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The evening of the day on which Flavie had communicated to Celeste the sovereign orders of Thuillier, the Phellions called to spend the evening with Brigitte, and a very sharp engagement took place between the two young people.
As for the Minards, I must throw a little dust in their eyes; I have a particular need of them." "Four Minards, three Phellions, four Collevilles, and ourselves; that makes thirteen " "La Peyrade, fourteen; and it is worth while to invite Dutocq; he may be useful to us. I'll go up and see him." "What are you scheming?" cried his sister. "Fifteen to dinner!
The house to which Theodose de la Peyrade now bent his steps had been the "hoc erat in votis" of Monsieur Phellion for twenty years; it was the house of the Phellions, just as much as Cerizet's frogged coat was the necessary complement of his personality.
The Phellions were no doubt awaiting the marriage of their son to allow themselves that additional luxury. This property, on which the Phellions had long had their eye, cost them eighteen thousand francs in 1831.
He disarmed distrust by the manner in which he effaced himself; he was there like a new piece of furniture; and he contrived to make both the Phellions and Minards believe that Brigitte and Thuillier had weighed him, and found him too light in the scales to be anything more in the family than a young man whose services were useful to them.
This was the period when Theodose reigned without a dissenting voice in the bosom of that household, and all the friends of the family approved of him for the following reason: The Phellions, hearing his praises sung by Brigitte and Thuillier, feared to displease the two powers and chorussed their words, even when such perpetual laudation seemed to them exaggerated.
He admits, with his chosen paper, the democratic element, but refuses in conversation all compact with the republican spirit. The republican spirit to him means 1793, rioting, the Terror, and agrarian law. The democratic element is the development of the lesser bourgeoisie, the reign of Phellions. The worthy old man is always dignified; dignity serves to explain his life.
Old Phellion, nonplussed by that remark, nodded to his wife: "It is getting late, my dear," and he pointed to the clock. "Oh, Monsieur Felix," said Celeste in a whisper to the candid mathematician, "Couldn't you be, like Pascal and Bossuet, learned and pious both?" The Phellions, on departing, carried the Collevilles with them.
I must go to the Phellions' now, and begin to work our plan. You don't need me to caution you not to let it be known that you are thinking of me for Celeste; if you do, you'll cut off my arms and legs. Therefore, silence! even to Flavie. Wait till she speaks to you herself. Phellion shall to-night broach the matter of proposing you as candidate for the council." "To-night?" said Thuillier.
Thus the Phellions formed a phalanx of seven persons; the Collevilles were not less numerous; so that on Sundays it often appeared that thirty persons were assembled in the Thuillier salon. Thuillier renewed acquaintance with the Saillards, Baudoyers, and Falleixs, all persons of respectability in the quarter of the Palais-Royal, whom they often invited to dinner.
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