of　the　staircase　as　to　the　mistress　of　the　house。
  〃All　resigned　themselves　to　endure　the　songster〃　（chardonneret）　〃of　the　sacred　grove；〃　said　Alexandre　de　Brebian；　which　was　witticism　number　two。　Finally；　the　president　of　the　agricultural　society　put　an　end　to　the　sedition　by　remarking　judicially　that　〃before　the　Revolution　the　greatest　nobles　admitted　men　like　Dulcos　and　Grimm　and　Crebillon　to　their　societymen　who　were　nobodies；　like　this　little　poet　of　L'Houmeau；　but　one　thing　they　never　did；　they　never　received　tax…collectors；　and；　after　all；　Chatelet　is　only　a　tax…collector。〃
  Du　Chatelet　suffered　for　Chardon。　Every　one　turned　the　cold　shoulder　upon　him；　and　Chatelet　was　conscious　that　he　was　attacked。　When　Mme。　de　Bargeton　called　him　〃M。　Chatelet；〃　he　swore　to　himself　that　he　would　possess　her；　and　now　he　entered　into　the　views　of　the　mistress　of　the　house；　came　to　the　support　of　the　young　poet；　and　declared　himself　Lucien's　friend。　The　great　diplomatist；　overlooked　by　the　shortsighted　Emperor；　made　much　of　Lucien；　and　declared　himself　his　friend！　To　launch　the　poet　into　society；　he　gave　a　dinner；　and　asked　all　the　authorities　to　meet　himthe　prefect；　the　receiver…general；　the　colonel　in　command　of　the　garrison；　the　head　of　the　Naval　School；　the　president　of　the　Court；　and　so　forth。　The　poet；　poor　fellow；　was　feted　so　magnificently；　and　so　belauded；　that　anybody　but　a　young　man　of　two…and…twenty　would　have　shrewdly　suspected　a　hoax。　After　dinner；　Chatelet　drew　his　rival　on　to　recite　The　Dying　Sardanapalus；　the　masterpiece　of　the　hour；　and　the　headmaster　of　the　school；　a　man　of　a　phlegmatic　temperament；　applauded　with　both　hands；　and　vowed　that　Jean…Baptiste　Rousseau　had　done　nothing　finer。　Sixte；　Baron　du　Chatelet；　thought　in　his　heart　that　this　slip　of　a　rhymster　would　wither　incontinently　in　a　hothouse　of　adulation；　perhaps　he　hoped　that　when　the　poet's　head　was　turned　with　brilliant　dreams；　he　would　indulge　in　some　impertinence　that　would　promptly　consign　him　to　the　obscurity　from　which　he　had　emerged。　Pending　the　decease　of　genius；　Chatelet　appeared　to　offer　up　his　hopes　as　a　sacrifice　at　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　feet；　but　with　the　ingenuity　of　a　rake；　he　kept　his　own　plan　in　abeyance；　watching　the　lovers'　movements　with　keenly　critical　eyes；　and　waiting　for　the　opportunity　of　ruining　Lucien。
  From　this　time　forward；　vague　rumors　reported　the　existence　of　a　great　man　in　Angoumois。　Mme。　de　Bargeton　was　praised　on　all　sides　for　the　interest　which　she　took　in　this　young　eagle。　No　sooner　was　her　conduct　approved　than　she　tried　to　win　a　general　sanction。　She　announced　a　soiree；　with　ices；　tea；　and　cakes；　a　great　innovation　in　a　city　where　tea；　as　yet；　was　sold　only　by　druggists　as　a　remedy　for　indigestion。　The　flower　of　Angoumoisin　aristocracy　was　summoned　to　hear　Lucien　read　his　great　work。　Louise　had　hidden　all　the　difficulties　from　her　friend；　but　she　let　fall　a　few　words　touching　the　social　cabal　formed　against　him；　she　would　not　have　him　ignorant　of　the　perils　besetting　his　career　as　a　man　of　genius；　nor　of　the　obstacles　insurmountable　to　weaklings。　She　drew　a　lesson　from　the　recent　victory。　Her　white　hands　pointed　him　to　glory　that　lay　beyond　a　prolonged　martyrdom；　she　spoke　of　stakes　and　flaming　pyres；　she　spread　the　adjectives　thickly　on　her　finest　tartines；　and　decorated　them　with　a　variety　of　her　most　pompous　epithets。　It　was　an　infringement　of　the　copyright　of　the　passages　of　declamation　that　disfigure　Corinne；　but　Louise　grew　so　much　the　greater　in　her　own　eyes　as　she　talked；　that　she　loved　the　Benjamin　who　inspired　her　eloquence　the　more　for　it。　She　counseled　him　to　take　a　bold　step　and　renounce　his　patronymic　for　the　noble　name　of　Rubempre；　he　need　not　mind　the　little　tittle…tattle　over　a　change　which　the　King；　for　that　matter；　would　authorize。　Mme。　de　Bargeton　undertook　to　procure　this　favor；　she　was　related　to　the　Marquise　d'Espard；　who　was　a　Blamont…Chauvry　before　her　marriage；　and　a　persona　grata　at　Court。　The　words　〃King；〃　〃Marquise　d'Espard；〃　and　〃the　Court〃　dazzled　Lucien　like　a　blaze　of　fireworks；　and　the　necessity　of　the　baptism　was　plain　to　him。
  〃Dear　child；〃　said　Louise；　with　tender　mockery　in　her　tones；　〃the　sooner　it　is　done；　the　sooner　it　will　be　sanctioned。〃
  She　went　through　social　strata　and　showed　the　poet　that　this　step　would　raise　him　many　rungs　higher　in　the　ladder。　Seizing　the　moment；　she　persuaded　Lucien　to　forswear　the　chimerical　notions　of　'89　as　to　equality；　she　roused　a　thirst　for　social　distinction　allayed　by　David's　cool　commonsense；　she　pointed　out　fashionable　society　as　the　goal　and　the　only　stage　for　such　a　talent　as　his。　The　rabid　Liberal　became　a　Monarchist　in　petto；　Lucien　set　his　teeth　in　the　apple　of　desire　of　rank；　luxury；　and　fame。　He　swore　to　win　a　crown　to　lay　at　his　lady's　feet；　even　if　there　should　be　blood…stains　on　the　bays。　He　would　conquer　at　any　cost；　quibuscumque　viis。　To　prove　his　courage；　he　told　her　of　his　present　way　of　life；　Louise　had　known　nothing　of　its　hardships；　for　there　is　an　indefinable　pudency　inseparable　from　strong　feeling　in　youth；　a　delicacy　which　shrinks　from　a　display　of　great　qualities；　and　a　young　man　loves　to　have　the　real　quality　of　his　nature　discerned　through　the　incognito。　He　described　that　life；　the　shackles　of　poverty　borne　with　pride；　his　days　of　work　for　David；　his　nights　of　study。　His　young　ardor　recalled　memories　of　the　colonel　of　six…and…twenty；　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　eyes　grew　soft；　and　Lucien；　seeing　this　weakness　in　his　awe…inspiring　mistress；　seized　a　hand　that　she　had　abandoned　to　him；　and　kissed　it　with　the　frenzy　of　a　lover　and　a　poet　in　his　youth。　Louise　even　allowed　him　to　set　his　eager；　quivering　lips　upon　her　forehead。
  〃Oh；　child！　child！　if　any　one　should　see　us；　I　should　look　very　ridiculous；〃　she　said；　shaking　off　the　ecstatic　torpor。
  In　the　course　of　that　evening；　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　wit　made　havoc　of　Lucien's　prejudices；　as　she　styled　them。　Men　of　genius；　according　to　her　doctrine；　had　neither　brothers　nor　sisters　nor　father　nor　mother；　the　great　tasks　laid　upon　them　required　that　they　should　sacrifice　everything　that　they　might　grow　to　their　full　stature。　Perhaps　their　families　might　suffer　at　first　from　the　all…absorbing　exactions　of　a　giant　brain；　but　at　a　later　day　they　were　repaid　a　hundredfold　for　self…denial　of　every　kind　during　the　early　struggles　of　the　kingly　intellect　with　adverse　fate；　they　shared　the　spoils　of　victory。　Genius　was　answerable　to　no　man。　Genius　alone　could　judge　of　the　means　used　to　an　end　which　no　one　else　could　know。　It　was　the　duty　of　a　man　of　genius；　therefore；　to　set　himself　above　law；　it　was　his　mission　to　reconstruct　law；　the　man　who　is　master　of　his　age　may　take　all　that　he　needs；　run　any　risks；　for　all　is　his。　She　quoted　instances。　Bernard　Palissy；　Louis　XI。；　Fox；　Napoleon；　Christopher　Columbus；　and　Julius　Caesar；all　these　world…famous　gamblers　had　begun　life　hampered　with　debt；　or　as　poor　men；　all　of　them　had　been　misunderstood；　taken　for　madmen；　reviled　for　bad　sons；　bad　brothers；　bad　fathers；　and　yet　in　after　life　each　one　had　come　to　be　the　pride　of　his　family；　of　his　country；　of　the　civilized　world。
  Her　arguments　fell　upon　fertile　soil　in　the　worst　of　Lucien's　nature；　and　spread　corruption　in　his　heart；　for　him；　when　his　desires　were　hot；　all　means　were　admissible。　Butfailure　is　high　treason　against　society；　and　when　the　fallen　conqueror　has　run　amuck　through　bourgeois　virtues；　and　pulled　down　the　pillars　of　society；　small　wonder　that　society；　finding　Marius　seated　among　the　ruins；　should　drive　him　forth　in　abhorrence。　All　unconsciously　Lucien　stood　with　the　palm　of　genius　on　the　one　hand　and　a　shameful　ending　in　the　hulks　upon　the　other；　and；　on　high　upon　the　Sinai　of　the　prophets；　beheld　no　Dead　Sea　covering　the　cities　of　the　plainthe　hideous　winding…sheet　of　Gomorrah。
  So　well　did　Louise　loosen　the　swaddling…bands　of　provincial　life　that　confined　the　heart　and　brain　of　her　poet　that　the　said　poet　determined　to　try　an　experiment　upon　her。　He　wished　to　feel　certain　that　this　proud　conquest　was　his　without　laying　himself　open　to　the　mortification　of　a　rebuff。　The　forthcoming　soiree　gave　him　his　opportunity。　Ambition　blended　with　his　love。　He　loved；　and　he　meant　to　rise；　a　double　desire　not　unnatural　in　young　men　with　a　heart　to　satisfy　and　the　battle　of　life　to　fight。　Society；　summoning　all　her　children　to　one　banquet；　arouses　ambition　in　the　very　morning　of　life。　Youth　is　robbed　of　its　charm；　and　generous　thoughts　are　corrupted　by　mercenary　scheming。　The　idealist　would　fain　have　it　otherwise；　but　intrusive　fact　too　often　gives　the　lie　to　the　fiction　which　we　should　like　to　believe；　making　it　impossible　to　paint　the　young　man　of　the　nineteenth　century　other　than　he　is。　Lucien　imagined　that　his　scheming　was　entirely　prompted　by　good　feeling；　and　persuaded　himself　that　it　was　done　solely　for　his　friend　David's　sake。
  He　wrote　a　long　letter　to　his　Louise；　he　felt　bolder；　pen　in　hand；　than　face　to　face。　In　a　dozen　sheets；　copied　out　three　several　times；　he　told　her　of　his　father's　genius　and　blighted　hopes　and　of　his　grinding　poverty。　He　described　his　beloved　sister　as　an　angel；　and　David　as　another　Cuvier；　a　great　man　of　the　future；　and　a　father；　friend；　and　brother　to　him