The other was the eloquent defence of a
young woman brought before the authorities for bearing a child out of
wedlock. Franklin owned to the fraud in Necker's house when he came to
Paris, much to the confusion of French philosophism. Behold how the
New World twice set a bad example to the Old!"
"In journalism," said Lousteau, "everything that is probable is true.
That is an axiom."
"Criminal procedure is based on the same rule," said Vernou.
"Very well, we meet here at nine o'clock," and with that they rose,
and the sitting broke up with the most affecting demonstrations of
intimacy and good-will.
"What have you done to Finot, Lucien, that he should make a special
arrangement with you? You are the only one that he has bound to
himself," said Etienne Lousteau, as they came downstairs.
"I? Nothing. It was his own proposal," said Lucien.
"As a matter of fact, if you should make your own terms with him, I
should be delighted; we should, both of us, be the better for it."
On the ground floor they found Finot. He stepped across to Lousteau
and asked him into the so-called private office. Giroudeau immediately
put a couple of stamped agreements before Lucien.
"Sign your agreement," he said, "and the new editor will think the
whole thing was arranged yesterday."
Lucien, reading the document, overheard fragments of a tolerably warm
dispute within as to the line of conduct and profits of the paper.
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