“In a corner of the Bourse he came upon poor Matifat, who had three hundred thousand francs in Nucingen’s bank.  Matifat, ghastly and haggard, beheld the terrible Gigonnet, the bill-discounter of his old quarter, coming up to worry him.  He shuddered in spite of himself.

“’Things are looking bad.  There is a crisis on hand.  Nucingen is compounding with his creditors.  But this does not interest you, Daddy Matifat; you are out of business.’

“’Oh, well, you are mistaken, Gigonnet; I am in for three hundred thousand francs.  I meant to speculate in Spanish bonds.’

“’Then you have saved your money.  Spanish bonds would have swept everything away; whereas I am prepared to offer you something like fifty per cent for your account with Nucingen.’

“‘You are very keen about it, it seems to me,’ said Matifat.  ’I never knew a banker yet that paid less than fifty per cent.  Ah, if it were only a matter of ten per cent of loss—­’ added the retired man of drugs.

“‘Well, will you take fifteen?’ asked Gigonnet.

“‘You are very keen about it, it seems to me,’ said Matifat.

“‘Good-night.’

“‘Will you take twelve?’

“‘Done,’ said Gigonnet.

“Before night two millions had been bought up in the names of the three chance-united confederates, and posted by du Tillet to the debit side of Nucingen’s account.  Next day they drew their premium.

“The dainty little old Baroness d’Aldrigger was at breakfast with her two daughters and Godefroid, when Rastignac came in with a diplomatic air to steer the conversation on the financial crisis.  The Baron de Nucingen felt a lively regard for the d’Aldrigger family; he was prepared, if things went amiss, to cover the Baroness’ account with his best securities, to wit, some shares in the argentiferous lead-mines, but the application must come from the lady.

“‘Poor Nucingen!’ said the Baroness.  ‘What can have become of him?’

“’He is in Belgium.  His wife is petitioning for a separation of her property; but he had gone to see if he can arrange with some bankers to see him through.’

“’Dear me!  That reminds me of my poor husband!  Dear M. de Rastignac, how you must feel this, so attached as you are to the house!’

“’If all the indifferent are covered, his personal friends will be rewarded later on.  He will pull through; he is a clever man.’

“‘An honest man, above all things,’ said the Baroness.

“A month later, Nucingen met all his liabilities, with no formalities beyond the letters by which creditors signified the investments which they preferred to take in exchange for their capital; and with no action on the part of other banks beyond registering the transfer of Nucingen’s paper for the investments in favor.

“While du Tillet, Werbrust, Claparon, Gigonnet, and others that thought themselves clever were fetching in Nucingen’s paper from abroad with a premium of one per cent—­for it was still worth their while to exchange it for securities in a rising market—­there was all the more talk on the Bourse, because there was nothing now to fear.  They babbled over Nucingen; he was discussed and judged; they even slandered him.  His luxurious life, his enterprises!  When a man has so much on his hands, he overreaches himself, and so forth, and so forth.