tousand franc; and if I
shall gif you dat, you shall not lose noting."

"Well, to be sure, if that is the tone you take about it, my worthy
old fellow," said Europe, "that is quite another story.--Where is the
money?"

"Here," replied the Baron, holding up the banknotes, one at a time.

He noted the flash struck by each in turn from Europe's eyes, betraying
the greed he had counted on.

"That pays for my place, but how about my principles, my conscience?"
said Europe, cocking her crafty little nose and giving the Baron a
serio-comic leer.

"Your conscience shall not be pait for so much as your place; but I
shall say fife tousand franc more," said he adding five thousand-franc
notes.

"No, no. Twenty thousand for my conscience, and five thousand for my
place if I lose it----"

"Yust vat you please," said he, adding the five notes. "But to earn dem
you shall hite me in your lady's room by night ven she shall be 'lone."

"If you swear never to tell who let you in, I agree. But I warn you of
one thing.--Madame is as strong as a Turk, she is madly in love with
Monsieur de Rubempre, and if you paid a million francs in banknotes she
would never be unfaithful to him. It is very silly, but that is her way
when she is in love; she is worse than an honest woman, I tell you! When
she goes out for a drive in the woods at night, monsieur very seldom
stays at home. She is gone out this evening, so I can hide you in my
room. If madame comes in alone, I will fetch you; you can wait in the
drawing-room. I will not lock the door into her room, and then--well,
the rest is your concern--so be ready."

"I shall pay you the twenty-fife tousand francs in dat
drawing-room.--You gife--I gife!"

"Indeed!" said Europe, "you are so confiding as all that? On my word!"

"Oh, you will hafe your chance to fleece me yet. We shall be friends."

"Well, then, be in the Rue Taitbout at midnight; but bring thirty
thousand francs about you. A waiting-woman's honesty, like a hackney
cab, is much dearer after midnight."

"It shall be more prudent if I gif you a cheque on my bank----"

"No, no" said Europe. "Notes, or the bargain is off."

So at one in the morning the Baron de Nucingen, hidden in the garret
where Europe slept, was sufferi