never seen such impressive signs of the eccentricity of avarice.

"I went back to his room, and found an explanation of this chaos
and accumulation of riches in a pile of letters lying under the
paper-weights on his desk--Gobseck's correspondence with the various
dealers to whom doubtless he usually sold his presents. These persons
had, perhaps, fallen victims to Gobseck's cleverness, or Gobseck may
have wanted fancy prices for his goods; at any rate, every bargain hung
in suspense. He had not disposed of the eatables to Chevet, because
Chevet would only take them of him at a loss of thirty per cent.
Gobseck haggled for a few francs between the prices, and while they
wrangled the goods became unsalable. Again, Gobseck had refused free
delivery of his silver-plate, and declined to guarantee the weights of
his coffees. There had been a dispute over each article, the first
indication in Gobseck of the childishness and incomprehensible
obstinacy of age, a condition of mind reached at last by all men in
whom a strong passion survives the intellect.

"I said to myself, as he had said, 'To whom will all these riches go?'
. . . And then I think of the grotesque information he gave me as to
the present address of his heiress, I foresee that it will be my duty
to search all the houses of ill-fame in Paris to pour out an immense
fortune on some worthless jade. But, in the first place, know this
--that in a few days time Ernest de Restaud will come into a fortune
to which his title is unquestionable, a fortune which will put him in
a position to marry Mlle. Camille, even after adequate provision has
been made for his mother the Comtesse de Restaud and his sister and
brother."