Make Mademoiselle Thuillier the proprietor of that house and you'll win her love; she'll believe that you can put such chances in her way every year.

There are two ways of getting hold of vain people: flatter their vanity, _or_ threaten them; and there are also two ways of managing misers: fill their purse, or else attack it.

Now, this stroke of business, while it does good to Mademoiselle Thuillier, does good to us as well, and it would be a pity not to profit by the chance." "But why does the notary let it slip through his fingers ?" asked Dutocq.
"The notary, my dear fellow! Why, he's the very one who saves us.
Forced to sell his practice, and utterly ruined besides, he reserved for himself this crumb of the cake.

Believing in the honesty of that idiot Claparon, he has asked him to find a dummy purchaser.

We'll let him suppose that Mademoiselle Thuillier is a worthy soul who allows Claparon to use her name; they'll both be fooled, Claparon and the notary too.
I owe this little trick to my friend Claparon, who left me to bear the whole weight of the trouble about his stock-company, in which we were tricked by Conture, and I hope you may never be in that man's skin!" he added, infernal hatred flashing from his worn and withered eyes.