But now I'm safe!"
It was with this encouraging thought that he approached the house.
"The marquis is very busy this morning," said the servant to whom
Pascal addressed himself at the gate. "I doubt if he can see
you." But when Pascal handed him one of his visiting cards,
bearing the name of Maumejan, with this addition in pencil: "Who
calls as the representative of Baron Trigault," the valet's face
changed as if by enchantment. "Oh!" said he, "that's quite a
different matter. If you come from Baron Trigault, you will be
received with all the respect due to the Messiah. Come in. I
will announce you myself."
Everything in M. de Valorsay's house, as at the baron's residence,
indicated great wealth, and yet a close observer would have
detected a difference. The luxury of the Rue de la Ville-l'Eveque
was of a real and substantial character, which one did not find in
the Avenue des Champs Elysees. Everything in the marquis's abode
bore marks of the haste which mars the merest trifle produced at
the present age. "Take a seat here, and I will see where the
marquis is," said the servant, as he ushered Pascal into a large
drawing-room. The apartment was elegantly furnished, but had
somewhat lost its freshness; the carpet, which had once been a
marvel of beauty, was stained in several places, and as the
servants had not always been careful to keep the shutters closed,
the sunlight had perceptibly faded the curtains.
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