“Faith! it is quite as well that you did. You would have waited in vain. I passed the night at Madame de Géran’s. You understand me?” “Yes, perfectly. I congratulate you; you could not be more fortunate. That woman adores you!” “Oh! she is mad over me!--that’s the word; she didn’t want me to leave her this morning; I had difficulty in tearing myself from her arms.” “Be careful; Madame de Géran has intense passions, a fiery brain, an exalted imagination! She is capable of dogging your steps all the time.” “You enchant me! I like such women!” “But suppose your wife should discover it?” “Bah! she is such an indolent creature! Her way of loving doesn’t resemble Madame de Géran’s in the least.” “If I dared give you some advice----” “Speak; but no more of the formal mode of address between us, my dear Dufresne. Let us banish ceremony.” “With all my heart.” “You were saying----” “If you take my advice, you will send your wife into the country, in order to be more free.” “Parbleu! that is an excellent idea of yours! In truth, she talks to me every day about the fields and meadows and green grass. I will send her to pasture, and I will remain in Paris.” “But you don’t mention your game of cards with Chevalier Desfleurets; did you recoup your losses?” “No; on the contrary, I played in the most extraordinary luck; I lost continually.--By the way, that reminds me that I owe him three thousand francs, and that I promised to give them to him this morning.” “Gambling debts are sacred; you must pay up.” “That is what I propose to do. I made an appointment with him at the Palais-Royal, at number 9; does he live there?” “Ha! ha! ha! how ignorant you are, my dear Murville! Don’t you know that number nine is an _academy_, a roulette establishment?” “What! the chevalier frequents a roulette establishment?” “Why not? You will see the most fashionable people there; many nobles who try their hardest to win the money of plebeians, and worthy bourgeois, who are delighted to play with a chevalier or a viscount; but always the utmost decency and good-breeding; no disturbance! I assure you that more than one society gambler might take lessons in deportment at the academy; people lose their money there without whining; they swear only under their breath; in short, everything there is most agreeable.” “Parbleu! I am curious to see the place; but I thought that a business man ought not to show himself in such places; I have been told that it was very injurious to the reputation.”