Page:Novels of Honoré de Balzac Volume 23.djvu/326

 Goupil was examining, as it were, the two scales in which hung on the one side Savinien’s slap, and on the other, his hatred for Minoret. For two seconds he was undecided, but finally a voice cried to him. “You will be a notary!” and he replied:

“Forget and forgive? Yes, on both sides, monsieur,” squeezing the nobleman’s hand.

“Then who is it that is persecuting Ursule?” said Savinien.

“Minoret! he would have liked to have seen her buried—Why? I do not know; but we will find out the reason. Don’t mix me up in all this, I could do nothing more for you if I was suspected. Instead of attacking Ursule, I shall defend her; instead of serving Minoret, I shall try to defeat his plans. I live only to ruin him and destroy him. And I shall trample him under foot, I shall dance on his carcass, I will play dominoes with his bones! To-morrow, on all the walls of Nemours, Fontainebleau and Le Rouvre, will be written in red chalk: Minoret is a thief. Oh! By   d! I will make him burst like a mortar. Now, we are allied by an indiscretion; well then, if you like, I will go and kneel down before Mademoiselle Mirouët, and declare to her that I curse the mad passion that was urging me to kill her, I will implore her to forgive me. That will do her good! The justice of the peace and the curé are there, those two witnesses will be enough; but Monsieur Bongrand must pledge his honor not to ruin me in my career. I have prospects now.”

“Wait a moment,” replied Savinien, quite stunned