Tranquilized by the affirmations of her lover, she then changed the trend of the conversation. The possibility of their approaching marriage brought to mind the object of the voyage which Desnoyers had just made. There had not been time for them to write to each other during their brief separation.

“Did you succeed in getting the money? The joy of seeing you made me forget all about such things.”

Adopting the air of a business expert, he replied that he had brought back less than he expected, for he had found the country in the throes of one of its periodical panics; but still he had managed to get together about four hundred thousand francs. In his purse he had a check for that amount. Later on, they would send him further remittances. A ranchman in Argentina, a sort of relative, was looking after his affairs. Marguerite appeared satisfied, and in spite of her frivolity, adopted the air of a serious woman.

“Money, money!” she exclaimed sententiously. “And yet there is no happiness without it!”

From “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypses,” by Vicente Blasco Ybáñez

In this snippet, one of the best novelists of the past century, Spaniard  Vicente Blasco Ybáñez, breaks the charm of romantic love with the cruel reality of money.  No money, no honey.  Living in Paris, young and rich Julio Desnoyers meets his married lover after a trip to his haciendas in Argentina. The words require no clarification:  “Did you succeed in getting the money? The joy of seeing you made me forget all about such things.”  Marguerite adopted the air of a serious woman. “Money, money!” she exclaimed sententiously. “And yet there is no happiness without it!”

I am adding no comment because the paragraph speaks for itself. But I invite my friends and readers to send me their thoughts about this issue.