frightened me, have taken on good nature; his
neck, sometimes so terrible, has something about
it that is fraternal and restful. Always freshly-
shaven, with skin as dark and shining as mahog-
any, with a skull cap on his head, and wearing a
blue and very clean woollen shirt, he has the air of
an old sailor, of an old sea-dog who has seen ex-
traordinary things and passed through extravagant
countries. "What I admire in him is his moral
tranquillity. There is no longer any anxiety in
his look. One sees that his life rests on solid
foundations. More violently than ever, he is for
the family, for property, for religion, for the
navy, for the army, for the country. He
astonishes me !
When we married, Joseph gave me a marriage portion of ten thousand francs. The other day the maritime commissary knocked down to him at fifteen Jthousand francs a lot of wreckage, for which he paid cash, and which he has sold again at a big profit. He also does a little banking business, — that is, he lends money to fishermen. And already he is thinking of branching out, by taking the next house. Perhaps we shall start a music-hall there.
It puzzles me that he has so much money. And how much is his fortune? I do not know. He does not like me to talk to him about