"Well, what now?" said Grandet coldly, with a callous smile."Oh, you are killing me!" said the mother.
"Father, if your knife so much as cuts a fragment of that gold, I willstab myself with this one! You have already driven my mother to herdeath; you will now kill your child! Do as you choose! Wound forwound!"
Grandet held his knife over the dressing-case and hesitated as helooked at his daughter.
"Are you capable of doing it, Eugenie?" he said.
"Yes, yes!" said the mother.
"She'll do it if she says so!" cried Nanon. "Be reasonable, monsieur,for once in your life."
The old man looked at the gold and then at his daughter alternatelyfor an instant. Madame Grandet fainted. human hair wigs and hair pieces
"There! don't you see, monsieur, that madame is dying?" cried Nanon."Come, come, my daughter, we won't quarrel for a box! Here, take it!"he cried hastily, flinging the case upon the bed. "Nanon, go and fetchMonsieur Bergerin! Come, mother," said he, kissing his wife's hand,"it's all over! There! we've made up,haven't we, little one? No moredry bread; you shall have all you want,Ah, she opens her eyes! Well,mother, little mother, come! See, I'm kissing Eugenie! She loves hercousin, and she may marry him if she wants to; she may keep his case.But don't die, mother; live a long time yet, my poor wife! Come, tryto move! Listen! you shall have the finest altar that ever was made inSaumur."