Granville's estate

When Louis and Allred entered the box of the Vicomtesse de Bourgogne, the Vicomtesse was talking to a theater manager, and it sounded like she was discussing the brilliant diamond-studded emerald earrings of the heroine of today's drama.

"How much did Mademoiselle Angel's earrings cost? I guess they cost at least two thousand francs for one of those beautiful emeralds."

"My lady!" replied the director of the theater in frock coat. "Those are not ordinary earrings, but our boss bought them at a great price, three thousand francs each!"

"Ah! I wanted to borrow it from Miss Angel to have a look, and ask the people from the Formolo jewelry store to help me design a pair of earrings to wear at the ball, so it seems impossible."

"Don't say it is three thousand francs, it is five thousand francs. It is our Angel's honor to see you. How could she refuse your request? I believe she will be very happy with your insight."

"Then I would trouble you to ask Miss Angel's opinion first." Madame de Bougogne said, turning her head just in time to see Alred and Louis come in: "Ah, Mr. de Granville, it has been a long time Gone!"

"You're making fun of me again, ma'am, we just met yesterday." Alred was a little bit dumbfounded, "Please allow me to introduce to you, this is my best friend Louis du Farentin, he I came to Paris only yesterday, and I am very glad to have your permission to visit you."

The Viscountess de Bourgogne looked at Louis generously, until she was a little shy and did not dare to look at her, then she smiled: "So the Louis you mentioned yesterday was referring to him! I thought You made a lot of money, so you left without even caring about food!"

As the lady spoke, she gracefully extended her hand and allowed Louis to kiss her hand.

"It's a great honor to meet you, madam." Louis said, took Madame de Bourgogne's hand and kissed it quickly, and then handed out the bouquet in his hand: "Here are the flowers we picked for you together, hope you'll like it."

"Oh, this kid is still very shy! He's blushing."

After taking the camellia, Mrs. de Bourgogne, as if she had discovered a new world, shouted: "What a lovely and beautiful child! Ah, if my unsatisfactory son can be half as lovely as this child, I will be very grateful Virgin Mary!"

Louis blushed even more, but in front of such a candid lady, his original nervousness eased a lot.

"If you know that you despise him so much, Vicomte de Bougogne will be sad." Alred said.

Madame de Bourgogne cast a sidelong glance at Arred.

"You men are all the same. I've seen it a lot. Even if you open your eyes and tell lies, you all don't change your face. It's really rare to see a beautiful child who can blush these days." Madam poured tea Putting the bouquet on the shelf, he said, "How could such a simple child become good friends with you? Could it be that you deceived him?"

"So that's the image of me in your heart? This really makes me sad." Alrede tore open the paper bag in his hand, took out a small bag of candied fruit and handed it to Madame de Bourgogne, jokingly.

"Isn't it? I can't think of any other reason."

"Then you have miscalculated. In fact, Louis was my classmate at the boarding school in Saint-Etienne. We grew up together."

When she heard the name of the Saint-Etienne boarding school, Madame de Bourgogne stopped opening the bag of candied fruit for a moment. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized.

"So you both came from the boarding school of Saint-Etienne! What a coincidence, I know that there is a gentleman who was at that boarding school in the box next to us. Oh, please, Please go to the next door and invite Viscount Calliste de Durand to come over, and say that I invite him to come over."

She said the last sentence to the theater manager on the side.

"Ma'am, do you only invite the Viscount?"

"Yes, just ask him to come over."

"Madam, although Mr. Viscount de Durand once lived in the same school as us, but after so many years, Mr. Viscount probably doesn't remember us as classmates in the next class."

Seeing that the theater manager was about to leave, Alred hurriedly said this to Vicomtesse de Bourgogne.

"Ah, it doesn't matter, even if I don't remember, I'll just introduce you again." Madame de Bourgogne put a piece of candied fruit into her mouth, winked at Louis playfully, and said to Al Ryder said: "I know Galbien is next door. The poor boy must not have expected his cousin to come to the theater tonight, and he must be being taught a lesson at the moment. I called the Viscount over, so that Galbien can at least come to the theater." Take it easy for a while."

Madame's words were so funny that even Louis couldn't help laughing.

"Sounds like Monsieur Viscount doesn't come to the theater very often," said Louis.

"That's natural. I bet Galbien thought so before he came. It seems that Miss Angel's appearance tonight was amazing enough to attract the Viscount."

While they were chatting, the manager of the theater left Madame de Bourgogne's box, and after a while, the figure of Vicomte Calliste de Durand with a cane appeared at the door of the box.

"Madame," the Viscount de Durand stood alone at the door of the box, without rushing in, he just glanced at Louis and Arred who were standing beside Madame de Bourgogne, and looked away indifferently: "The person who heard the message said, do you need me for something?"

"Oh, can't I find you if I have nothing to do?" Viscountess de Bourgogne said with some reproach.

"Of course it is my honor to serve you, but it would be better if you could give me some more time and let me take care of Galbien's situation first. He has been a little too ridiculous recently, and I always don't null."

"I think you're too harsh on that kid. He's already in his 20s. He's a young man in full swing. It's not surprising that he's a little flirtatious—ah, let's not talk about him, here Do you still know the two young people here? Especially this beautiful child next to me."

Madame de Bourgogne said so, and took Louis' hand, which forced Louis to take half a step forward, just in time to meet the viscount's scrutinizing eyes.

Viscount Callister de Durand narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at Louis for a while, then at Alred, as if remembering something, and turned his gaze to Louis again.

Perhaps it was because the viscount had been in a high position for a long time, and he controlled a big bank that everyone in Paris envied. When he frowned and looked at a person, his gaze was very oppressive.

At least Louis, who has always been kind to others, is very uncomfortable with this kind of scrutiny that seems to cut people apart for observation. His eyes moved from the Viscount's face to his golden hair, and finally chose to lower his eyes slightly and look at the Viscount. The delicate gold buttons on the black coat avoided looking directly at the green eyes of the other party - those eyes always gave him the illusion that he was being watched by wolves in the wild.

"How is it? Don't you have any impression of such a beautiful child?"

Madame de Bourgogne seemed oblivious to Louis' uneasiness, and asked enthusiastically.

Viscount de Durand turned his eyes away from Louis. Under the light of the gas lamp, his expression showed an unexplainable arrogance of the superior to the inferior.

"You are disappointed, Madame," said the Viscount. "I don't remember seeing these two gentlemen who are with you lately."

After hearing this, Louis and Alrede exchanged glances, and the latter blinked at Louis, clearly saying, "I'll just say it!"

Madame de Bourgogne, who did not get the answer she wanted, was extremely disappointed.

"My Virgin Mary, two beautiful and handsome young men who have studied with you for so long at the same boarding school, that you don't remember them!"

"Madame, if you are talking about the boarding school of Saint-Etienne, it has been almost ten years since I left there. You cannot ask a person to remember everyone who was around him ten years ago, especially when he left I haven’t met anyone since then.”