“That’s your affair,” said the Provencal.  “I don’t know how you regard the family in Paris; I only know that in my part of the country it is an unheard-of thing that a girl should have such liberty.  If you, your sister (supposing she plays fair in the matter), and the father and mother can’t succeed in making a girl whom you dower agree to so simple a thing as to make a perfectly free choice between two suitors, then good-bye to you!  You’ll have to write upon your gate-post that Celeste is queen and sovereign of the house.”

“Well, we haven’t got to that point yet,” said Thuillier, with a capable air.

“As for you, my old fellow,” resumed la Peyrade, “I must postpone our business until after Celeste’s decision.  Be that in my favor or not, I will then go to work, and in three days the pamphlet can be finished.”

“Now,” said Thuillier, “I know what you have had on your mind.  I’ll talk about it with Brigitte.”

“That’s a sad conclusion,” said la Peyrade; “but, unhappily, so it is.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I would rather, as you can easily imagine, hear you say of yourself that the thing shall be done; but old habits can’t be broken up.”

“Ah ca! do you think I’m a man without any will, any initiative of my own?”

“No! but I’d like to be hidden in a corner and hear how you will open the subject with your sister.”

“Parbleu!  I shall open it frankly.  I WILL, very firmly said, shall meet every one of her objections.”

“Ah, my poor fellow!” said la Peyrade, clapping him on the shoulder, “from Chrysale down how often have we seen brave warriors lowering their penants before the wills of women accustomed to master them!”

“We’ll see about that,” replied Thuillier, making a theatrical exit.

The eager desire to publish his pamphlet, and the clever doubt thrown upon the strength of his will had made him furious,—­an actual tiger; and he went away resolved, in case of opposition, to reduce his household, as the saying is, by fire and sword.

When he reached home Thuillier instantly laid the question before Brigitte.  She, with her crude good sense and egotism, pointed out to him that by thus hastening the period formerly agreed upon for the marriage, they committed the blunder of disarming themselves; they could not be sure that when the election took place la Peyrade would put the same zeal into preparing for it.  “It might be,” said the old maid, “just as it has been about the cross.”

“There’s this difference,” said Thuillier; “the cross doesn’t depend directly upon la Peyrade, whereas the influence he exerts in the 12th arrondissement he can employ as he will.”

“And suppose he willed, after we have feathered his nest,” said Brigitte, “to work his influence for his own election?  He is very ambitious, you know.”

This danger did not fail to strike the mind of the future legislator, who thought, however, that he might feel some security in the honor and morality of la Peyrade.