Clarisse was much astonished at this, for the banker was quite ruined, but Prulliere began laughing and reminded them of the neat manner in which that confounded Israelite had puffed himself alongside of Rose in order to get his Landes saltworks afloat on 'change.

Just at that time he was airing a new project, namely, a tunnel under the Bosporus.

Simonne listened with the greatest interest to this fresh piece of information.
As to Clarisse, she had been raging for a week past.

Just fancy, that beast La Faloise, whom she had succeeded in chucking into Gaga's venerable embrace, was coming into the fortune of a very rich uncle! It was just her luck; she had always been destined to make things cozy for other people.

Then, too, that pig Bordenave had once more given her a mere scrap of a part, a paltry fifty lines, just as if she could not have played Geraldine! She was yearning for that role and hoping that Nana would refuse it.
"Well, and what about me ?" said Prulliere with much bitterness.