The unlooked-for kindness of this man, who forgot all his own sorrows in his anxiety to relieve the necessities of another, affected Andre deeply.

“I do not need money,” began he.

With a wave of his hand Gandelu inspired silence.  “Take these twenty thousand francs,” said he, “and then I can tell you why I asked you to come upstairs.”

A refusal would have wounded the old man deeply, and so Andre took the proffered loan.

Gandelu resumed his seat, and remained in gloomy silence for some time.

“My dear boy,” said he, in a voice broken by emotion, “a day or two back you saw something of the trouble that I am laboring under.  I have no longer any respect or esteem for that wretched fool, my son, Pierre.”

Andre had already guessed that he had been incensed with reference to something connected with Gaston.

“You son has behaved very foolishly,” said he; “but remember he is very young.”

A sad smile passed over the old man’s face.

“My son is old in vice,” replied he.  “I have thought the matter over only too plainly.  Yesterday he declared that he would kill himself.  An absurd threat.  Up to this time I have been culpably weak, and it is no use now to act in an opposite direction.  The unhappy boy is infatuated with a degraded woman named Rose, and I have had her locked up; but I have made up my mind to let her out again, and also to pay his debts.  It is weak folly, I allow; but what am I to do?  I am his father after all; and while I cannot respect her, I must love him.  He has almost broken my heart, but it was his to do as he liked with.”

Andre made no reply, and Gandelu went on.

“I have not deceived myself; my son is ruined.  I can but stand by and wait for the end.  If this Rose is not everything that is bad, her influence may be of some use to him.  But I want some one to undertake these negotiations, and I had hopes, Andre, that you would have been able to do so.”

Andre felt that all his efforts ought to be devoted to the interests of Sabine, but at the same time he could not leave the kind old man to the mercy of others, and by a display of absolute heroism he determined to accede to the broken-hearted father’s desires and briefly told him that he was at his service.  Gandelu thanked him warmly, and Andre seating himself at the table, the two men entered into a long discussion as to the best means to be adopted.  It was finally decided that Andre should act with freedom and according to his own instincts, and that M. Gandelu should, to actual appearance, remain firm in the course he had entered upon, and should only be induced, by Andre’s intercession, to adopt milder measures.  The result justified their anticipations, for Gaston was even more crushed and downcast than Andre had imagined, and it was in an agony of suspense that he awaited the return of the young painter.  As soon as he saw him descending the steps he sprang forward to greet him.