“You relieve me immensely. I don’t know whether I ought to thank you.”
“Wait till the end.”
“By the way,” exclaimed the Duc de Grandlieu, “what is your man’s name? I must mention it to Derville. Send him to me to-morrow by five o’clock; I will have Derville here and put them in communication.”
“His real name,” said M. de Chaulieu, “is, I think, Corentin—a name you must never have heard, for my gentleman will come ticketed with his official name. He calls himself Monsieur de Saint-Something—Saint Yves—Saint-Valere?—Something of the kind.—You may trust him; Louis XVIII. had perfect confidence in him.”
After this confabulation the steward had orders to shut the door on Monsieur de Rubempre—which was done.
Lucien paced the waiting-room at the opera-house like a man who was drunk. He fancied himself the talk of all Paris. He had in the Duc de Rhetore one of those unrelenting enemies on whom a man must smile, as he can never be revenged, since their attacks are in conformity with the rules of society. The Duc de Rhetore knew the scene that had just taken place on the outside steps of the Grandlieus’ house. Lucien, feeling the necessity of at once reporting the catastrophe to his high privy councillor, nevertheless was afraid of compromising himself by going to Esther’s house, where he might find company. He actually forgot that Esther was here, so confused were his thoughts, and in the midst of so much perplexity he was obliged to make small talk with Rastignac, who, knowing nothing of the news, congratulated him on his approaching marriage.
At this moment Nucingen appeared smiling, and said to Lucien:
“Vill you do me de pleasure to come to see Montame de Champy, vat vill infite you herself to von house-varming party——”
“With pleasure, Baron,” replied Lucien, to whom the Baron appeared as a rescuing angel.
“Leave us,” said Esther to Monsieur de Nucingen, when she saw him come in with Lucien. “Go and see Madame du Val-Noble, whom I discover in a box on the third tier with her nabob.—A great many nabobs grow in the Indies,” she added, with a knowing glance at Lucien.