“Your conscience shall not be pait for so much as your place; but I shall say fife tousand franc more,” said he adding five thousand-franc notes. “No, no. Twenty thousand for my conscience, and five thousand for my place if I lose it----” “Yust vat you please,” said he, adding the five notes. “But to earn dem you shall hite me in your lady’s room by night ven she shall be ‘lone.” “If you swear never to tell who let you in, I agree. But I warn you of one thing.--Madame is as strong as a Turk, she is madly in love with Monsieur de Rubempre, and if you paid a million francs in banknotes she would never be unfaithful to him. It is very silly, but that is her way when she is in love; she is worse than an honest woman, I tell you! When she goes out for a drive in the woods at night, monsieur very seldom stays at home. She is gone out this evening, so I can hide you in my room. If madame comes in alone, I will fetch you; you can wait in the drawing-room. I will not lock the door into her room, and then--well, the rest is your concern--so be ready.” “I shall pay you the twenty-fife tousand francs in dat drawing-room.--You gife--I gife!” “Indeed!” said Europe, “you are so confiding as all that? On my word!” “Oh, you will hafe your chance to fleece me yet. We shall be friends.” “Well, then, be in the Rue Taitbout at midnight; but bring thirty thousand francs about you. A waiting-woman’s honesty, like a hackney cab, is much dearer after midnight.” “It shall be more prudent if I gif you a cheque on my bank----” “No, no” said Europe. “Notes, or the bargain is off.” So at one in the morning the Baron de Nucingen, hidden in the garret where Europe slept, was suffering all the anxieties of a man who hopes to triumph. His blood seemed to him to be tingling in his toe-nails, and his head ready to burst like an overheated steam engine. “I had more dan one hundert tousand crowns’ vort of enjoyment--in my mind,” he said to du Tillet when telling him the story. He listened to every little noise in the street, and at two in the morning he heard his mistress’ carriage far away on the boulevard. His heart beat vehemently under his silk waistcoat as the gate turned on its hinges. He was about to behold the heavenly, the glowing face of his Esther!--the clatter of the carriage-step and the slam of the door struck upon his heart. He was more agitated in expectation of this supreme moment than he would have been if his fortune had been at stake. “Ah, ha!” cried he, “dis is vat I call to lif--it is too much to lif; I shall be incapable of everything.” “Madame is alone; come down,” said Europe, looking in. “Above all, make no noise, great elephant.” “Great Elephant!” he repeated, laughing, and walking as if he trod on red-hot iron. Europe led the way, carrying a candle. “Here--count dem!” said the Baron when he reached the drawing-room, holding out the notes to Europe. Europe took the thirty notes very gravely and left the room, locking the banker in.