“I went back to his room, and found an explanation of this chaos and accumulation of riches in a pile of letters lying under the paper-weights on his desk--Gobseck’s correspondence with the various dealers to whom doubtless he usually sold his presents. These persons had, perhaps, fallen victims to Gobseck’s cleverness, or Gobseck may have wanted fancy prices for his goods; at any rate, every bargain hung in suspense. He had not disposed of the eatables to Chevet, because Chevet would only take them of him at a loss of thirty per cent. Gobseck haggled for a few francs between the prices, and while they wrangled the goods became unsalable. Again, Gobseck had refused free delivery of his silver-plate, and declined to guarantee the weights of his coffees. There had been a dispute over each article, the first indication in Gobseck of the childishness and incomprehensible obstinacy of age, a condition of mind reached at last by all men in whom a strong passion survives the intellect. “I said to myself, as he had said, ‘To whom will all these riches go?’ ... And then I think of the grotesque information he gave me as to the present address of his heiress, I foresee that it will be my duty to search all the houses of ill-fame in Paris to pour out an immense fortune on some worthless jade. But, in the first place, know this--that in a few days time Ernest de Restaud will come into a fortune to which his title is unquestionable, a fortune which will put him in a position to marry Mlle. Camille, even after adequate provision has been made for his mother the Comtesse de Restaud and his sister and brother.” ADDENDUM The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy. Bidault (known as Gigonnet) The Government Clerks The Vendetta Cesar Birotteau The Firm of Nucingen A Daughter of Eve Derville A Start in Life The Gondreville Mystery Father Goriot Colonel Chabert Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life Derville, Madame Cesar Birotteau Gobseck, Jean-Esther Van Father Goriot Cesar Birotteau The Government Clerks The Unconscious Humorists Gobseck, Sarah Van Cesar Birotteau The Maranas Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life The Member for Arcis Gobseck, Esther Van The Firm of Nucingen A Bachelor’s Establishment Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life Grandlieu, Vicomtesse de Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life Colonel Chabert Grandlieu, Vicomte Juste de Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life Grandlieu, Vicomtesse Juste de Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life A Daughter of Eve Maurice (de Restaud’s valet) Father Goriot Palma (banker) The Firm of Nucingen Cesar Birotteau Lost Illusions A Distinguished Provincial at Paris The Ball at Sceaux Restaud, Comte de Father Goriot