M.
de Guersaint, desirous of getting at the exact figures, quite lost himself in the puzzling calculation he attempted.

As for Pierre, it was in silence that he gazed upon this mass of wax, destined to be burnt in open daylight to the glory of God; and although he was by no means a rigid utilitarian, and could well understand that some apparent acts of extravagance yield an illusive enjoyment and satisfaction which provide humanity with as much sustenance as bread, he could not, on the other hand, refrain from reflecting on the many benefits which might have been conferred on the poor and the ailing with the money represented by all that wax, which would fly away in smoke.
"But come, what about that bottle which I am to send off ?" abruptly asked Madame Desagneaux.
"We will go to the office," replied Gerard.

"In five minutes everything will be settled." They had to cross the Place du Rosaire once more and ascend the stone stairway leading to the Basilica.

The office was up above, on the left hand, at the corner of the path leading to the Calvary.

The building was a paltry one, a hut of lath and plaster which the wind and the rain had reduced to a state of ruin.