Wasted dignity! Grandet thought himself very generous to his wife.Philosophers who meet the like of Nanon, of Madame Grandet, ofEugenie, have surely a right to say that irony is at the bottom of theways of Providence. g wagon price
After the dinner at which for the first time allusion had been made toEugenie's marriage, Nanon went to fetch a bottle of black-currantratafia from Monsieur Grandet's bed-chamber, and nearly fell as shecame down the stairs.
"You great stupid!" said her master; "are you going to tumble aboutlike other people, hey?" wig hair
"Monsieur, it was that step on your staircase which has given way.""She is right," said Madame Grandet; "it ought to have been mendedlong ago. Yesterday Eugenie nearly twisted her ankle."
"Here," said Grandet to Nanon, seeing that she looked quite pale, "asit is Eugenie's birthday, and you came near falling, take a littleglass of ratafia to set you right."
"Faith! I've earned it," said Nanon; "most people would have brokenthe bottle; but I'd sooner have broken my elbow holding it up high.""Poor Nanon!" said Grandet, filling a glass.
"Did you hurt yourself?" asked Eugenie, looking kindly at her."No, I didn't fall; I threw myself back on my haunches."
"Well! as it is Eugenie's birthday," said Grandet, "I'll have the stepmended. You people don't know how to set your foot in the corner wherethe wood is still firm."