the appartement when finished,--just
as a guide shows a gallery to a sight-seer. Every member of the family
had provided his, or her, private "surprise." Cesarine, dear child, had
spent all her little hoard, a hundred louis, on buying books for her
father. Monsieur Grindot confided to her one morning that there were two
book-cases in Cesar's room, which enclosed an alcove,--an architectural
surprise to her father. Cesarine flung all her girlish savings upon the
counter of a bookseller's shop, and obtained in return, Bossuet, Racine,
Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, Moliere, Buffon, Fenelon,
Delille, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, La Fontaine, Corneille, Pascal, La
Harpe,--in short, the whole array of matter-of-course libraries to be
found everywhere and which assuredly her father would never read. A
terrible bill for binding was in the background. The celebrated and
dilatory binder, Thouvenin, had promised to deliver the volumes at
twelve o'clock in the morning of the 16th. Cesarine confided her anxiety
to her uncle Pillerault, and he had promised to pay the bill. The
"surprise" of Cesar to his wife was the gown of cherry-colored velvet,
trimmed with lace, of which he spoke to his accomplice, Cesarine. The
"surprise" of Madame Birotteau to the new chevalier was a pair of gold
shoe-buckles, and a diamond pin. For the whole family there was the
surprise of the new appartement, and, a fortnight later, the still
greater surprise of the bills when they came in.

Cesar carefully weighed the question as to which invitations should be
given in person, and which should be sent by Raguet. He ordered a coach
and took his wife--much disfigured by a bonnet with feathers, and his
last gift, a shawl which she had coveted for fifteen years--on a round
of civilities. In their best array, these worthy people paid twenty-two
visits in the course of one morning.

Cesar excused his wife from the labor and difficulty of preparing at
home the various viands demanded by the splendor of the entertainment.
A diplomatic treaty was arranged between the famous Chevet and the
perfumer. Chevet furnished superb silver plate (which brought him an
income equal to that of land); he supplied the dinner, the wines, and
the waiters, under the orders of a major-domo of dignified aspect, who
was responsible for the proper management of everything. Chevet exacted
that the kitchen, and the dining-room on the _entresol_, should be given
up to him as he