A character like his often fascinates other youths.

The two grandsons of Madame Hochon--Francois Hochon and Baruch Borniche--were his henchmen.
These young fellows, accepting the general opinion of the left-handed parentage of Lousteau, looked upon Max as their cousin.

Max, moreover, was liberal in lending them money for their pleasures, which their grandfather Hochon refused; he took them hunting, let them see life, and exercised a much greater influence over them than their own family.
They were both orphans, and were kept, although each had attained his majority, under the guardianship of Monsieur Hochon, for reasons which will be explained when Monsieur Hochon himself comes upon the scene.
At this particular moment Francois and Baruch (we will call them by their Christian names for the sake of clearness) were sitting, one on each side of Max, at the middle of a table that was rather ill lighted by the fuliginous gleams of four tallow candles of eight to the pound.

A dozen to fifteen bottles of various wines had just been drunk, for only eleven of the Knights were present.

Baruch--whose name indicates pretty clearly that Calvinism still kept some hold on Issoudun--said to Max, as the wine was beginning to unloose all tongues,-- "You are threatened in your stronghold." "What do you mean by that ?" asked Max.
"Why, my grandmother has had a letter from Madame Bridau, who is her goddaughter, saying that she and her son are coming here.