My father, we are not on the edge of an abyss, we are at the bottom of it.
Courage is not sufficient to drag us out of it; our efforts must not be incessantly brought to nought by the caprices of a passion." "My dear children," cried Balthazar, seizing Marguerite's hand, "I will help you, I will work, I--" "Here is the means," she answered, showing him the official letter.
"But, my darling, the means you offer me are too slow; you make me lose the fruits of ten years' work, and the enormous sums of money which my laboratory represents.

There," he said, pointing towards the garret, "are our real resources." Marguerite walked towards the door, saying:-- "Father, you must choose." "Ah! my daughter, you are very hard," he replied, sitting down in an armchair and allowing her to leave him.
The next morning, on coming downstairs, Marguerite learned from Lemulquinier that Monsieur Claes had gone out.

This simple announcement turned her pale; her face was so painfully significant that the old valet remarked hastily:-- "Don't be troubled, mademoiselle; monsieur said he would be back at eleven o'clock to breakfast.

He didn't go to bed all night.

At two in the morning he was still standing in the parlor, looking through the window at the laboratory.