That worthy soul was nursing up a combination of three numbers called a "trey" in a lottery, and lotteries give no credit to their customers.

As manager of the joint household, she was able to pay up her stakes with the money intended for their current expenses, and she went deeper and deeper into debt, with the hope of ultimately enriching her grandson Bixiou, her dear Agathe, and the little Bridaus.

When the debts amounted to ten thousand francs, she increased her stakes, trusting that her favorite trey, which had not turned up in nine years, would come at last, and fill to overflowing the abysmal deficit.
From that moment the debt rolled up rapidly.

When it reached twenty thousand francs, Madame Descoings lost her head, still failing to win the trey.

She tried to mortgage her own property to pay her niece, but Roguin, who was her notary, showed her the impossibility of carrying out that honorable intention.