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Updated: May 6, 2025
"I only wished you to understand the extent of the sacrifice," replied Nathan, giving up the letter, as he reflected on the judge's influence and accepted this implied bargain. When the journalist's stupid jest had been counteracted, Monsieur de Clagny went to give him a rating in the presence of Madame Piedefer; but he found Lousteau fuming with irritation.
"If I am an object of horror to you, of aversion or scorn, I will go," said Lousteau, who had followed her. And he threw himself at her feet. It was at this crisis that Madame Piedefer came in, saying to her daughter: "What is the matter? What has happened?" "Give your daughter another dress at once," said the audacious Parisian in the prim old lady's ear.
Madame Piedefer came to live with her daughter. The combined fortunes of Monsieur de la Baudraye and his mother-in-law, who had been content to accept an annuity of twelve hundred francs on the lands of La Hautoy which she handed over to him, amounted to an acknowledged income of about fifteen thousand francs.
He manipulated the property left by Monsieur Silas Piedefer so ingeniously, that he contrived to reduce the proved value to eight hundred thousand francs, while pocketing twelve hundred thousand.
"You have changed your gown," said Gatien, blunderingly, to Dinah. "Madame la Baronne was chilled by the cool air off the river," replied Lousteau. "Bianchon advised her to put on a warm dress." Dinah turned as red as a poppy, and Madame Piedefer assumed a stern expression. "Poor Bianchon! he is on the road to Paris. A noble soul!" said Lousteau.
Having introduced the two Paris lions to the ambitious skeleton that called itself woman under the name of Madame Piedefer a tall, lean personage, with a red face, teeth that were doubtfully genuine, and hair that was undoubtedly dyed, Dinah left her visitors to themselves for a few minutes. "Well," said Gatien to Lousteau, "what do you think of her?"
The lawyer confiscated the list and the remainder of the circulars, showed them to Madame Piedefer, begging her on no account to allow Lousteau to carry on this atrocious jest, and jumped into a cab. The devoted friend then ordered from the same printer another announcement in the following words: "Madame la Baronne de la Baudraye is happily delivered of a son.
You may from this judge of Mademoiselle Dinah's superiority, since at the age of seventeen she was a convert solely from ambition. The Archbishop, possessed with the idea that Dinah Piedefer would adorn society, was anxious to see her married.
Frail as Monsieur de la Baudraye might seem, he was really an unhoped-for good match for Mademoiselle Dinah Piedefer. But what was the hidden motive of this country landowner when, at forty-four, he married a girl of seventeen; and what could his wife make out of the bargain? This was the text of Dinah's first meditations. The little man never behaved quite as his wife expected.
In short, she produced two books which were a success. More than once she saved Lousteau's self-esteem by dictating, correcting, or finishing his articles when he was in despair at his own lack of ideas. The secret of this collaboration was strictly preserved; Madame Piedefer knew nothing of it.
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