Honoré de Balzac

“ The justice of the peace, arriving at that moment, heard of the proceedings and of the offer just made by Zélie, whose hatred of Ursule was well known to him, and he looked at the curé as much as to say: “Come out, I want to speak to you about Ursule without her hearing us.”
“Savinien shall know that you have refused eighty thousand francs a year, and the cock of Nemours!” he said.
“Is it a sacrifice then?” she replied. “Are there any sacrifices when one truly loves? And is there any merit whatever in refusing the son of a man whom we despise? ”

“ In France, a coward is universally scouted. Moreover, men of honor would understand his motives for exacting reparation. He expressed his sorrow at being driven to such extremities. According to his seconds, the most sensible thing for me to do would be to settle an encounter as honorable men are in the habit of doing, so that Ursule Mirouët should not be the cause of the quarrel. ”

“ In a community like this, in a little town where every one’s eyes are upon you, and where all is found out although all is not known, how can you hide a fortune wrongfully acquired? Come, my dear son, an innocent man would not have let me talk so long. ”

“ You will flourish in a household on seven thousand francs a year and a man who ran up a debt of a hundred thousand francs in Paris in two years. And then, not that you know that yet, all men are alike, my child! ”

“ In order to get on in society I must follow its rules; and, where there may be ten reasons for a viscount’s son to fight, there are a hundred for a postmaster’s son. I shall pass through Nemours by night, and will say good-bye to you.”
When this letter had been read, there was a scene between Zélie and Minoret, which ended by the confession of the theft, and all the circumstances relating to it and the strange scenes to which it had everywhere given rise, even in the world of dreams. ”

“ We have altogether forty-eight thousand francs a year from the estate round about Le Rouvre, which is a truly royal château; besides that, we can give Désiré twenty-four thousand francs a year in bonds of the national debt, in all, seventy-two thousand francs a year. You will agree that there are not many matches that can vie with him. You are an ambitious little thing, and you are right,” said Zélie, seeing Ursule’s quick gesture of denial. “I have come to ask your hand for Désiré; you bear your godfather’s name, it will be doing him an honor. Désiré, as you have seen, is a handsome fellow ”