Page:Novels of Honoré de Balzac Volume 23.djvu/292

 sixty francs a month. The old nurse was indefatigable; she washed and ironed, she only cooked twice a week, she kept the cooked meat which the mistress and servant ate cold; for Ursule wanted to save seven hundred francs a year to pay the remainder of the price of her house. This sternness of conduct, modesty and resignation to a life of poverty and deprivation after having enjoyed a luxurious existence in which her slightest whims were doted upon, won over some people. Ursule won respect and incurred no gossip. Moreover, once satisfied, the heirs did her justice. Savinien admired this strength of character in so young a girl. From time to time, coming away from mass, Madame de Portenduère addressed a few kindly words to Ursule, she invited her twice to dinner and came herself to fetch her. If it was not yet happiness, at least it was tranquillity. But a success, in which the justice of the peace showed his old skill as a lawyer, caused the outburst of the yet secret persecution that Minoret was meditating against Ursule, and which was of the nature of a vow. As soon as all the business of the inheritance was finished, the justice of the peace, at Ursule’s entreaty, took the Portenduères’ cause in hand and promised her that he would extricate them from their difficulties; but, while visiting the old lady, whose opposition to Ursule’s happiness made him furious, he did not leave her ignorant of the fact that he was devoting himself to her interests solely to please Mademoiselle Mirouët. He selected one of his