Sonia, her gentle face glowing with a sudden enthusiastic animation.

"Let's see," said the Duke. "Wasn't that the financier who doubled
his fortune at the expense of a heap of poor wretches and ruined two
thousand people?"

"Yes; that's the man," said Sonia. "And Lupin stripped Daray's house
and took from him everything he had in his strong-box. He didn't
leave him a sou of the money. And then, when he'd taken it from him,
he distributed it among all the poor wretches whom Daray had
ruined."

"But this isn't a thief you're talking about--it's a
philanthropist," said the Duke.

"A fine sort of philanthropist!" broke in Germaine in a peevish
tone. "There was a lot of philanthropy about his robbing papa,
wasn't there?"

"Well," said the Duke, with an air of profound reflection, "if you
come to think of it, that robbery was not worthy of this national
hero. My portrait, if you except the charm and beauty of the face
itself, is not worth much."

"If you think he was satisfied with your portrait, you're very much
mistaken. All my father's collections were robbed," said Germaine.

"Your father's collections?" said the Duke. "But they're better
guarded than the Bank of France. Your father is as careful of them
as the apple of his eye."