"It's worth more than eight hundred, I will raise the bidding."
"It's cutting off your nose to spite your face.
What will you gain by putting M. Maslon, M. Valenod, the Bishop, this terrible Grand Vicar de Frilair and the whole gang on your track."
"Three hundred and twenty francs," shouted out the other.
"Damned brute," answered his neighbour.
"Why here we have a spy of the mayor," he added, designating Julien.
Julien turned sharply round to punish this remark, but the two, Franc-comtois, were no longer paying any attention to him.
Their coolness gave him back his own.
At that moment the last candle-end went out and the usher's drawling voice awarded the house to M. de St. Giraud of the office of the prefecture of —— for a term of nine years and for a rent of 320 francs.
As soon as the mayor had left the hall, the gossip began again.
"Here's thirty francs that Grogeot's recklessness is landing the municipality in for," said one—"But," answered another,
"M. de Saint Giraud will revenge himself on Grogeot."
"How monstrous," said a big man on Julien's left.
"A house which I myself would have given eight hundred francs for my factory, and I would have got a good bargain."
"Pooh!" answered a young manufacturer, "doesn't M. de St. Giraud belong to the congregation?
Haven't his four children got scholarships? poor man!
The community of Verrieres must give him five hundred francs over and above his salary, that is all."
"And to say that the mayor was not able to stop it," remarked a third.
"For he's an ultra he is, I'm glad to say, but he doesn't steal."
"Doesn't he?" answered another.
"Suppose it's simply a mere game of 'snap' then.
Everything goes into a big common purse, and everything is divided up at the end of the year.
But here's that little Sorel, let's go away."
Julien got home in a very bad temper. He found Madame de Renal very sad.
"You come from the auction?" she said to him.
"Yes, madam, where I had the honour of passing for a spy of M. the Mayor."
"If he had taken my advice, he would have gone on a journey."
At this moment Monsieur de Renal appeared: he looked very dismal.
The dinner passed without a single word.
Monsieur de Renal ordered Julien to follow the children to Vergy.
Madame de Renal endeavoured to console her husband.
"You ought to be used to it, my dear."
That evening they were seated in silence around the domestic hearth. The crackle of the burnt pinewood was their only distraction.
It was one of those moments of silence which happen in the most united families.
One of the children cried out gaily,
"Somebody's ringing, somebody's ringing!"
"Zounds! supposing it's Monsieur de Saint Giraud who has come under the pretext of thanking me," exclaimed the mayor.
"I will give him a dressing down. It is outrageous.
It is Valenod to whom he'll feel under an obligation, and it is I who get compromised.
What shall I say if those damned Jacobin journalists get hold of this anecdote, and turn me into a M. Nonante Cinque."
A very good-looking man, with big black whiskers, entered at this moment, preceded by the servant.
"Monsieur the mayor, I am Signor Geronimo.
Here is a letter which M. the Chevalier de Beauvoisis, who is attached to the Embassy of Naples, gave me for you on my departure. That is only nine days ago, added Signor Geronimo, gaily looking at Madame de Renal.
Your cousin, and my good friend, Signor de Beauvoisis says that you know Italian, Madame."
The Neapolitan's good humour changed this gloomy evening into a very gay one.
Madame de Renal insisted upon giving him supper.
She put the whole house on the go. She wanted to free Julien at any price from the imputation of espionage which she had heard already twice that day.
Signor Geronimo was an excellent singer, excellent company, and had very gay qualities which, at any rate in France, are hardly compatible with each other.
After dinner he sang a little duet with Madame de Renal, and told some charming tales.
At one o'clock in the morning the children protested, when Julien suggested that they should go to bed.