that his
wife and daughter should be at liberty to take full enjoyment out of
the beautiful appartement he had given them. But the first flush of
happiness over, Madame Birotteau would have died rather than renounce
her right of personally inspecting the affairs of the house,--of
holding, as she phrased it, the handle of the frying-pan. Birotteau was
at his wits' end; he had used all his cunning in trying to hide from his
wife the symptoms of his embarrassment. Constance strongly disapproved
of sending round the bills; she had scolded the clerks and accused
Celestin of wishing to ruin the establishment, thinking that it was all
his doing. Celestin, by Birotteau's order, had allowed himself to be
scolded. In the eyes of the clerks Madame Cesar governed her husband;
for though it is possible to deceive the public, the inmates of a
household are never deceived as to who exercises the real authority.
Birotteau knew that he must now reveal his real situation to his wife,
for the account with du Tillet needed an explanation. When he got back
to the shop, he saw, not without a shudder, that Constance was sitting
in her old place behind the counter, examining the expense account, and
no doubt counting up the money in the desk.

"How will you meet your payments to-morrow?" she whispered as he sat
down beside her.

"With money," he answered, pulling out the bank-bills, and signing to
Celestin to take them.

"Where did you get that money?"

"I'll tell you all about it this evening. Celestin, write down, 'Last of
March, note for ten thousand francs, to du Tillet's order.'"

"Du Tillet!" repeated Constance, struck with consternation.

"I am going to see Popinot," said Cesar; "it is very wrong in me not to
have gone before. Have we sold his oil?"

"The three hundred bottles he sent us are all gone."

"Birotteau, don't go out; I want to speak to you," said Constance,
taking him by the arm, and leading him into her bedroom with an
impetuosity which would have caused a laugh under other circumstances.
"Du Tillet," she said, when she had made sure no one but Cesarine was
with them,--"du Tillet, who robbed us of three thousand francs! So you
are doing business with du Tillet,--a monster, who wished to seduce me,"
she whispered in his ear.

"Folly of youth," said Birotteau, assuming for the nonce the tone of a
free-thinker.

"Listen to me, Birotteau! You are all upset; you don't go to the
manufactory any more; there is someth