Aloud  she  said,  'TVith  the  greatest  pleasure,  monsieur.  I  hope
that  you  will  come  at  dinner-time  with  our  Cousin  Pons.  The
President  will  be  delighted  to  make  your  acquaintance. —
Thank  you,  cousin."

The  lady  squeezed  Pons'  arm  with  deep  meaning;  she  could
not  have  said  more  if  she  had  used  the  consecrated  formula,
*Tjet  us  swear  an  eternal  friendship."  The  glance  which  ac-
companied that  "Thank  you,  cousin,"  was  a  caress.
When  the  young  lady  had  been  put  into  the  carriage,  and
the  jobbed  brougham  had  disappeared  down  the  Rue  Chariot,
Brunner  talked  bric-i-brac  to  Pons,  and  Pons  talked  marriage.
"Then  you  see  no  obstacle?"  said  Pons.
"Oh!"  said  Brunner,  "she  is  an  insignificant  little  thing,
and  the  mother  is  a  trifle  prim. — We  shall  see."

"A  handsome  fortune  one  of  these  days.  .  .  .  More
than  a  million "

"Good-bye  till  Monday !"  interrupted  the  millionaire.  "If
you  should  care  to  sell  your  collection  of  pictures,  I  would  give
you  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  francs ^"


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84  COl^SIX  PONS

'^Ah  V^  said  Pons ;  he  had  no  idea  that  he  was  so  rich,  ^^ut
they  are  my  great  pleasure  in  life,  and  I  could  not  bring  my-
self to  part  with  them.  I  could  only  sell  my  collection  to  be
delivered  after  my  death/'

''Very  well.    We  shall  see.''

"Here  we  have  two  aflfairs  afoot !"  said  Pons;  he  was  think-
ing only  of  the  marriage.
Brunner  shook  hands  and  drove  away  in  his  splendid  car-
riage. Pons  watched  it  out  of  sight.  He  did  not  notice  that
B6monencq  was  smoking  his  pipe  in  the  doorway.
