"Oh! rich, no, monseigneur, I am not, but I wish I was, for poor
Bathilde's sake; and if you could obtain from monseigneur, that out of
the first money which comes into the State coffers he would pay me my
arrears, or at least something on account--"

"And to how much do your arrears amount?"

"To four thousand seven hundred francs, two sous, and eight centimes,
monseigneur."

"Is that all?" said Dubois.

"How! is that all, monseigneur?"

"Yes, that is nothing."

"Indeed, monseigneur, it is a great deal, and the proof is that the king
cannot pay it."

"But that will not make you rich."

"It will make me comfortable, and I do not conceal from you,
monseigneur, that if, from the first money which comes into the
treasury--"

"My dear Buvat," said Dubois, "I have something better than that to
offer you."

"Offer it, monseigneur."

"You have your fortune at your fingers' ends."

"My mother always told me so, monseigneur."

"That proves," said Dubois, "what a sensible woman your mother was."

"Well, monseigneur! I am ready; what must I do?"

"Ah! mon Dieu! the thing is very simple, you will make me, now, and
here, copies of all these."

"But, monseigneur--"

"That is not all, my dear Monsieur Buvat. You will take back to the
person who gave you these papers, the copies and the originals, you will
take all that that person gives you; you will bring them to me directly,
so that I may read them, then you will do the same with other papers as
with these, and so on indefinitely, till I say enough."

"But, monseigneur, it seems to me that in acting thus I should betray
the confidence of the prince."

"Ah! it is with a prince that you have business, Monsieur Buvat! and
what may this prince be called?"

"Oh, monseigneur, it appears to me that in telling you his name I
denounce--"

"Well, and what have you come here for, then?"

"Monseigneur, I have come here to inform you of the danger which his
highness runs, that is all."

"Indeed," said Dubois, in a bantering tone, "and you imagine you are
going to stop there?"

"I wish to do so, monseigneur."

"There is only one misfortune, that it is impossible, my dear Monsieur
Buvat."

"Why impossible?"

"Entirely."

"Monseigneur, I am an honest man."

"M. Buvat, you are a fool."

"Monseigneur, I still wish to keep silence."

"My dear monsieur, you will speak."

"And if I speak I shall be the informer against the prince."

"If you do not speak y