I long to see you in the midst of them." Celestine threw up her head like a thoroughbred before the race, and re-read the invitation just as Baudoyer and Saillard had re-read the articles about themselves in the newspapers, without being able to quaff enough of it.
"/There/ first, and /next/ at the Tuileries," she said to des Lupeaulx, who was startled by the words and by the attitude of the speaker, so expressive were they of ambition and security.
"Can it be that I am only a stepping-stone ?" he asked himself.

He rose, and went into Madame Rabourdin's bedroom, where she followed him, understanding from a motion of his head that he wished to speak to her privately.
"Well, your husband's plan," he said; "what of it ?" "Bah! the useless nonsense of an honest man!" she replied.

"He wants to suppress fifteen thousand offices and do the work with five or six thousand.

You never heard of such nonsense; I will let you read the whole document when copied; it is written in perfect good faith.
His analysis of the officials was prompted only by his honesty and rectitude,--poor dear man!" Des Lupeaulx was all the more reassured by the genuine laugh which accompanied these jesting and contemptuous words, because he was a judge of lying and knew that Celestine spoke in good faith.
"But still, what is at the bottom of it all ?" he asked.
"Well, he wants to do away with the land-tax and substitute taxes on consumption." "Why it is over a year since Francois Keller and Nucingen proposed some such plan, and the minister himself is thinking of a reduction of the land-tax." "There!" exclaimed Celestine, "I told him there was nothing new in his scheme." "No; but he is on the same ground with the best financier of the epoch,--the Napoleon of finance.

Something may come of it.