[The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac]@TWC D-Link book
The Two Brothers

CHAPTER I
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During the wars of the Empire, marrying men found rich and handsome girls too easily to trouble themselves about women of sixty.
Madame Descoings, always anxious to cheer Madame Bridau, often took the latter to the theatre, or to drive; prepared excellent little dinners for her delectation, and even tried to marry her to her own son by her first husband, Bixiou.

Alas! to do this, she was forced to reveal a terrible secret, carefully kept by her, by her late husband, and by her notary.

The young and beautiful Madame Descoings, who passed for thirty-six years old, had a son who was thirty-five, named Bixiou, already a widower, a major in the Twenty-Fourth Infantry, who subsequently perished at Lutzen, leaving behind him an only son.

Madame Descoings, who only saw her grandson secretly, gave out that he was the son of the first wife of her first husband.

The revelation was partly a prudential act; for this grandson was being educated with Madame Bridau's sons at the Imperial Lyceum, where he had a half-scholarship.
The lad, who was clever and shrewd at school, soon after made himself a great reputation as draughtsman and designer, and also as a wit.
Agathe, who lived only for her children, declined to re-marry, as much from good sense as from fidelity to her husband.


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