"Have no fear," interrupted Velletri dryly; "the sum in question is not so immense that you need be frightened about it."
Fougereuse breathed more freely.
"To found the houses named only a very modest sum is necessary, not more than a million!"
"A million!" stammered the marquis, "a million!"
"The sum is very small in comparison to the office you buy with it, and only the particular friendship our order had for you caused it to give you the preference, to the exclusion of numerous applicants."
"But a million!" groaned Fougereuse, "the sum is impossible to secure! If I were to sell or pawn everything, I would not succeed in raising a quarter of this sum."
"Then you refuse?" asked Velletri.
"God forbid, only I do not know how I shall satisfy the demand of the society. A million is, under the circumstances, a terrible sum!"
"Marquis, the house of Fougereuse possesses a fortune which is fabulous in comparison to the demands of the society."