THE BILLOWS OF PACTOLUS It was the nineteenth of March, 184--.

Should Rodolphe reach the age of Methuselah, he will never forget the date; for it was on that day, at three in the afternoon, that our friend issued from a banker's where he had just received five hundred francs in current and sounding specie.
The first use Rodolphe made of this slice of Peru which had fallen into his pocket was not to pay his debts, inasmuch as he had sworn to himself to practice economy and go to no extra expense.

He had a fixed idea on this subject, and declared that before thinking of superfluities, one ought to provide for necessaries.

Therefore it was that he paid none of his creditors, and bought a Turkish pipe which he had long coveted.
Armed with this purchase, he directed his steps towards the lodging of his friend Marcel, who had for some time given him shelter.

As he entered Marcel's studio, Rodolphe's pockets rang like a village-steeple on a grand holiday.