, 1872-12-08

He looked at his daughter, who remained
silent and cold.
She will not now move she wAl'not shrink.
She is more Grandet than am {ou have not
given your gold for nothing, at least. Let us
| see;" speak ]"
| Eugene looked at her father, and gave him an
ironica1 glance, which offended him.
'Eugenie, you aro in my house, with your
| father. If YOU stay here you must obey my
orders. The priests ordor you to obey ma"
Eugenie inclined her head.
"Iou offend me in what is dearest to me, ~
continued he a. do not want to see you un-
less you are obedient. Go to your ROOM You
will stay there till allow you to 1eaVe it. Nanon
will carry you bread and water. You nave heard
me march !"
Eugenie burst into tears, and went to her
mothers room. After having taken several
turns around the garden IN the snow, without
daughter must bo with his wife, and, deIghted
to catch her disobeying his orders, he slipped up
the stairs with the agility OF cat, and appeared
IN Madame Grandet's room as she was stroking
Eu6enie's hair, whose face was buried IN Inc
| maternal bosom.
."Console yourself, my poor child! your father
''she has no father |" said the cooper. Is it
really you and I, Madame Grandet, who have
begotten such q disobedient daughter as this {
| 4 pretty education, and q very religious one.
Well! are You in your room? Go!-to prison,
to prison, mademoisclle!'
0Wil you deprive me Of my daughter, sir :"
said Madame Grandlet, showing face flushed
| with fever.
| "If you want to keep her, take her away, clear
out of the house, both Of you. Thunder! where
is the gold ?-what has become Of the gold?"
Eugenie rose, gave her father q proud look,
| and went into her room; whereupon the good
| man locked it.
| He called out, "Nanon, put ont the sitting
| room fire." He seated himself in the arm
| chair by the corner Of his wifes Fireplace, and
said to her, 81 she has doubtless given it to that
| miserable seducer Of Charles, who wanted
merely our money"
Madame Grandet found, in the danger which
| threatened her daughter, and in her feeling for
her, strength enough to remain apparently cold,
| deaf, and dumb.
II knew nothing Of all this, said abe, moving
AWAY from the edge Of the bed, SO as to escape
the fiery looks Of her husband. II am suffer
ing so much from your violence that, If can
believe my presentiments, I shall only go out Of
here feet foremost. You ought to have spared
me now, sir-I WHO have never caused @ you any
loves you, and believe her IS Innocent as
newborn child; so do not grieve her; take back
your order. The cold is very sharp; you may be
The Cause Of some serious illness.'
g. will neither see her nor speak to her. She
shall stay in her roona on bread and water, until
she has satisfied her father. The devil! the
head Of Of o house ought to know where the gold
Of lis house goes. She had perhaps the only
rupees in France, with GenoVines, the Holland
ducats-"
!" Sir, Eugenie is our only child, and, even il
she had thrown them in the water"
In the water!" " cried the goodman; ss in
the water! You are crazy, Madame Grandet.
What have said is said, ana you you know now. II. IL u
daughter confess. Pump her. Women can do
this TO one another better than we men can. No
matter what she has done, will not eat her: Is
she afraid Of me ? Even if abe has gilded her
cousin from wa head csnndt to ne = on the
''We1l. sir,"-excited by the nervous crisis
she was undergoing, OF by the misfortune Of her
daughter, which developed her tenderness and
intelligence, Madame Grandet's perspicacity
led her to notice c terrible motion OF her hus-
bands wen, just as che was answering; she
changed her idea without changing her tone,-
"Well, sir, have any more control over her
than you have; she is like you
"Lord! your tongue is well hung this morn
ing. Ia, ta, ta, ta! do believe you are bray-
ing me. Perhaps yon have an understanding
with her."
He looked steadfast1y at his wife.
s'Really, Alr. Grandet, if you want to kill me-
all you have to do is to keep on IN this way.
tall you, Bir,-and even were it to cost me my
life, would repeat it,-that you are acting
wrongly to your daughter; she is more reason
able than you are. That money belonged to
her she could mako no other than good use
of it and God alone has right to know our
good works. Sir, beg .you to be kind to
Eugenie again. You will thus lessen the effect
of the blow your anger has caused me, and you
will perhaps savo my life. Ny daughter, sir
give me back my daughter!
house is no longer inhabitable; mother and
daughter reason and talk US If Bah Peh
You have given me I. cruel New Years gift, Eu-
genie !" cried he. ''Yes, yes, cry! What you
What good does it do you to so to communion
SIX times every three months if you secretly give
your fathers gold to sluggard, who would eat
your heart if you had nothing else to offer him
You will sec what your Charles IS good for, with
his high and mighty airs. He has neither heart
nor soul, since he dares to carry away poor
girls treasure, without her parents consent"
When the street-door Was shut, Eugenie left
her room, and went to her mother.
"You hare been very courageous tor your
daughter" said she to her.
"Do you sec, my child, where wrong things
lead us? You have made me tell he.'
"Oh! will ask God to punish me alone for
it."
frightened air, I" that Mademoiselle here is to
live on bread and water the rest of her days?"
sWhat does TINT matter, Nanon ?" said Euge-
al! not mnch t,ippe shall I eat when the
daughter of the house lives on dry bread! No.
"Not word Of all this, Nanon," said Euge-
ME.
"My mouth will be sealed; but you Will see.'
Grandet took dinner alone, for the first time
for twenty-four years.
$50 You are q widower, sir?'' said Nanon. e It
is very disagreeable to be Tidower. with two
women in the house."
II was not talking to You: Hold your
Il yhch hear b bng
the stoVe?"
II am melting some fat
ssCompany will come this evening; light the
fire."
The Cruchots. MADAME Des Grassins and her
Bon, came Of 8 o'clock, and were surprised to see
neither Madame Grandet nor her daughter.
s411y wife is q little out Of sorts; Eugenie is
with her, ~ replied the old vine-dresser, whose
face betrayed no emotion.
After an hour spent in un1mportant con7eraa-
ton, Madame Des Grassins, who had gone up to
see Madame Grandet, came down, and every
body asked her, s'How is Madame Graudet?" ?"
shot at al well, not at ALL" said she. 'The
state of her health seems to me very alarming.
At her age, it is necessary to take the greatest
precautions, Papa Grandet.'
"We will see about that, answered the vine