You do not owe a penny for anything here.
It did not come to very much — five thousand francs at most, and I am going to lend you the money myself. I am not a woman — you can refuse me.
You shall give me a receipt on a scrap of paper, and you can return it some time or other.”
Delphine and Eugene looked at each other in amazement, tears sprang to their eyes.
Rastignac held out his hand and grasped Goriot’s warmly.
“Well, what is all this about?
Are you not my children?”
“Oh! my poor father,” said Mme. de Nucingen, “how did you do it?”
“Ah! now you ask me.
When I made up my mind to move him nearer to you, and saw you buying things as if they were wedding presents, I said to myself,
‘She will never be able to pay for them.’
The attorney says that those law proceedings will last quite six months before your husband can be made to disgorge your fortune.
Well and good.
I sold out my property in the funds that brought in thirteen hundred and fifty livres a year, and bought a safe annuity of twelve hundred francs a year for fifteen thousand francs. Then I paid your tradesmen out of the rest of the capital.
As for me, children, I have a room upstairs for which I pay fifty crowns a year; I can live like a prince on two francs a day, and still have something left over.
I shall not have to spend anything much on clothes, for I never wear anything out.
This fortnight past I have been laughing in my sleeve, thinking to myself,
‘How happy they are going to be!’ and — well, now, are you not happy?”
“Oh papa! papa!” cried Mme. de Nucingen, springing to her father, who took her on his knee.
She covered him with kisses, her fair hair brushed his cheek, her tears fell on the withered face that had grown so bright and radiant.
“Dear father, what a father you are!
No, there is not another father like you under the sun.
If Eugene loved you before, what must he feel for you now?”
“Why, children, why Delphinette!” cried Goriot, who had not felt his daughter’s heart beat against his breast for ten years, “do you want me to die of joy?
My poor heart will break!
Come, Monsieur Eugene, we are quits already.”
And the old man strained her to his breast with such fierce and passionate force that she cried out.
“Oh! you are hurting me!” she said.
“I am hurting you!” He grew pale at the words.
The pain expressed in his face seemed greater than it is given to humanity to know.
The agony of this Christ of paternity can only be compared with the masterpieces of those princes of the palette who have left for us the record of their visions of an agony suffered for a whole world by the Saviour of men.
Father Goriot pressed his lips very gently against the waist than his fingers had grasped too roughly.
“Oh! no, no,” he cried. “I have not hurt you, have I?” and his smile seemed to repeat the question. “YOU have hurt me with that cry just now.
— The things cost rather more than that,” he said in her ear, with another gentle kiss, “but I had to deceive him about it, or he would have been angry.”
Eugene sat dumb with amazement in the presence of this inexhaustible love; he gazed at Goriot, and his face betrayed the artless admiration which shapes the beliefs of youth.
“I will be worthy of all this,” he cried.
“Oh! my Eugene, that is nobly said,” and Mme. de Nucingen kissed the law student on the forehead.
“He gave up Mlle. Taillefer and her millions for you,” said Father Goriot.
“Yes, the little thing was in love with you, and now that her brother is dead she is as rich as Croesus.”
“Oh! why did you tell her?” cried Rastignac.
“Eugene,” Delphine said in his ear, “I have one regret now this evening.
Ah! how I will love you! and for ever!”
“This is the happiest day I have had since you two were married!” cried Goriot.
“God may send me any suffering, so long as I do not suffer through you, and I can still say,
‘In this short month of February I had more happiness than other men have in their whole lives.’— Look at me, Fifine!” he said to his daughter.
“She is very beautiful, is she not?
Tell me, now, have you seen many women with that pretty soft color — that little dimple of hers?
No, I thought not.
Ah, well, and but for me this lovely woman would never have been. And very soon happiness will make her a thousand times lovelier, happiness through you.
I could give up my place in heaven to you, neighbor, if needs be, and go down to hell instead.