He had been dreaming of an ocean of eight millions in three years, and mentally launching his ships on this long sheet of gold.

Misers hold no belief in a life beyond the grave, the present is all in all to them. This thought throws a pitilessly dear light upon the irreligious times in which we live, for today more than in any previous era money is the force behind the law, politically and socially. Books and institutions, the actions of men and their doctrines, all combine to undermine the belief in a future life upon which the fabric of society has been built for eighteen hundred years. The grave holds few terrors for us now, is little feared as a transition stage upon man's journey. That future which once awaited us beyond the Requiem has been transported into the present. To reach per fas et nefas an earthly paradise of luxury and vanity and pleasure, to turn one's heart to stone and mortify the flesh for the sake of fleeting enjoyment of earthly treasure, as saints once suffered martyrdom in the hope of eternal bliss, is now the popular ambition! [...]

[...] Annette, had compelled Charles to think seriously. [...] She made him both soft and materialistic, a twofold demoralization, but one wholly in accordance with the standards of good society, good manners, and good taste.

[...] they said good night with a smile.

They fell asleep, to dream the same dream; and from that night Charles realized that there were still roses to be gathered in the world, and began to wear his mourning more lightly.

[...] Madame Grandet's life moved swiftly towards its close. Every day she grew feebler: like most women of her age she had no resistance to illness, and her strength ebbed rapidly. She had as frail a hold on life as the leaves now hanging in their fleeting autumn glory on the trees, and like the leaves when the sunlight strikes across and gilds them she shone with reflected light from heaven. [...]

While these events were taking place in Saumur, Charles was making his fortune in the East Indies. His first trading venture, to begin with, had been very successful, and he had quickly realized a sum of six thousand dollars. Crossing the line cured him of many prejudices; he perceived that the best way to make money in the tropics, as in Europe, was to buy and sell men; so he made a descent upon the coast of Africa and bargained for Negroes and other merchandise which could be profitably disposed of at the various markets his interests led him to. Flt had no thought or time to spare for anything but business. His one idea was to return to Paris clothed in all the glamour of great wealth, and to achieve a position there even more splendid than the one from which he had fallen.