On leaving Madame de Godollo, la Peyrade felt the necessity of gathering himself together.  Beneath the conversation he had just maintained with this strange woman, what could he see,—­a trap, or a rich and distinguished marriage offered to him.  Under such a doubt as this, to press Celeste for an immediate answer was neither clever nor prudent; it was simply to bind himself, and close the door to the changes, still very ill-defined, which seemed offered to him.  The result of the consultation which Theodose held with himself as he walked along the boulevard was that he ought, for the moment, to think only of gaining time.  Consequently, instead of going to the Thuilliers’ to learn Celeste’s decision, he went home, and wrote the following little note to Thuillier:—­

My dear Thuillier,—­You will certainly not think it extraordinary that I should not present myself at your house to-day,—­partly because I fear the sentence which will be pronounced upon me, and partly because I do not wish to seem an impatient and unmannerly creditor.  A few days, more or less, will matter little under such circumstances, and yet Mademoiselle Colleville may find them desirable for the absolute freedom of her choice.  I shall, therefore, not go to see you until you write for me.

  I am now more calm, and I have added a few more pages to our
  manuscript; it will take but little time to hand in the whole to
  the printer.

                                        Ever yours,
                                             Theodose de la Peyrade.

Two hours later a servant, dressed in what was evidently the first step towards a livery, which the Thuilliers did not as yet venture to risk, the “male domestic,” whom Minard had mentioned to the Phellions, arrived at la Peyrade’s lodgings with the following note:—­

  Come to-night, without fail.  We will talk over the whole affair
  with Brigitte.

Your most affectionately devoted
Jerome Thuillier.

“Good!” said la Peyrade; “evidently there is some hindrance on the other side; I shall have time to turn myself round.”

That evening, when the servant announced him in the Thuillier salon, the Comtesse de Godollo, who was sitting with Brigitte, hastened to rise and leave the room.  As she passed la Peyrade she made him a very ceremonious bow.  There was nothing conclusive to be deduced from this abrupt departure, which might signify anything, either much or nothing.

After talking of the weather and so forth for a time, as persons do who have met to discuss a delicate subject about which they are not sure of coming to an understanding, the matter was opened by Brigitte, who had sent her brother to take a walk on the boulevard, telling him to leave her to manage the affair.

“My dear boy,” she said to Theodose, “it was very nice of you not to come here to-day like a grasp-all, to put your pistol at our throats, for we were not, as it happened, quite ready to answer you.  I think,” she added, “that our little Celeste needs a trifle more time.”