man lying back in his chair
to die, with the last proofs of his paper before him, containing in type
his last thoughts, poor Madame du Tillet could think of nothing else
than how to save him and restore a life so precious to her sister. It
is the nature of our mind to see effects before we analyze their causes.
Eugenie recurred to her first idea of consulting Madame Delphine de
Nucingen, with whom she was to dine, and she resolved to make the
attempt, not doubting of success. Generous, like all persons who are not
bound in the polished steel armor of modern society, Madame du Tillet
resolved to take the whole matter upon herself.

The countess, on the other hand, happy in the thought that she had saved
Raoul's life, spent the night in devising means to obtain the forty
thousand francs. In emergencies like these women are sublime; they find
contrivances which would astonish thieves, business men, and usurers,
if those three classes of industrials were capable of being astonished.
First, the countess sold her diamonds and decided on wearing paste; then
she resolved to ask the money from Vandenesse on her sister's account;
but these were dishonorable means, and her soul was too noble not to
recoil at them; she merely conceived them, and cast them from her.
Ask money of Vandenesse to give to Nathan! She bounded in her bed with
horror at such baseness. Wear false diamonds to deceive her husband!
Next she thought of borrowing the money from the Rothschilds, who had
so much, or from the archbishop of Paris, whose mission it was to help
persons in distress; darting thus from thought to thought, seeking help
in all. She deplored belonging to a class opposed to the government.
Formerly, she could easily have borrowed the money on the steps of the
throne. She thought of appealing to her father, the Comte de Granville.
But that great magistrate had a horror of illegalities; his children
knew how little he sympathized with the trials of love; he was now a
misanthrope and held all affairs of the heart in horror. As for the
Comtesse de Granville, she was living a retired life on one of her
estates in Normandy, economizing and praying, ending her days between
priests and money-bags, cold as ever to her dying moment. Even supposing
that Marie had time to go to Bayeux and implore her, would her mother
give her such a sum unless she explained why she wanted it? Could she
say she had debts? Yes, perhaps her mother would be softened by the