Granville's estate

"You already have an annual income of 6500 francs. If you manage your estate steadily, you can gradually earn more income. Isn't that enough?"

In Louis' view, Earl Fernand has already laid a very good foundation for Alred. If he runs the family business diligently, his income will naturally rise slowly; And gambling is worse than anything.

Alred could only shake his head at the naive idea of ​​his friend.

"If I can wait for more than ten years, slowly waiting for a safe opportunity, maybe when I am 40 years old, the Granville family can restore half of the glory of 40 years ago," Allred said, "but that Now, my sister Madeleine will have to spend her whole life in a convent. Louis, think how dull our days at the boarding school were compared with the days after we left there! I am in In Paris, I have seen so much joy and joy that a married woman can have, how can I have the heart to let my sister who has never seen joy outside the convent, can only die because there is not enough dowry. Can only one person spend his whole life in a monastery?"

Louie didn't feel wronged by the rigid routine of boarding school as a student, but he also knew that girls and boys were raised differently.Boys in boarding schools are taught Latin, etiquette and law, and their education is prepared to leave school; girls sent to the monastery are educated to stay in the monastery forever If they do not have the opportunity to get out of the monastery and enter the palace of marriage before the marriage age passes, they can only become nuns who dedicate their lives to the gods, spending their life like flowers in prayers and incense day after day.

After Napoleon's "Civil Code", there have never been so many noble ladies sent to the monastery today, and the purpose of doing so is undoubtedly to pass the property to the eldest son in its entirety.From the perspective of an aristocratic patriarch, sending his daughter to a monastery to serve God without having to divide the property as her dowry is a very cruel and ruthless choice that maximizes the interests of the family; People who have stayed in boarding schools for many years only need to think about the situation that Madeleine might face, and Louis can't be too harsh on Alred's choice.

Seeing that Louis calmed down, Alred let go of the hand that suppressed him.

"If I am willing to be an unknown little man in Paris, as a small employee with a salary of 1500 francs to support myself, then an annual income of 6500 francs is enough, but in that case, why do I have to What about staying in Paris?"

To his friends who grew up together, Alred was not hesitant to confide in his heart: "Louis, I have been in Paris for five years, and I understand that if I want to get what my father wants me to get here—— Whether it is to enter the high society of Paris or to obtain a decent office, or to hope that my sister and I can have a happy marriage-whether it is the happiness that my father wants or that I want, there is no other way to get these things, There is only one way, money, money, a lot of money! But my father has a hard time understanding my situation. He has an unsuitable arrogance, and he thinks that the era is still in his youth when he can get the appreciation of the court by relying on his family background, so as to get The age of decent jobs."

"The Earl hopes that you can restore the glory of the Granville family, but he certainly doesn't want you to change it through such vile ways as gambling and loan sharking."

Louis tried to remind his friend: "It seems that the Earl doesn't know that you have done this before. If he knows, he may not be able to bear this kind of blow."

"Anyway, no matter what I do, he doesn't approve of it. He only recognizes what he knows." Alred said angrily, but seeing Louis' expression, he immediately changed his words: "I know Proper, I really don't go to the casino very often, and that time was really an accident. You think, Louis, it must be the mercy of the Virgin Mary that made me make such a fortune to make that tea business, Isn't this exactly the will of God!"

"Whether you say I'm conservative or stubborn, I still believe that only a down-to-earth business can achieve long-term harvest." Louis said very suspiciously, "I don't believe in such a good thing like a pie falling from the sky. What you said Is it really legal to grow tea business?"

"That's natural!" Alred almost raised his hand to swear, "If the illegality is exposed, can I still gain a foothold in Paris? My goal is to earn [-] yuan per year within three years." What about the income in francs, how can it be possible for a little profit to hinder my future future?"

Hearing Alred's ambitious idea again, even Louis was taken aback by the number he said.

"Are you serious, Al? With an income of forty thousand francs a year, are you sure you're not talking nonsense?"

"Forty thousand francs is not much at all, my little Louis, you have been in the country for too long to know how much it takes to be a qualified Parisian. If I want to be a real Parisian, forty thousand francs a year My income can only be said to be enough." Alred turned over and whispered to him, "But don't tell my father what I think, he is so stubborn, he will definitely think that I am whimsical, Don't spend your mind on the so-called righteous way of seeking official positions; but today's world is very realistic, if you want to have a lucrative official position, you must use a lot of gold louis to open up relationships!"

Louis was still very uncomfortable with this money-only argument. In Magon, people never talked about money so straightforwardly. At most, they used vague words like "Mr. Make a thousand barrels of wine" to guess who's annual income.

After thinking about it, Louis could only cautiously put forward his own opinion to Alred.

"I don't really understand the tea business you mentioned, but since you think that you can get the income you want through this way, I can't interfere with your choice." He said, "But I don't want you to get involved in any relationship with usury." Regarding things, can you promise me that you will never cooperate with the Jews?"

"I can guarantee this," Alred said, "I will stay away from those vampires. Now that I think about it, it is better to be scolded by my father for using the principal than to borrow money from the Jews. The interest rates are terribly high."

"Except for this, can you never go to the casino again? That kind of place is really not a place for serious people to set foot. Even if you win there once by chance, it will take back what you got from it sooner or later."

For his request, Alred was a little embarrassed.

"I can't guarantee this," he said, and he seemed to be angry when he saw Louis, and quickly added: "You know, sometimes you have to deal with some people and you have to go to some low-end places. If you If you are timid, they will look down on you and stumbling you; but I assure you, I know the tricks of that kind of place, and I will never be a gambler who loses his entire fortune in the casino. It’s still measured.”

"Okay," Louis reluctantly accepted, "then there is one more question—what about Miss Margaret?"

Hearing Marguerite's name, Alred frowned deeply, and his face showed a troubled look peculiar to young people, the kind of troubled look that is only shown by people who are in love.

"I know her identity, I know she is not a duchess or a noble lady, I have a sense of proportion, Louis."

Although he said this and tried hard to express that he still regarded Margaret's existence rationally, Alrede's tone was hesitant, and he was not at all as relaxed as when talking about the business he ran.

"There's nothing wrong with that, is it? Anyway, I'm always going to have a mistress, and if it's not her, it will be someone else, and I have to spend time looking for a new woman!"

He said this to Louis as if he wanted to convince his friends and his father who was far away in Chablis.

"I remember you seem to have said that Miss Margaret didn't recognize you as her 'Mr. Is it her 'sir', that is, to approve your relationship in front of everyone?"

"Oh, I am so naive and lovely Louis, how can I admit this kind of thing in front of other people?" Alred laughed at his friend, "In Paris, there are many things that can only be done, but they must never be said, even if The truth is that it can’t be said.”

"It can't be my fault, after all, Magon really doesn't have anyone like Miss Margaret—ah, I don't mean anything else, Al."

"I know you didn't mean to laugh, you are very gentle with bankrupt rascals." Alred scratched his hair in annoyance, "I don't know what to say, but well, I definitely can't be Margot now Lite's 'Mr.', the so-called 'Mr.' is someone who supports them in money and life; I don't have the ability and money now, but I want to see her again."

"Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore, Louis." He admitted reluctantly: "I hate her sometimes, especially when I see her walking with those dudes; Thinking about it like crazy, even if you know it’s an extravagant wish, you can’t help but run to the Bois de Boulogne just to see her.”

After finishing the last sentence, Alred closed his mouth tightly, his expression was like saying: "You can say that I am dizzy, just say it!"

The result was beyond his expectation. Louis didn't speak, but thought for a while, then lifted the quilt and got out of bed.

"Louis?"

Alred sat up in astonishment.

His answer was that the candle was blown out, and the bedroom was plunged into darkness.

"It's getting late, let's rest first - I want to stay in Paris for a while, maybe you can take me to see that Miss Margaret then."