Page:Novels of Honoré de Balzac Volume 23.djvu/194

 Minoret’s delicacy, that she rose to return his bow and pointed to an armchair.

“Sit down, monsieur,” she said with a royal air, “our dear curé will have told you that the viscount is in prison for a few boyish debts, a hundred thousand francs—If you could lend them to him, I would give you as security my Bordières farm.”

“We will talk of that, Madame la Vicomtesse, when I shall have restored monsieur your son to you, if you will allow me to be your agent in these circumstances.”

“Very well, Monsieur le Docteur,” replied the old lady, inclining her head, and looking at the curé as much as to say, “You are right, he is a man of good breeding.”

“My friend the doctor,” then said the curé, “is, as you see, madame, full of devotion to your family.”

“We shall be very grateful to you, monsieur,” said Madame de Portenduère, with visible effort, “for, at your age, to venture in Paris on the track of a giddy-brain’s misdeeds—”

“Madame, in ’65, I had the honor of seeing the illustrious Admiral de Portenduère at the house of that excellent Monsieur de Malesherbes, and at the house of Monsieur le Comte de Buffon, who wished to question him about several curious facts of his voyages. It is quite possible that the late Monsieur de Portenduère, your husband, may have been there. At that time the French navy was glorious, it was making head against England, and in this profession the captain contributed his share of courage.