“Is it to Monsieur Milaud de la Baudraye that I have the honor—­”

“Yes,” said the little man, draping himself in his dressing-gown.

After examining this garment, the illicit offspring of an old chine wrapper of Madame Piedefer’s and a gown of the late lamented Madame de la Baudraye, the emissary considered the man, the dressing-gown, and the little stove on which the milk was boiling in a tin saucepan, as so homogeneous and characteristic, that he deemed it needless to beat about the bush.

“I will lay a wager, monsieur,” said he, audaciously, “that you dine for forty sous at Hurbain’s in the Palais Royal.”

“Pray, why?”

“Oh, I know you, having seen you there,” replied the Parisian with perfect gravity.  “All the princes’ creditors dine there.  You know that you recover scarcely ten per cent on debts from these fine gentlemen.  I would not give you five per cent on a debt to be recovered from the estate of the late Duc d’Orleans—­nor even,” he added in a low voice —­“from MONSIEUR.”

“So you have come to buy up the bills?” said La Baudraye, thinking himself very clever.

“Buy them!” said his visitor.  “Why, what do you take me for?  I am Monsieur des Lupeaulx, Master of Appeals, Secretary-General to the Ministry, and I have come to propose an arrangement.”

“What is that?”

“Of course, monsieur, you know the position of your debtor—­”

“Of my debtors—­”

“Well, monsieur, you understand the position of your debtors; they stand high in the King’s good graces, but they have no money, and are obliged to make a good show.—­Again, you know the difficulties of the political situation.  The aristocracy has to be rehabilitated in the face of a very strong force of the third estate.  The King’s idea—­and France does him scant justice—­is to create a peerage as a national institution analogous to the English peerage.  To realize this grand idea we need years—­and millions.—­Noblesse oblige.  The Duc de Navarreins, who is, as you know, first gentleman of the Bedchamber to the King, does not repudiate his debt; but he cannot—­Now, be reasonable.—­Consider the state of politics.  We are emerging from the pit of the Revolution.—­and you yourself are noble—­He simply cannot pay—­”

“Monsieur—­”

“You are hasty,” said des Lupeaulx.  “Listen.  He cannot pay in money.  Well, then; you, a clever man, can take payment in favors—­Royal or Ministerial.”

“What!  When in 1793 my father put down one hundred thousand—­”

“My dear sir, recrimination is useless.  Listen to a simple statement in political arithmetic:  The collectorship at Sancerre is vacant; a certain paymaster-general of the forces has a claim on it, but he has no chance of getting it; you have the chance—­and no claim.  You will get the place.  You will hold it for three months, you will then resign, and Monsieur Gravier will give twenty thousand francs for it.  In addition, the Order of the Legion of Honor will be conferred on you.”