“That is, no doubt, quite the correct thing,” said the lawyer; “very generous so far as the affections are concerned and the vagaries of passion; but I know of no name, nor law, nor title that can shelter the theft of three hundred thousand francs so meanly wrung from my father!—­I tell you plainly, my dear father-in-law, your future wife is unworthy of you, she is false to you, and is madly in love with my brother-in-law, Steinbock, whose debts she had paid.”

“It is I who paid them!”

“Very good,” said Hulot; “I am glad for Count Steinbock’s sake; he may some day repay the money.  But he is loved, much loved, and often—­”

“Loved!” cried Crevel, whose face showed his utter bewilderment.  “It is cowardly, and dirty, and mean, and cheap, to calumniate a woman!  —­When a man says such things, monsieur, he must bring proof.”

“I will bring proof.”

“I shall expect it.”

“By the day after to-morrow, my dear Monsieur Crevel, I shall be able to tell you the day, the hour, the very minute when I can expose the horrible depravity of your future wife.”

“Very well; I shall be delighted,” said Crevel, who had recovered himself.

“Good-bye, my children, for the present; good-bye, Lisbeth.”

“See him out, Lisbeth,” said Celestine in an undertone.

“And is this the way you take yourself off?” cried Lisbeth to Crevel.

“Ah, ha!” said Crevel, “my son-in-law is too clever by half; he is getting on.  The Courts and the Chamber, judicial trickery and political dodges, are making a man of him with a vengeance!—­So he knows I am to be married on Wednesday, and on a Sunday my gentleman proposes to fix the hour, within three days, when he can prove that my wife is unworthy of me.  That is a good story!—­Well, I am going back to sign the contract.  Come with me, Lisbeth—­yes, come.  They will never know.  I meant to have left Celestine forty thousand francs a year; but Hulot has just behaved in a way to alienate my affection for ever.”

“Give me ten minutes, Pere Crevel; wait for me in your carriage at the gate.  I will make some excuse for going out.”

“Very well—­all right.”

“My dears,” said Lisbeth, who found all the family reassembled in the drawing-room, “I am going with Crevel:  the marriage contract is to be signed this afternoon, and I shall hear what he has settled.  It will probably be my last visit to that woman.  Your father is furious; he will disinherit you—­”

“His vanity will prevent that,” said the son-in-law.  “He was bent on owning the estate of Presles, and he will keep it; I know him.  Even if he were to have children, Celestine would still have half of what he might leave; the law forbids his giving away all his fortune.—­Still, these questions are nothing to me; I am only thinking of our honor.  —­Go then, cousin,” and he pressed Lisbeth’s hand, “and listen carefully to the contract.”