Granville's estate

The road from Chablis to Paris is not far away, but the bad road conditions can make travelers very tired.

Chablis is rich in light-tasting wines. Although the annual grape harvest depends on the mood of God because of the high latitude, a heavy rain or a single sunshine can reduce or increase the harvest of grapes that year, but good grape varieties and Paris The just-right distance allowed for a steady supply of wine, potatoes, and other crops to the people of Paris.

As a result, the roads between Paris and Chablis are deeply rutted day after day by horse-drawn wagons piled high with potatoes, buckwheat, oats and wine barrels, and some of the worst places have even become The big pit that the entire carriage sank into made no doubt that if a two-story public carriage passed by on a rainy day, any passenger who accidentally fell off the roof would have to swim in the muddy water for a while. The circle can only struggle out.

Louis du Farentin and his coachman, Papa Peter, rested overnight at the Granville mansion, and set off from Chablis the next morning. It was not until evening that they saw the shadow of Paris in the distance.After the carriages lined up and entered the city of Paris, a group of men, women, and children who were attracting guests for the hotel spotted these carriages from other places and rushed up, shouting endlessly: "Stay in the hotel! Do you want to stay in the hotel?" Give me three bucks, and I'll take you there! An apartment for half a franc a night, with candles and hot water!" "Sir, Ma'am! A hotel that definitely fits two identities, including dinner and breakfast, and clean hot water." Water, you only need two francs and two sous!" "Get out of the way, you can live in a high-end apartment with two francs, everything, everything! And beautiful maids!"

Amidst the shouting and shouting, some men even boldly stopped the horses in front of the horses to prevent the fancy guests from leaving while accompanying their smiling faces. Various carriages crowded together with the crowd, and some almost collided with each other. Greater confusion.

It was the first time for Louis to see such a noisy, uproarious and even chaotic scene. Fortunately, Peter, who had served the Farentin family for more than ten years, had been to Paris with Mr. Lucien du Farentin before and knew about these brokers. You can't believe a word you say.Before those people came around, he threateningly waved a whip, making a gesture to hit those who were too close to the window of the carriage. Pa took the opportunity to whip the horse, and the light Coop-style carriage rushed out without looking back, leaving those people and other carriages behind.

The carriage kept walking along the street. Gradually, the road conditions in front of it became better and better. On both sides of the street, there were no street lamps to see dilapidated light poles, and the gas lamps were already lit before the sky completely darkened. On the wide streets, there are gradually more pedestrians, peddlers and various carriages passing by.

In the provinces, whether it is Magon or Chablis, the towns and villages at this time should have entered a silence at the beginning of night, but in Paris, the heart of the empire, everything is still active, lively, Sober and noisy.From old houses that look dark and ageless on the outside, to multi-storey apartments with ground-floor shops and rented rooms, to detached baroque-style exquisite buildings and extraordinary grand hotels; from flower girls wearing headscarves , to the women selling oysters with a small stall on the side of the road, to the small clerks in black dresses with canes; From the rental carriages of ladies who go to the theater to the luxurious private carriages that must be bought by powerful people, all these poor, rich, lowly, and noble gradually mix through the streets, the capillaries of the city. Together, they interweave a dazzling variety of colors.

It is a strange, chaotic, gigantic city that operates according to unseen laws. Its beauty and dynamism put any town in the provinces to shame, but the discerning person can find it from the city center to the different neighborhoods. From what I have seen and heard, I can smell a little bit of suffering, blood and tears covered under this prosperous place.

While Louis was observing the city in amazement through the car window, Father Peter in the driver's seat in front shouted.

"Sir, shall we stay at an inn, or shall we go directly to Master Granville?"

Louis's original plan was to find a hotel to stay and rest after entering the city, and then go to Allaide at the address given by Earl Fernand the next day, but the prosperity of Paris was beyond his expectations. When the night was getting ready for sleep, and the night life in Paris seemed just beginning to be the same, he changed his mind.

"Father, let's go straight to St. George's Street! Do you know how to get there?"

"I don't know about this, but I have a way."

Sitting on the tall coachman's seat, Father Peter looked around while talking, and then reined in the horse to stop.

"Hey, kid over there!" He called out to an eleven or twelve-year-old newsboy on the street, took out a coin from his pocket and shook it.

The small newsboy ran over immediately, his eyes fixed on the 5 centimes copper coin.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"Do you know how to get to 79 St. George Street? Take us there, and this sou will be yours."

"No problem, sir, I know where that is!"

Father Peter let out a "wheeze" and whipped his whip a little. The horse, which had been running around for a day, snorted dissatisfiedly and started slowly again. Newsboy, called out: "Daddy Peter!"

"No way, my sir, no way!"

Father Peter, who was driving the horses in the driver's seat, didn't even look back.

"—I haven't said anything yet!"

"Because I know what you're going to say! No way, sir, there's luggage in the back rack. Besides, my carriage isn't for that kind of man! And no back rack!"

"..."

The newspaper boy who was running ahead and leading the way seemed to have never thought of standing on the back of the carriage to guide the way. He took the carriage of the Farentin family away from the bustling street with more and more people passing by, and turned into the A quiet alley, twists and turns, and finally reappears on a street that can accommodate three carriages in parallel.

Just by looking at the various beautiful single-family buildings on both sides of the street, you can tell that this is a noble residential area. The newspaper boy leads his master and servant down the street all the way, and finally at the end of the street is a two-story off-white small building. stopped in front of the building.

"Sir, this is 79 St. George Street!"

The newsboy who stopped in his tracks gasped and looked at Papa Peter helplessly. The latter looked at the number on the house number of the small building, took out the copper coin from his pocket and threw it to him.

The newsboy caught the small copper coin very nimbly, like a hungry hound catching a bone thrown by its owner; to the surprise of no one, after hiding the copper coin in his bosom, he actually picked it up from the bag on his shoulders. He took out a newspaper from the newspaper pocket on his body, and jumped to the window of the carriage.

"Good sir, buy a newspaper! It's only two sous a piece, and I haven't eaten all day. Please, be kind!"

"Hey, hello! Boy!" Father Peter was about to get down from the driver's seat, holding the rein with one hand. He never expected that this kid would dare to be so rude to his master, and he was furious all of a sudden: "When I don't know What is the price, do you dare to sell something for two coppers for ten? Go away, or I will call the police to arrest you and take you to the police court!"

The little newsboy, as slippery as a loach in the water, hid himself under the car window out of the reach of Papa Peter's whip: "Good sir, I can only earn a cent for a newspaper, if not If I show you the way, my newspapers won’t be sold out; if my newspapers are not sold out today, the whole family will be hungry tomorrow, please do me a favor!”

"Go away!" cried Papa Peter petulantly, cracking his whip loudly.

The boy flinched, but he still held on to the window of the carriage and refused to leave, while Louis in the carriage helped his forehead helplessly.

"Father, don't be so loud, you'll disturb other people's homes—give me two newspapers."

He gave two copper coins of ten centimes to the newsboy. The latter took it in his hand and looked at it in disbelief. For fear that he would repent, he stuffed the newspaper in his hand into the carriage, and then quickly ran low It opened, and soon disappeared into the shadow of the building under the night.

What was left in Louis' hands was a street newspaper with very rough paper and printing, and the pungent smell of poor-quality ink could be smelled from a long distance away. I had to sneeze, and it was not right to put this newspaper in the compartment for a while, nor was it to throw it out of the car window.

Seeing that his master had made a loss-making business, Father Peter lamented: "Holy Virgin Mary! My husband, I have already told you to ignore such little rascals. They are very slippery. Know how to deceive people everywhere!"

"I'm not... this is not, I don't know if it will be like this!"

Louis du Farentin, who paid ten times the price for only a low-quality tabloid, could not even speak with confidence because of his guilty conscience.

The doorman at 79 St. George Street noticed the movement outside. He came out, first looked at the whole carriage and horses up and down, and made sure that it was an ordinary Coop-style carriage, worn by Father Peter. It is not the livery with the family crest worn by the servants of the noble family, and then slightly tilted his neck, showing a kind of arrogance unique to Parisians, which even the nobles don't pay attention to: "Mr. ,Can I help you?"

He asked about Louis in the carriage, but it was Papa Peter who answered him.

"Is this the residence of M. Allard de Granville, 79 Rue St. Georges? Please let me know that M. Louis du Farentin is coming to visit."

When he heard the word "Du" in the middle of the visitor's name instead of the word "De", the gatekeeper's tone dragged even more slowly

"Well, it is true that M. de Granville lives here, but what a coincidence, sir, that M. de Granville has gone for a walk in the Bois de Boulogne."

"walk?"

Louis in the carriage and Peter, who was about to lower the steps of the carriage for him, looked at each other through the window.

Louie had imagined seeing Alred many times, but never this strange possibility—this time, for a walk?It's already dark!