e stockings), and frock coat with velvet facings. The
second morning, Mery felt surprised at the coincidence; the third, he
was puzzled; the fourth, he could hold out no longer, and asked Balzac
the reason of these nocturnal perambulations round about the same spot.
Balzac put his hand in his pocket and produced an almanack, showing that
the sun did not rise before 3.40. "I am being tracked by the officers
of the Tribunal de Commerce, and obliged to hide myself during the day;
but at this hour I am free, and can take a walk, for as long as the sun
is not up they cannot arrest me."

I remember having read that Ouvrard, the great army contractor, had done
the same for many years; nevertheless, he was arrested one day,--the
authorities proved that the almanack was wrong, that the sun rose ten
minutes earlier than was stated therein. He brought an action against
the compiler and publishers. They had to pay him damages.

Though literary remuneration was not in those days what it became later
on, it was sufficiently large to make it difficult to explain the
chronic impecuniosity of Balzac, though not that of Dumas. They were not
gamblers, and had not the terrible fits of idleness or drinking which
left De Musset stranded every now and again. Lamartine suffered from the
same complaint, I mean impecuniosity. There is proof of Balzac's
industry and frugality in two extracts from his letters to his mother,
dated Angouleme, July, 1832, when he himself was thirty-two years old,
and had already written half a dozen masterpieces. "Several bills are
due, and, if I cannot find the money for them, I will have them
protested and let the law take its course. It will give me breathing
time, and I can settle costs and all afterwards."

Meanwhile he works eight hours a day at "Louis Lambert," one of the best
things among his numberless best things. His mother sends him a hundred
francs, and, perhaps with the same pen with which he wrote those two
marvellous chapters that stand out like a couple of priceless rubies
from among the mass of other jewels, he thanks her and accounts for
them. "For the copying of the maps, 20 frs.; for my passport, 10 frs. I
owed 15 frs. for discount on one of my bills, and 15 frs. on my fare. 15
frs. for flowers as a birthday present. Lost at cards, 10 frs. Postage
and servant's tips, 15 frs. Total, 100 frs."

But these ten francs have not been lost at one fell swoop; they
represent his bad luck at the _gaming