“It exhausts him,” replied the chevalier, trying to bring the old maid’s thoughts back to the ground where he hoped to inspire her with horror for her youthful lover.  “The morals of those Imperial lyceums are really shocking.”

“Oh, yes!” said the ingenuous creature.  “They march the pupils about with drums at their head.  The masters have no more religion than pagans.  And they put the poor lads in uniform, as if they were troops.  What ideas!”

“And behold the product!” said the chevalier, motioning to Athanase.  “In my day, young men were not so shy of looking at a pretty woman.  As for him, he drops his eyes whenever he sees you.  That young man frightens me because I am really interested in him.  Tell him not to intrigue with the Bonapartists, as he is now doing about that theatre.  When all these petty folks cease to ask for it insurrectionally, —­which to my mind is the synonym of constitutionally,—­the government will build it.  Besides which, tell his mother to keep an eye on him.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will prevent him from seeing those half-pay, questionable people.  I’ll talk to her,” said Mademoiselle Cormon, “for he might lose his place in the mayor’s office; and then what would he and his mother have to live on?  It makes me shudder.”

As Monsieur de Talleyrand said of his wife, so the chevalier said to himself, looking at Mademoiselle Cormon:—­

“Find me another as stupid!  Good powers! isn’t virtue which drives out intellect vice?  But what an adorable wife for a man of my age!  What principles! what ignorance!”

Remember that this monologue, addressed to the Princess Goritza, was mentally uttered while he took a pinch of snuff.

Madame Granson had divined that the chevalier was talking about Athanase.  Eager to know the result of the conversation, she followed Mademoiselle Cormon, who was now approaching the young man with much dignity.  But at this moment Jacquelin appeared to announce that mademoiselle was served.  The old maid gave a glance of appeal to the chevalier; but the gallant recorder of mortgages, who was beginning to see in the manners of that gentleman the barrier which the provincial nobles were setting up about this time between themselves and the bourgeoisie, made the most of his chance to cut out Monsieur de Valois.  He was close to Mademoiselle Cormon, and promptly offered his arm, which she found herself compelled to accept.  The chevalier then darted, out of policy, upon Madame Granson.

“Mademoiselle Cormon, my dear lady,” he said to her, walking slowly after all the other guests, “feels the liveliest interest in your dear Athanase; but I fear it will vanish through his own fault.  He is irreligious and liberal; he is agitating this matter of the theatre; he frequents the Bonapartists; he takes the side of that rector.  Such conduct may make him lose his place in the mayor’s office.  You know with what care the government is beginning to weed out such opinions.  If your dear Athanase loses his place, where can he find other employment?  I advise him not to get himself in bad odor with the administration.”