"Well, sir," said he, lifting his head, and no longer trying to hide from me that he had wept and was even then on the point of weeping, "do you value this book very greatly ?" "Why ?" "Because I have come to ask you to give it up to me." "Pardon my curiosity, but was it you, then, who gave it to Marguerite Gautier ?" "It was!" "The book is yours, sir; take it back.

I am happy to be able to hand it over to you." "But," said M.Duval with some embarrassment, "the least I can do is to give you in return the price which you paid for it." "Allow me to offer it to you.

The price of a single volume in a sale of that kind is a mere nothing, and I do not remember how much I gave for it." "You gave one hundred francs." "True," I said, embarrassed in my turn, "how do you know ?" "It is quite simple.

I hoped to reach Paris in time for the sale, and I only managed to get here this morning.

I was absolutely resolved to have something which had belonged to her, and I hastened to the auctioneer and asked him to allow me to see the list of the things sold and of the buyers' names.