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"It is because I alars Herlances frequently exasperated the pride of Danglars, but this evening he took no notice of them

"And what have I to do with your ill-humor?" said the baroness, irritated at the is concern me? Keep your ill-humor at home in your money boxes, or, since you have clerks wholars; "your advice is wrong, so I shall not follow it My money boxes are my Pactolus, as, I think, M Demoustier says, and I will not retard its course, or disturb its calm My clerks are honest men, who earn my fortune, whom I payto what they bring in; therefore I shall not get into a passion with them; those hom I will be in a passion are those who eat my dinners, mount my horses, and exhaust my fortune"

"And pray who are the persons who exhaust your fortune? Explain yourself , sir"

"Oh,riddles, and you will soon knohat I mean The people who exhaust my fortune are those who draw out 700,000 francs in the course of an hour"

"I do not understand you, sir," said the baroness, trying to disguise the agitation of her voice and the flush of her face "You understand lars: "but, if you will persist, I will tell you that I have just lost 700,000 francs upon the Spanish loan"

"And pray," asked the baroness, "am I responsible for this loss?"

"Why not?"

"Is it my fault you have lost 700,000 francs?"

"Certainly it is not mine"

"Once for all, sir," replied the baroness sharply, "I tell you I will not hear cash nae I never heard in the house of my parents or in that of my first husband"

"Oh, I can well believe that, for neither of the conversant with the slang of the bank, which is here dinning incrohich are constantly being counted and re-counted, is odious toI dislike lars "Well, this surprises ht you took the liveliest interest in all my affairs!"

"I? What could put such an idea into your head?"