But already, at this time, M. Vincent Favoral's situation had beensingularly modified.

The revolution of 1848 had just taken place. The factory in theFaubourg St. Antoine, where he was employed, had been compelled toclose its doors.

One evening, as he came home at the usual hour, he announced thathe had been discharged.

Mme. Favoral shuddered at the thought of what her husband might be,without work, and deprived of his salary.

"What is to become of us?" she murmured.

He shrugged his shoulders. Visibly he was much excited. His cheekswere flushed; his eyes sparkled.

"Bash!" he said: "we shan't starve for all that." And, as his wifewas gazing at him in astonishment:

Well, he went o what are looking at? It is so: I know many a onewho affects to live on his income, and who are not as well off aswe are."It was, for over six years since he was married, the first time thathe spoke of his business otherwise than to groan and complain, toaccuse fate, and curse the high price of living. The very day before,he had declared himself ruined by the purchase of a pair of shoesfor Maxence. The change was so sudden and so great, that she hardlyknew what to think, and wondered if grief at the loss of his situationhad not somewhat disturbed his mind.

"Such are women," he went on with a giggle. "Results astonish them,because they know nothing of the means used to bring them about. AmI a fool, then? Would I impose upon myself privations of all sorts,if it were to accomplish nothing? Parbleu! I love fine livingtoo, I do, and good dinners at the restaurant, and the theatre, andthe nice little excursions in the country. But I want to be rich.

At the price of all the comforts which I have not had, I have saveda capital, the income of which will support us all. Eh, eh! That'sthe power of the little penny put out to fatten!"As she went to bed that night, Mme. Favoral felt more happy than shehad done since her mother's death. She almost forgave her husbandhis sordid parsimony, and the humiliations he had heaped upon her.

"Well, be it so," she thought. "I shall have lived miserably, I shallhave endured nameless sufferings; but my children shall be rich, theirlife shall be easy and pleasant."The next day M. Favoral's excitement had completely abated.

Manifestly he regretted his confidences.

"You must not think on that account that you can waste and pillageevery thing," he declared rudely. "Besides, I have greatlyexaggerated."And he started in search of a situation.

To find one was likely to be difficult. Times of revolution are notexactly propitious to industry. Whilst the parties discussed in theChamber, there were on the street twenty thousand clerks, who, everymorning as they rose, wondered where they would dine that day.

For want of any thing better, Vincent Favoral undertook to keepbooks in various places, - an hour here, an hour there, twice a weekin one house, four times in another.

In this way he earned as much and more than he did at the factory;but the business did not suit him.

What he liked was the office from which one does not stir, thestove-heated atmosphere, the elbow-worn desk, the leather-cushionedchair, the black alpaca sleeves over the coat. The idea that heshould on one and the same day have to do with five or six differenthouses, and be compelled to walk an hour, to go and work another hourat the other end of Paris, fairly irritated him. He found himselfout of his reckoning, like a horse who has turned a mill for tenyears; if he is made to trot straight before him.

So, one morning, he gave up the whole thing, swearing that he wouldrather remain idle until he could find a place suited to his tasteand his convenience; and, in the mean time, all they would have todo would be to put a little less butter in the soup, and a littlemore water in the wine.

He went out, nevertheless, and remained until dinner-time. And hedid the same the next and the following days.

He started off the moment he had swallowed the last mouthful of hisbreakfast, came home at six o'clock, dined in haste, and disappearedagain, not to return until about midnight. He had hours of deliriousjoy, and moments of frightful discouragement. Sometimes he seemedhorribly uneasy.

"What can he be doing?" thought Mme. Favoral.

She ventured to ask him the question one morning, when he was infine humor.

"Well," he answered, "am I not the master? I am operating at thebourse, that's all!"He could hardly have owned to any thing that would have frightenedthe poor woman as much.

"Are you not afraid," she objected, "to lose all we have sopainfully accumulated? We have children -"He did not allow her to proceed.

"Do you take me for a child?" he exclaimed; "or do I look to youlike a man so easy to be duped? Mind to economize in your householdexpenses, and don't meddle with my business."And he continued. And he must have been lucky in his operations;for he had never been so pleasant at home. All his ways had changed.

He had had clothes made at a first-class tailor's, and was evidentlytrying to look elegant. He gave up his pipe, and smoked only cigars.

He got tired of giving every morning the money for the house, andtook the habit of handing it to his wife every week, on Sunday. Amark of vast confidence, as he observed to her. And so, the firsttime:

"Be careful," he said, "that you don't find yourself pennilessbefore Thursday."He became also more communicative. Often during the dinner, hewould tell what he had heard during the day, anecdotes, gossip.

He enumerated the persons with whom he had spoken. He named anumber of people whom he called his friends, and whose names Mme.

Favoral carefully stored away in her memory.

There was one especially, who seemed to inspire him with a profoundrespect, a boundless admiration, and of whom he never tired oftalking. He was, said he, a man of his age, - M. de Thaller, theBaron de Thaller.

"This one," he kept repeating, "is really mad: he is rich, he hasideas, he'll go far. It would be a great piece of luck if I couldget him to do something for me!"Until at last one day:

"Your parents were very rich once.?" he asked his wife.

"I have heard it said," she answered.

"They spent a good deal of money, did they not? They had friends:

they gave dinner-parties.""Yes, they received a good deal of company.""You remember that time?""Surely I do.""So that if I should take a fancy to receive some one here, someone of note, you would know how to do things properly?""I think so."He remained silent for a moment, like a man who thinks before takingan important decision, and then:

"I wish to invite a few persons to dinner," he said. She couldscarcely believe her ears. He had never received at his table anyone but a fellow-clerk at the factory, named Desclavettes, who hadjust married the daughter of a dealer in bronzes, and succeeded tohis business.

"Is it possible?" exclaimed Mme. Favoral.

"So it is. The question is now, How much would a first-class dinnercost, the best of every thing?""That depends upon the number of guests.""Say three or four persons."The poor woman set herself to figuring diligently for some time;and then timidly, for the sum seemed formidable to her:

"I think," she began, "that with a hundred francs "Her husband commenced whistling.

"You'll need that for the wines alone;' he interrupted. "Do youtake me for a fool? But here, don't let us go into figures. Do asyour parents did when they did their best; and, if it's well, Ishall not complain of the expense. Take a good cook, hire a waiterwho understands his business well."She was utterly confounded; and yet she was not at the end of hersurprises.

Soon M. Favoral declared that their table-ware was not suitable, andthat he must buy a new set. He discovered a hundred purchases tobe made, and swore that he would make them. He even hesitated amoment about renewing the parlor furniture, although it was intolerably good condition still, and was a present from hisfather-in-law.

And, having finished his inventory:

"And you," he asked his wife: "what dress will you wear?""I have my black silk dress -"He stopped her.

"Which means that you have none at all," he said. "Very well. Youmust go this very day and get yourself one, - a very handsome, amagnificent one; and you'll send it to be made to a fashionabledressmaker. And at the same time you had better get some littlesuits for Maxence and Gilberte. Here are a thousand francs."Completely bewildered:

"Who in the world are you going to invite, then?" she asked.

"The Baron and the Baroness de Thaller," he replied with an emphasisfull of conviction. "So try and distinguish yourself. Our fortuneis at stake."Th............