I hope she will be
properly dressed; that jealous mother of hers does make such a fright
of her! Gentlemen, I trust that you will all do us the honor to come,"
she added, stopping the procession to address the two Cruchots.
"Here you are at home, madame," said the notary.
After bowing to the three des Grassins, the three Cruchots returned
home, applying their provincial genius for analysis to studying, under
all its aspects, the great event of the evening, which undoubtedly
changed the respective positions of Grassinists and Cruchotines. The
admirable common-sense which guided all the actions of these great
machinators made each side feel the necessity of a momentary alliance
against a common enemy. Must they not mutually hinder Eugenie from
loving her cousin, and the cousin from thinking of Eugenie? Could the
Parisian resist the influence of treacherous insinuations, soft-spoken
calumnies, slanders full of faint praise and artless denials, which
should be made to circle incessantly about him and deceive him?
IV
When the four relations were left alone, Monsieur Grandet said to his
nephew,--
"We must go to bed. It is too late to talk about the matters which
have brought you here; to-morrow we will take a suitable moment. We
breakfast at eight o'clock; at midday we eat a little fruit or a bit
of bread, and drink a glass of white wine; and we dine, like the
Parisians, at five o'clock.
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