“It is my business,” said she. Asie led Nucingen to the Rue Barbette, where, in furnished lodgings kept by an upholsterer, he was led up to the fourth floor. On finding Esther in a squalid room, dressed as a work-woman, and employed on some embroidery, the millionaire turned pale. At the end of a quarter of an hour, while Asie affected to talk in whispers to Esther, the young old man could hardly speak. “Montemisselle,” said he at length to the unhappy girl, “vill you be so goot as to let me be your protector?” “Why, I cannot help myself, monsieur,” replied Esther, letting fall two large tears. “Do not veep. I shall make you de happiest of vomen. Only permit that I shall lof you--you shall see.” “Well, well, child, the gentleman is reasonable,” said Asie. “He knows that he is more than sixty, and he will be very kind to you. You see, my beauty, I have found you quite a father--I had to say so,” Asie whispered to the banker, who was not best pleased. “You cannot catch swallows by firing a pistol at them.--Come here,” she went on, leading Nucingen into the adjoining room. “You remember our bargain, my angel?” Nucingen took out his pocketbook and counted out the hundred thousand francs, which Carlos, hidden in a cupboard, was impatiently waiting for, and which the cook handed over to him. “Here are the hundred thousand francs our man stakes on Asie. Now we must make him lay on Europe,” said Carlos to his confidante when they were on the landing. And he vanished after giving his instruction to the Malay who went back into the room. She found Esther weeping bitterly. The poor girl, like a criminal condemned to death, had woven a romance of hope, and the fatal hour had tolled. “My dear children,” said Asie, “where do you mean to go?--For the Baron de Nucingen----” Esther looked at the great banker with a start of surprise that was admirably acted. “Ja, mein kind, I am dat Baron von Nucingen.” “The Baron de Nucingen must not, cannot remain in such a room as this,” Asie went on. “Listen to me; your former maid Eugenie.” “Eugenie, from the Rue Taitbout?” cried the Baron. “Just so; the woman placed in possession of the furniture,” replied Asie, “and who let the apartment to that handsome Englishwoman----” “Hah! I onderstant!” said the Baron. “Madame’s former waiting-maid,” Asie went on, respectfully alluding to Esther, “will receive you very comfortably this evening; and the commercial police will never think of looking for her in her old rooms which she left three months ago----” “Feerst rate, feerst rate!” cried the Baron. “An’ besides, I know dese commercial police, an’ I know vat sorts shall make dem disappear.” “You will find Eugenie a sharp customer,” said Asie. “I found her for madame.” “Hah! I know her!” cried the millionaire, laughing. “She haf fleeced me out of dirty tousant franc.” Esther shuddered with horror in a way that would have led a man of any feeling to trust her with his fortune.