Whenever he showed himself at all loquacious, his one eternal theme was the pork shop which he was going to set up with Augustine at Plaisance.  He seemed so perfectly assured of arranging his life in accordance with his desires, that Florent grew to feel a sort of respect for him, mingled with irritation.  After all, the young fellow was very resolute and energetic, in spite of his seeming stupidity.  He made straight for the goal he had in view, and would doubtless reach it in perfect assurance and happiness.  On the evenings of these visits from the apprentice, Florent could not settle down to work again; he went off to bed in a discontented mood, and did not recover his equilibrium till the thought passed through his mind, “Why, that Auguste is a perfect animal!”

Every month he went to Clamart to see Monsieur Verlaque.  These visits were almost a delight to him.  The poor man still lingered on, to the great astonishment of Gavard, who had not expected him to last for more than six months.  Every time that Florent went to see him Verlaque would declare that he was feeling better, and was most anxious to resume his work again.  But the days glided by, and he had serious relapses.  Florent would sit by his bedside, chat about the fish market, and do what he could to enliven him.  He deposited on the pedestal table the fifty francs which he surrendered to him each month; and the old inspector, though the payment had been agreed upon, invariably protested, and seemed disinclined to take the money.  Then they would begin to speak of something else, and the coins remained lying on the table.  When Florent went away, Madame Verlaque always accompanied him to the street door.  She was a gentle little woman, of a very tearful disposition.  Her one topic of conversation was the expense necessitated by her husband’s illness, the costliness of chicken broth, butcher’s meat, Bordeaux wine, medicine, and doctors’ fees.  Her doleful conversation greatly embarrassed Florent, and on the first few occasions he did not understand the drift of it.  But at last, as the poor woman seemed always in a state of tears, and kept saying how happy and comfortable they had been when they had enjoyed the full salary of eighteen hundred francs a year, he timidly offered to make her a private allowance, to be kept secret from her husband.  This offer, however, she declined, inconsistently declaring that the fifty francs were sufficient.  But in the course of the month she frequently wrote to Florent, calling him their saviour.  Her handwriting was small and fine, yet she would contrive to fill three pages of letter paper with humble, flowing sentences entreating the loan of ten francs; and this she at last did so regularly that wellnigh the whole of Florent’s hundred and fifty francs found its way to the Verlaques.  The husband was probably unaware of it; however, the wife gratefully kissed Florent’s hands.  This charity afforded him the greatest pleasure, and he concealed it as though it were some forbidden selfish indulgence.