Granville's estate

On October [-], [-], the grape harvest was drawing to a close. This time should have been a busy and tense day for the city of Chablis, which is rich in fine wine. A simple and light "Coup" However, the arrival of a large traveling carriage aroused the strong curiosity of the residents of this small provincial town.

The good horses pulling the carriage snorted impatiently because of the fatigue of the long journey, and the wheels glistened across the undulating road and passed through the narrow streets. Because of the poor construction of the old city, if a carriage came from the opposite side The words are determined to be unstoppable, and one party must give in. However, this carriage was lucky not to encounter such a situation.The houses on the side of the street look as old as the dilapidated stone roads, making one wonder if there are people living inside, but the curtains are occasionally pulled up quietly, so that the people inside can curiously observe the people passing by and watching them people.

In a quiet and solemn provincial town, rumors spread faster than any postman. When the carriage with the family crest on the carriage drove into Chablis, some people were already guessing which merchant it was who came to buy wine , but this statement was immediately refuted-the wine festival will only be held in November, which businessman will come at this time?So soon there were new speculations. Not long after the carriage drove into the Granville mansion in the old city, and it didn't even take until three o'clock in the afternoon, a beautiful young squire from out of town came to visit the declining Granville The family story has practically been told all over the place by well-informed, boring people.

Louis du Farentin, who was at the center of these gossips, knew nothing of this and was, in fact, facing a very strange situation which he had not even imagined before his departure from Magon.

"You mean to say that my friend Alrede is not actually here now, but has always been in Paris?"

Louis du Farentin confirmed twice with the old butler of the Granville family, and finally confirmed this bizarre fact.The old butler swore to him that Master Alred was indeed not in the Granville mansion, but he believed that the young master was in very good health. At least he had not heard Count Fernand say that the young master was ill recently; As for the invitation to Mr. Farentin, we will have to wait for the count to come back. He went to inspect the vineyards outside the city today and will be back soon.

Knowing that Alrede might not be sick, Louis du Farentin, who had traveled all the way, was not angry, but relieved.

"If Alred is fine, that's the best news I can think of! When I received the letter from the Earl, my heart was so scared that it stopped."

The distance from Magon to Chablis is not too far for a young man, but the journey is always tiring. When the old butler prepares hot water for bathing and asks the cook to prepare dinner for the arrival of the guests, Louis began to observe the old family house of his friend.

The old aristocratic mansion named Granville Mansion has a tall arched lintel with a long hard stone relief above the lintel. The family coat of arms intertwined with G and H has been restored very finely, showing this The current owner of the family is still trying to maintain the glory of the past; the plaster on the exterior wall pressed with thick bluestone slabs can still show the superb craftsmanship of the skilled craftsmen of the year, but it is covered by gray stains on the obviously repaired window sills Like a part of the fine carvings, it shows a kind of helplessness in the erosion of time; while in the inner living room, the floor on the ground has been renovated, but the wall panels on the four walls have an old dark color. , and the luster of the floor are so incompatible; the fireplace in the center of the living room originally had a very fine white marble carving pattern, but it turned yellow due to lack of maintenance, and the armchair next to it was wrapped in velvet that had begun to fade. All of them reflect invisibly the efforts of the current owner of this mansion to restore its former glory and the many difficulties that he still needs to overcome.

The two friends, who had formed a strong friendship at boarding school, have seen each other only twice since Louis and Allred separated at the boarding school in Saint-Etienne at the age of 19, once when Allred went to Paris to study law Before that, the other time was the death of Louis' father, Lucien du Farentin.The two meetings took place on the land of the Farentin family. For this reason, Arleide once wrote to Louis, complaining that he had proposed to his father, Count Fernand, to invite his good friend to come and play in Chablis for a while. , but was rejected by the count unhappily; now looking at this mansion, which can be called an old-time reliquary to some extent, Louis understands why Count Fernand is unwilling to invite him.

Most of the nobles in the old era had such arrogance. Before the storm in [-], no one expected that the storm would be so violent. In an instant, the nobles lost their fiefs, manors, mansions and annuities , and the small townspeople who were not in their eyes in the past took the opportunity to devour their property. Even Louis' father was able to buy the piece of land he now owns after that.After finally waiting for Mr. Napoleon to be forced to leave France, the old nobles who welcomed the king back could enjoy a little favor from the king, but the power and money that had been lost were not so easy to get back.Whether in Paris or in other provinces, there are many old nobles like the Earl of Granville who are struggling to support the only remaining glory of the family, hoping to make a comeback.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Count Fernand de Granville's carriage drove into the courtyard of the mansion and stopped in front of the steps.It was a Cooper-style carriage for two. Logically speaking, this kind of carriage commonly used by small landowners should not be configured as a nobleman with the title of Earl when he went out, but Louis did not see that there was still a carriage in the mansion. Another carriage.

The earl was tall and tall, with the same black hair as Alred, the past honors and ups and downs had left very obvious marks on his face, when he saw Louis, he looked at him with a very stern look Examine the young man in front of him.

"You must be M. Louis du Farentin of Magon?"

"Yes, my lord, Louis du Farentin greets you."

"Alred has mentioned you to me many times, and has also conveyed your greetings to me." Perhaps the "Sir" played a role, and the earl's expression became a little gentler, "He said that you are definitely worthy Trusted friend, but I never thought you were such a handsome young man."

"Your compliment really flatters me, my lord, and it is an honor for Louis to have your permission to visit."

The count walked into the living room while exchanging greetings with the guests. During this process, Louis was slightly behind the count by half a step. This small detail of respect and etiquette in the old aristocratic era that has gone away obviously greatly won the favor of Count Fernand. Good impression.

"You must be very tired after coming from such a long distance." Earl Fernan handed the coat he took off to the old housekeeper, and then said, "Dinner should be ready, please don't think that I am too shabby. It's a deliberate treat. I know you and Allred have a friendship of 11 years at the St. Etienne boarding school, and I see you in the same way as Allred in my heart; but I thought you would wait until later You won't come until the end of the Portuguese month, I didn't expect you to rush over so soon."

"I received your letter saying that Alred was very seriously ill, so I entrusted some matters to my housekeeper and set off." Louis said, showing a very confused expression, "But, my lord, Your steward told me that Alrede was not in Chablis, but in Paris. What then is your letter saying that he is ill?"

Count Fernand turned his head and glanced at Louis, but did not answer the question, but said to the butler, "Bring the dinner!"

Then, the count sat down on the large velvet-covered armchair beside the dining table—this living room also functions as a living room, dining room and utility room, showing that the family has been unable to maintain multiple decent functions. The room can only be used for multiple purposes like a petit bourgeois family; on the opposite side of the dining table is a spring back chair also wrapped in velvet. The earl looked at the young guest who was still standing, with a slight smile on his lips , but soon this joy was restrained, and he pointed to the opposite chair and said to the guests: "Please sit down! Ah, I know that Allaide must have complained to you before, and he didn't agree with me at home." You can't sit down, but you are a guest, please don't be too restrained."

The young guest had a look of embarrassment on his face, as if he was caught talking badly about his elders behind his back.

"There is no such thing. In front of the honorable lord, without your order, Louis dare not claim it."

"You are indeed a very polite boy, and I am very happy for M. Lucien du Farentin. He has a worthy heir, and even though he has returned to the arms of God, his heir will take care of the family business. Well organized. I heard that you managed the land so steadily and well that the net income of the Farentins increased from [-] francs when M. Lucien was here to [-] francs. Is that true?"

"I am laughing at you. This is just because the grape harvest has been relatively good in the past two years. Compared with your family's wealth, the income of the Farentin family is just a drop in the bucket." Louis grasped the earl's words very keenly. The strange "really" went to the armchair and sat down, and asked his own question: "You know the income of the Farentine family very well, did Alred tell you?"

The flame in the fireplace burned just right, and the beating firelight illuminated the dim living room, casting the count's shadow on the wall, outlining a huge jumping figure.

The count leaned back and leaned on the back of the chair. Perhaps after a tiring day, he was finally able to take a rest. He stretched a little.

And to the question of the young squire, he said: "Not for Alred—my boy, the Granvilles had a little decency, though not much left now—for Alred, Before writing to you, I wrote to your bishop to inquire about you."