house, Paccard has a friend who will suit as the
lodge porter," said Carlos. "Then we shall only need a footman and a
kitchen-maid, and you can surely keep an eye on two strangers----"

As Carlos was leaving, Paccard made his appearance.

"Wait a little while, there are people in the street," said the man.

This simple statement was alarming. Carlos went up to Europe's room, and
stayed there till Paccard came to fetch him, having called a hackney
cab that came into the courtyard. Carlos pulled down the blinds, and was
driven off at a pace that defied pursuit.

Having reached the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he got out at a short
distance from a hackney coach stand, to which he went on foot, and
thence returned to the Quai Malaquais, escaping all inquiry.

"Here, child," said he to Lucien, showing him four hundred banknotes for
a thousand francs, "here is something on account for the purchase of
the estates of Rubempre. We will risk a hundred thousand. Omnibuses
have just been started; the Parisians will take to the novelty; in three
months we shall have trebled our capital. I know the concern; they will
pay splendid dividends taken out of the capital, to put a head on the
shares--an old idea of Nucingen's revived. If we acquire the Rubempre
land, we shall not have to pay on the nail.

"You must go and see des Lupeaulx, and beg him to give you a personal
recommendation to a lawyer named Desroches, a cunning dog, whom you must
call on at his office. Get him to go to Rubempre and see how the land
lies; promise him a premium of twenty thousand francs if he manages
to secure you thirty thousand francs a year by investing eight hundred
thousand francs in land round the ruins of the old house."

"How you go on--on! on!"

"I am always going on. This is no time for joking.--You must then invest
a hundred thousand crowns in Treasury bonds, so as to lose no interest;
you may safely leave it to Desroches, he is as honest as he is
knowing.--That being done, get off to Angouleme, and persuade your
sister and your brother-in-law to pledge themselves to a little fib in
the way of business. Your relations are to have given you six hundred
thousand francs to promote your marriage with Clotilde de Grandlieu;
there is no disgrace in that."

"We are saved!" cried Lucien, dazzled.

"You are, yes!" replied Carlos. "But even you are not safe till you walk
out of Saint-Thomas d'Aquin with Clotilde as your wife."

"And what have you to f