Granville's estate

The "hound dogs" that made Joseph lower his voice before he dared to say it were not the hounds raised by the nobles for hunting, but the secret police established by the Earl of Artois himself, which was independent of all police stations in France. The organization, the so-called "spies" that Callister had used to frighten Allaide when he was at the Missal Opera House, actually referred to them.These secret police were ordered to sniff out information about the opponents of the Bourbon dynasty. If anyone is caught by them, it will be like a prey bitten by a hunting dog. "Hounds" to call them.

"This...how did it suddenly reach this level!"

Although Alred thinks that he and his family's loyalty and admiration to the king are unquestionable, because of his own personal experience and Marguerite's sake - that girl is often monitored by spies from the Paris police station , it's hard for anyone to say whether there is a "hound dog" in this - he instinctively dislikes all the police; of course, this does not mean that he will support those who want to oppose the king's rule : "Mr. Napoleon, didn't he die two years ago!"

"But he still has a son alive, although he has been living there in Austria." Louis said, looking at his friend with some anxiety: "Also, I remember that the news of the gentleman's death came from St. Helena At that time, many people did not believe that it was true. Didn’t some people claim that they were the gentleman who escaped and wanted to use this to instigate a rebellion in the Rhone province that year?”

The "Mr." they talked about in a low voice, of course, refers to Napoleon Bonaparte who once ascended the throne twice. , and jointly declared him "a most despicable criminal and not the so-called Emperor of France", even though he has been dead for two years, he can still disturb everyone's peace in his own name.

"This is a bit too absurd. Everyone knows that even if that gentleman's party members claim that his son should be 'Napoleon II' and 'King of Rome', Prince Parma has been under house arrest in Vienna, Austria by his grandfather. , it is impossible to even set foot on the soil of France, let alone ascend to the throne, as his father's followers hope."

Alrede lowered his voice and said to Louis that he was quite annoyed at the Napoleonists who had caused trouble for his plan: "Do they want to repeat the miracle of that gentleman's access to the throne? Pray that God will be extra merciful."

Perhaps in the minds of those people, even if it was only the son of Napoleon Bonaparte and not the gentleman himself, it was better than the king who abandoned his country and fled--Louis thought so, but he did not regard himself as quite Said the treacherous thoughts: "So, we must be more careful in our actions in the near future, so as not to be troubled by the secret police as people who sympathize with the Napoleonic elements."

But in this way, the visa formalities for leaving Paris will not be possible—at least not today, and Louis will no longer have to continue to be torn between his promises and his friends, which undoubtedly greatly relieves him. in one breath.

Contrary to Louis' relaxed mood, Alrede was worrying about the failure of his plan. He was thinking hard about how to get a visa to Chablis, but when he turned around, he saw Louis relax. The tone of the voice, so he immediately made a decision: "It doesn't work like this. Thousands of people come in and out of Paris every day. I don't believe that the post office will really not handle visas for people--I am now Go to the post office yourself. If what Joseph said is true and no one can handle visa procedures, I will go to the head of the Paris post office and tell him that you have some urgent things to deal with at home. Just ask him to issue you a visa."

"This……"

Naturally, Louis couldn't think that Alred could find such a way, so he was immediately dumbfounded and tried to stop his friend: "Al, I don't think it's necessary, we might as well wait a few days and see what the situation is like... "

"No, I think it's very necessary."

Alrede said very firmly, obviously he was not happy that his friend would continue to stay in the filthy metropolis of Paris, and was determined to keep him away from possible moral danger at all costs: "Joseph, take that book Passport, tell Papa Martin to harness the carriage now——Louis, don’t leave the house until I come back, you know? There may be police spies everywhere outside now. If you can’t get your passport, you’ll be in trouble.”

These words are not just to scare Louis. According to the law, in addition to the holder's name, address and other information, each identity passport will also record whether the holder has a criminal record—— At No. 150 No. [-], the porter whom Louis had seen was brutally squeezed by Sologne Grostedt could not find other employers because of the crime information left on his identity passport, so he could only accept The harsh working conditions and pitiful wages of the tea merchants; although it is unlikely that Louis's appearance and clothes will be regarded as criminals, if he is unlucky and encounters a "hunting dog" who wants to find fault, it will be a troublesome thing.

Once a decision was made, Alred's actions were always very quick. He didn't listen to Louis' advice at all. Within half an hour, the carriage driven by Father Martin drove his master out of St. George's 79th Street, go straight to the post office.

Louis stood on the balcony on the second floor and watched Al's carriage go away. Aside from the promise he made to Calliste, he was actually very unwilling to ask his friends to ask others for himself—yes, any Anyone who has ever tried this kind of request will understand the reluctance - but all the excuses he can think of can't change his friend's decision, so he can only walk up and down the various rooms on the second floor sullenly , trying to resolve his troubles by looking at the scenery outside the window.

Perhaps it is because the residents who live here are all too respectful of the work and rest of the aristocrats—never get up early, and never go to bed early—the St. George's neighborhood can be called quiet and peaceful during the day, making it hard to imagine that this is actually a gathering place. the quarters of the upper-class parasites; now there is no clamor of grocery peddlers, and the sound of carriages seems to be four blocks away, and those distant things that will appear like ripples in the light of street lamps at night The roof tiles, under the sunlight at this time, also showed a fascinating magnificent ups and downs.

While Louis was standing by the window of the bedroom, admiring the magnificent scenery rarely seen in the small town of Magoon, and trying to forget his troubles for a while, the gatekeeper, Father Tongsar, came up to the second floor.

"Sir," said Papa Tunsal to Louis, and the porter listened to the movement on the ground floor to ascertain that Mary was washing dishes in the kitchen and Papa Peter was in the stables after trimming the mane of the horses. , with the sly and smug smile typical of slippery servants, he took out from the wide coat pocket a tightly wrapped object with a handkerchief embroidered with an iris pattern in gold thread: " Just as I was going out to buy some snuff at the grocer, a man in a hat called to me from the street. He told me not to disturb the rest of the house, but to keep this little thing Sent you here, and said you'd know what happened."

"...Someone asked you to send me something? Who asked you to send it?"

Louis was quite astonished when he heard Papa Tongsar say that, but he soon realized that this was probably another "unrefusable gift" that Callister had said, but he didn't expect that the other party would dare to let people Straight to 79 St. George's Street—by the Virgin Mary, fortunately Alred had just been out in the carriage, otherwise... He couldn't imagine the scene!

"I don't know who it was from, sir, but the man kept his hat down so low that I didn't see what he looked like."

"Can you go out and find him right now, and tell him that it is inconvenient for me to accept it now, and ask him to take it back to his master first?"

"That probably won't work, sir. The man left after handing over the things to me. I'm sure I can't find him."

Louis hesitated for a moment, for he really did not want to accept this so-called gift (Holy Virgin Mary, this is where Allaide lives!); however, if it is really something that Callister sent , that must not be left with Alred's servants, he can only take what is in the hands of the father of Tongsar - the object that fell into his palm is not big, but it has a sense of weight, Judging from the corners under the handkerchief, it should be a small box similar to the one he received yesterday, containing a gold pocket watch and a franc box.

After handing over the things to Louis, Papa Tonsar did not immediately leave the second floor and return to the porter's room to perform his duties as a porter, but looked around furtively to make sure that the others would not leave suddenly After coming up to hear their conversation, he leaned over, lowered his voice and asked Louis: "Sir, is this a gift from your lover?"

The sudden words of the gatekeeper almost frightened Louis so that his mind went blank.

"Blessed Virgin Mary, father, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Ah, sir, you don't have to worry about me revealing your secret! Papa Tunsar has always been very tight-lipped," said the porter, with the sly, philistine, and sly look on his face that is typical of inferior people. Smiling proudly, he rubbed his rough palm at the same time: "I've seen this kind of thing a lot, young man, it's not surprising to have one or two lovers! Even if you and your friends are looking at the same pretty girl Girl, there are many such things in Paris, sir, you don't need to be afraid at all, I will keep the secret between you and Miss Marguerite for you."