“And could not Contenson haf tolt me de truf, instead of making me pleed out one tousand franc?”

“Listen to me, Monsieur le Baron,” said Louchard.  “Will you give me a thousand crowns?  I will give you—­sell you—­a piece of advice?”

“Is it vort one tousand crowns—­your atvice?” asked Nucingen.

“I am not to be caught, Monsieur le Baron,” answered Louchard.  “You are in love, you want to discover the object of your passion; you are getting as yellow as a lettuce without water.  Two physicians came to see you yesterday, your man tells me, who think your life is in danger; now, I alone can put you in the hands of a clever fellow.—­But the deuce is in it!  If your life is not worth a thousand crowns——­”

“Tell me de name of dat clefer fellow, and depent on my generosity——­”

Louchard took up his hat, bowed, and left the room.

“Wat ein teufel!” cried Nucingen.  “Come back—­look here——­”

“Take notice,” said Louchard, before taking the money, “I am only selling a piece of information, pure and simple.  I can give you the name and address of the only man who is able to be of use to you—­but he is a master——­”

“Get out mit you,” cried Nucingen.  “Dere is not no name dat is vort one tousant crown but dat von Varschild—­and dat only ven it is sign at the bottom of a bank-bill.—­I shall gif you one tousant franc.”

Louchard, a little weasel, who had never been able to purchase an office as lawyer, notary, clerk, or attorney, leered at the Baron in a significant fashion.

“To you—­a thousand crowns, or let it alone.  You will get them back in a few seconds on the Bourse,” said he.

“I will gif you one tousant franc,” repeated the Baron.

“You would cheapen a gold mine!” said Louchard, bowing and leaving.

“I shall get dat address for five hundert franc!” cried the Baron, who desired his servant to send his secretary to him.

Turcaret is no more.  In these days the smallest banker, like the greatest, exercises his acumen in the smallest transactions; he bargains over art, beneficence, and love; he would bargain with the Pope for a dispensation.  Thus, as he listened to Louchard, Nucingen had hastily concluded that Contenson, Louchard’s right-hand man, must certainly know the address of that master spy.  Contenson would tell him for five hundred francs what Louchard wanted to see a thousand crowns for.  The rapid calculation plainly proves that if the man’s heart was in possession of love, his head was still that of the lynx stock-jobber.

“Go your own self, mensieur,” said the Baron to his secretary, “to Contenson, dat spy of Louchart’s de bailiff man—­but go in one capriolette, very qvick, and pring him here qvick to me.  I shall vait.  —­Go out trough de garten.—­Here is dat key, for no man shall see dat man in here.  You shall take him into dat little garten-house.  Try to do dat little business very clefer.”