"Good fortune almost always comes like that; when you are looking for it, it keeps you waiting!"
"True; indeed, there are some people who wait for it all their lives."
"Here is the wallet which contains my fortune; be good enough to examine it, madame, to make sure that I have not deceived you."
"Oh! I believe you, monsieur."
Nevertheless, although she said: "I believe you," the fair Thélénie closely scrutinized the wallet, which Chamoureau had placed in her lap. She examined the notes of the Treasury and of the Caisse d'Escompte, the drafts and the bank-notes; then she returned the wallet to Chamoureau, saying:
"Yes, you are rich; there are more than four hundred thousand francs there. What do you propose to do with this fortune?"
"Did I not write you that I offered it to you, with my hand?"
"Yes, you did write me that; so the offer is serious, is it?"
"Is it serious! as serious as is my love for you, which has become a passion that I cannot control."
"Do you know that you are a very dangerous man? that it's hard to resist you?"