Monsieur Croque lounged easily on the couch and replied, smoothing his beard:
"Oh! you have a shrewd idea, little sister; I won't insult you by thinking that you haven't guessed. After all, isn't it perfectly natural? Your brother is unlucky, he hasn't a sou, he's wretchedly dressed, as you justly observed just now, and it's hard on one's self-esteem to go out in the street like this! But this brother has a sister who is in very happy, fortunate circumstances. I don't say she's a millionaire; dear me, no! that would be too grand! but she has enough to dress very stylishly. Well, then; she can't let her brother go in rags. Of course not! that wouldn't be decent! And so this brother goes to see his sister and says to her: 'You've got money, and I haven't; give me some of what you have; I won't give you any of what I have because I have nothing, but I'll bear your image in my heart.'—How's that? do you get my meaning now?"
"Oh, yes! I knew well enough that it was money you wanted."
"If you knew it, what made you ask me what I came here for? You wanted to make me laugh a bit, you rogue!"
"It was money that you came for five years ago, and then you were to obtain employment, to reform and behave yourself."
"Bah! my dear love, are we able to direct events to suit our pleasure? Certain things happened which disarranged the course I had marked out for myself—that's the whole story."
"Nine years and a half, almost ten years ago, I found a suitable place for you; how did you lose it?"
"Oh! you mean the place of secretary to Monsieur Duronceray?"
"It was a pleasant place; you wrote very well, and that was all that was necessary; you had very little to do and a salary of fifteen hundred francs."