Honoré de Balzac

“ If you should see passing through the Champs-Elysees one of those charming little low carriages called escargots, lined with silk gridelin, ornamented with blue trimmings, and should admire a pretty, fair woman therein, her face wreathed in myriads of curls, with eyes like shining periwinkles and brimful of love, leaning lightly against a handsome young man ”

“ Ursule and the curé went up to the library and there took out the third volume of the Pandects. Upon opening it, the old man, not without astonishment, noticed the mark made by the papers upon the leaves, which, offering less resistance than the cover, still preserved the imprint of the bonds. Then, in another volume, he recognized the species of gap produced by the continued presence of some packet and the outline of it in the middle of the two pages in folio.
“Come up, do, Monsieur Bongrand!” cried La Bougival to the justice of the peace, who was passing. ”

“ Monsieur and Madame de Portenduère spend five months of the year in Paris, where they have bought a magnificent mansion in the Faubourg Saint-Germain. After giving her house in Nemours to the Sisters of Mercy to keep a free school, the dowager Madame de Portenduère went to live at Le Rouvre, where La Bougival is head concierge. Cabirolle’s father, the old conductor of La Dueler, a man of sixty, has married La Bougival, who possesses twelve hundred francs a year, besides the ample salary from her situation. ”

“ If you have ever remarked beside the way, in countries where oaks are lopped off, some old tree, blanched and almost withered, still pushing forth shoots, with gaping sides, calling for the axe, you will have some idea of the thin, white-haired, broken down old postmaster, in whom the veterans of the country do not recognize the happy imbecile whom we saw waiting for his son at the beginning of this story; he no longer takes his snuff in the same manner, he carries something besides his body. ”

“ By separating the wife from the husband, he intended, through the terror inspired by justice, to learn the truth. Zélie found the magistrate in his study, and was completely crushed by these unceremonious words.
“Madame, I do not believe you to be an accomplice in a theft that has been made in the Minoret inheritance, and which justice is tracking at this present moment; but you can save your husband from the Assize Court by the entire confession of what you know about it. Moreover, the punishment your husband will incur is not the only thing to be feared ”

“ Three months after these events, in January, 1837, Ursule was married to Savinien, with the consent of Madame de Portenduère. Minoret became a party to the marriage settlements so as to give Mademoiselle Mirouët his estate of Le Rouvre and twenty-four thousand francs a year in the Funds, keeping nothing of his fortune except his uncle’s house and six thousand francs a year. He has become the most charitable, the most pious man in Nemours ”

“ Before her, I shall appear to have yielded to your entreaties in setting her free. Go to Nemours with her, and bring all these difficulties to a good end. Do not be afraid of anybody. Monsieur Bongrand is too fond of Mademoiselle Mirouët ever to be guilty of any indiscretion.”
Zélie and Désiré started immediately afterward for Nemours. Three hours after the departure of his deputy, an express messenger brought the public prosecutor the following letter, the orthography of which has been corrected, so as to spare any derision of a man overtaken by misfortune ”