Of course one has always fifty thousand francs.
Why the deuce cannot that knave Colbert be as easily satisfied as you are--and I should give myself far less trouble than I do.

When do you need this sum ?" "To-morrow morning; but you wish to know its destination ?" "Nay, nay, chevalier, I need no explanation." "To-morrow is the first of June." "Well ?" "One of our bonds becomes due." "I did not know we had any bonds." "Certainly, to-morrow we pay our last third instalment." "What third ?" "Of the one hundred and fifty thousand francs to Baisemeaux." "Baisemeaux?
Who is he ?" "The governor of the Bastile." "Yes, I remember.

On what grounds am I to pay one hundred and fifty thousand francs for that man." "On account of the appointment which he, or rather we, purchased from Louviere and Tremblay." "I have a very vague recollection of the matter." "That is likely enough, for you have so many affairs to attend to.
However, I do not believe you have any affair in the world of greater importance than this one." "Tell me, then, why we purchased this appointment." "Why, in order to render him a service in the first place, and afterwards ourselves." "Ourselves?
You are joking." "Monseigneur, the time may come when the governor of the Bastile may prove a very excellent acquaintance." "I have not the good fortune to understand you, D'Herblay." "Monseigneur, we had our own poets, our own engineer, our own architect, our own musicians, our own printer, and our own painters; we needed our own governor of the Bastile." "Do you think so ?" "Let us not deceive ourselves, monseigneur; we are very much opposed to paying the Bastile a visit," added the prelate, displaying, beneath his pale lips, teeth which were still the same beautiful teeth so much admired thirty years previously by Marie Michon.
"And you think it is not too much to pay one hundred and fifty thousand francs for that?
I thought you generally put out money at better interest than that." "The day will come when you will admit your mistake." "My dear D'Herblay, the very day on which a man enters the Bastile, he is no longer protected by his past." "Yes, he is, if the bonds are perfectly regular; besides, that good fellow Baisemeaux has not a courtier's heart.

I am certain, my lord, that he will not remain ungrateful for that money, without taking into account, I repeat, that I retain the acknowledgements." "It is a strange affair! usury in a matter of benevolence." "Do not mix yourself up with it, monseigneur; if there be usury, it is I who practice it, and both of us reap the advantage from it--that is all." "Some intrigue, D'Herblay ?" "I do not deny it." "And Baisemeaux an accomplice in it ?" "Why not ?--there are worse accomplices than he.

May I depend, then, upon the five thousand pistoles to-morrow ?" "Do you want them this evening ?" "It would be better, for I wish to start early; poor Baisemeaux will not be able to imagine what has be become of me, and must be upon thorns." "You shall have the amount in an hour.