"When I awoke next morning, and tried to recollect what I had done the
day before, it was with great difficulty that I could make a connected
tale from my impressions. At last, it seemed to me that the daughter
of one of my clients was in danger of losing her reputation, together
with her husband's love and esteem, if she could not get fifty
thousand francs together in the course of the morning. There had been
gaming debts, and carriage-builders' accounts, money lost to Heaven
knows whom. My magician of a boon companion had impressed it upon me
that she was rich enough to make good these reverses by a few years of
economy. But only now did I begin to guess the reasons of his urgency.
I confess, to my shame, that I had not the shadow of a doubt but that
it was a matter of importance that Daddy Gobseck should make it up
with this dandy. I was dressing when the young gentleman appeared.

"'M. le Comte,' said I, after the usual greetings, 'I fail to see why
you should need me to effect an introduction to Van Gobseck, the most
civil and smooth-spoken of capitalists. Money will be forthcoming if
he has any, or rather, if you can give him adequate security.'

"'Monsieur,' said he, 'it does not enter into my thoughts to force
you to do me a service, even though you have passed your word.'

"'Sardanapalus!' said I to myself, 'am I going to let that fellow
imagine that I will not keep my word with him?'

"'I had the honor of telling you yesterday,' said he, 'that I had
fallen out with Daddy Gobseck most inopportunely; and as there is
scarcely another man in Paris who can come down on the nail with a
hundred thousand francs, at the end of the month, I begged of you to
make my peace with him. But let us say no more about it----'