Through the influence of a feuilleton, edited by Vernou, a friend of Bixiou, Finot, and Giroudeau, Mariette made her appearance, not at the Panorama-Dramatique but at the Porte-Saint-Martin, where she triumphed beside the famous Begrand.  Among the directors of the theatre was a rich and luxurious general officer, in love with an actress, for whose sake he had made himself an impresario.  In Paris, we frequently meet with men so fascinated with actresses, singers, or ballet-dancers, that they are willing to become directors of a theatre out of love.  This officer knew Philippe and Giroudeau.  Mariette’s first appearance, heralded already by Finot’s journal and also by Philippe’s, was promptly arranged by the three officers; for there seems to be solidarity among the passions in a matter of folly.

The mischievous Bixiou was not long in revealing to his grandmother and the devoted Agathe that Philippe, the cashier, the hero of heroes, was in love with Mariette, the celebrated ballet-dancer at the Porte-Saint-Martin.  The news was a thunder-clap to the two widows; Agathe’s religious principles taught her to think that all women on the stage were brands in the burning; moreover, she thought, and so did Madame Descoings, that women of that kind dined off gold, drank pearls, and wasted fortunes.

“Now do you suppose,” said Joseph to his mother, “that my brother is such a fool as to spend his money on Mariette?  Such women only ruin rich men.”

“They talk of engaging Mariette at the Opera,” said Bixiou.  “Don’t be worried, Madame Bridau; the diplomatic body often comes to the Porte-Saint-Martin, and that handsome girl won’t stay long with your son.  I did hear that an ambassador was madly in love with her.  By the bye, another piece of news!  Old Claparon is dead, and his son, who has become a banker, has ordered the cheapest kind of funeral for him.  That fellow has no education; they wouldn’t behave like that in China.”

Philippe, prompted by mercenary motives, proposed to Mariette that she should marry him; but she, knowing herself on the eve of an engagement at the Grand Opera, refused the offer, either because she guessed the colonel’s motive, or because she saw how important her independence would be to her future fortune.  For the remainder of this year, Philippe never came more than twice a month to see his mother.  Where was he?  Either at his office, or the theatre, or with Mariette.  No light whatever as to his conduct reached the household of the rue Mazarin.  Giroudeau, Finot, Bixiou, Vernou, Lousteau, saw him leading a life of pleasure.  Philippe shared the gay amusements of Tullia, a leading singer at the Opera, of Florentine, who took Mariette’s place at the Porte-Saint-Martin, of Florine and Matifat, Coralie and Camusot.  After four o’clock, when he left his office, until midnight, he amused himself; some party of pleasure had usually been arranged the night before,—­a good dinner, a card-party, a supper by some one or other of the set.  Philippe was in his element.