Proud of Philippe, she felt he made the ease and happiness of her life,--forgetting that the lottery-office, by which she was enabled to live at all, came through Joseph.
One day Agathe noticed that her poor artist was more worried than usual by the bill of his color-man, and she determined, though cursing his profession in her heart, to free him from his debts.

The poor woman kept the house with the proceeds of her office, and took care never to ask Joseph for a farthing.

Consequently she had no money of her own; but she relied on Philippe's good heart and well-filled purse.

For three years she had waited in expectation of his coming to see her; she now imagined that if she made an appeal to him he would bring some enormous sum; and her thoughts dwelt on the happiness she should feel in giving it to Joseph, whose judgment of his brother, like that of Madame Descoings, was so unfair.
Saying nothing to Joseph, she wrote the following letter to Philippe:-- To Monsieur le comte de Brambourg: My dear Philippe,--You have not given the least little word of remembrance to your mother for five years.

That is not right.