ress Birotteau.

"I brought my bill because it was the end of the year," he whispered to
Cesar; "but there's no hurry."

"What is the matter, Cesar?" said Pillerault, noticing the amazement
of his nephew, who, having glanced at the bill, made no reply to either
Ragon or Lourdois.

"Oh, a trifle. I took notes to the amount of five thousand francs from
my neighbor, a dealer in umbrellas, and he has failed. If he has given
me bad securities I shall be caught, like a fool."

"And yet I have warned you many times," cried Ragon; "a drowning man
will catch at his father's leg to save himself, and drown him too. I
have seen so many failures! People are not exactly scoundrels when the
disaster begins, but they soon come to be, out of sheer necessity."

"That's true," said Pillerault.

"If I ever get into the Chamber of Deputies, and ever have any influence
in the government," said Birotteau, rising on his toes and dropping back
on his heels,--

"What would you do?" said Lourdois, "for you've a long head."

Molineux, interested in any discussion about law, lingered in the shop;
and as the attention of a few persons is apt to make others attentive,
Pillerault and Ragon listened as gravely as the three strangers, though
they perfectly well knew Cesar's opinions.

"I would have," said the perfumer, "a court of irremovable judges, with
a magistracy to attend to the application and execution of the laws.
After the examination of a case, during which the judge should fulfil
the functions of agent, assignee, and commissioner, the merchant
should be declared _insolvent with rights of reinstatement_, or else
_bankrupt_. If the former, he should be required to pay in full; he
should be left in control of his own property and that of his wife;
all his belongings and his inherited property should belong to his
creditors, and he should administer his affairs in their interests
under supervision; he should still carry on his business, signing always
'So-and-so, insolvent,' until the whole debt is paid off. If bankrupt,
he should be condemned, as formerly, to the pillory on the Place de la
Bourse, and exposed for two hours, wearing a green cap. His property and
that of his wife, and all his rights of every kind should be handed over
to his creditors, and he himself banished from the kingdom."

"Business would be more secure," said Lourdois; "people would think
twice before launching into speculations."

"The existing laws are not e