Granville's estate

Generally speaking, people in the provinces strictly abide by the rule of rising at sunrise and resting at sunset, unless there is a rare ball held in the evening, or a wealthy hostess suddenly wants to hold a ball on a whim. Otherwise, generally speaking, there would be no unnecessary activities in small towns at night, let alone going out for a walk after dark.

And Parisian habits don't look like that.

The gatekeeper standing on the steps raised his head high, looking like a general standing on a high platform inspecting soldiers: "Look at the mud on the wheels, the two of you just came from other provinces, right? Ah, I don't know if that's the case." Not surprisingly, this is the time for walks and post-walk meals, as Parisians do.”

"Then do you know when he will come back?"

Louis asked through the car window.

"That's not sure." The janitor said, and took out a palm-sized thick case copper watch from his pocket. The cover of the watch had turned black due to the oxidation of time. The janitor used a large Pushing away the cover of the watch with his thumb, he brought the watch to his eyes by the light of the pale gas street lamp, squinting his eyes to see what time it is.

Louis took out his pocket watch from his coat pocket and glanced at it. The G and H cutout patterns on the silver watch cover were intertwined. It was when they graduated from the St. Etienne boarding school, and Allred gave him as a gift. Commemorative.

"It's seven o'clock now," said Louie.

"Sir, it seems that your watch is not accurate enough. It is now ten past seven." The gatekeeper said proudly, and put his watch back: "At this time, the walk in the Bois de Boulogne is over, but de Where Mr. Granville will go next, only he knows."

"It's already dark, won't he come back after the walk?"

"Oh, sir, going home after dark is something only ordinary citizens do!" The porter shrugged exaggeratedly. "How can a nobleman have no social life, what is it like! If de Granville You may have to wait till nine o'clock when Sir and his friends come back from dinner at the hotel; if he goes to a play and dinner, it may be ten o'clock; if he is going to a ball at some lady's Then you don't know when you will come back, it may be one or two o'clock-in a word, everything depends on the mood of M. de Granville, but if you want to see him immediately, it is impossible .”

"But I just want to see him today. Even if I have to find a hotel later, I have to let him know that I have arrived in Paris." Louis looked at St. George Street through the car window Building No. 79, "Can you send someone to tell him that Louis du Farentin from Magon is waiting for him where he lives, and I believe he will come back no matter what difficulties he encounters."

"Monsieur, my servant who can run errands has gone out with M. de Granville, and there is no one who can run errands for you." said the porter, with an impatient breath through his nose, "you can stay Business card, come back tomorrow, I will pass it on to my husband for you."

As he said this, a slender figure holding a candle appeared inside the door of 79 St. George Street.

"Father Tongsar, who are you talking to? Is there a visitor?"

"Oh! Mary, you don't need to come out. It's a bit windy today." The porter turned to the girl with the candle and said, "It's a Mr. Farentin who came to visit from the provinces, but why is our husband not at home?" , this is also impossible.”

The person inside the door paused for a while, then walked out quickly, looking carefully at the family coat of arms of the Farentine family on the carriage illuminated by the pale gas street lamp.

It was a very beautiful young girl with a slender figure, wearing a blue cotton skirt and a cotton shawl, and her long brown hair was scattered on her shoulders in curls.

When she was looking at Louis's carriage, Louis was also looking at her. What puzzled him was that this girl didn't look like an ordinary maid, but her demeanor and temperament were more like those of some small businessmen he had met. She was considered a pampered girl, with a kind of naivety that didn't know the dangers of the world—but why did such a woman appear in Alred's residence?

"Excuse me, but are you M. Louis du Farentin from Magon?"

So said the girl called Mary, and her voice was as sweet as a bird's song in spring.

This time even Louis was surprised.

"How did you know my name?"

"Mr. Alrede speaks of you often, and I have seen the franc box you gave him with the same coat of arms as your carriage."

Louis knew immediately what she was talking about—the year he graduated from the boarding school in Saint-Etienne, Arlaide had given him a Breguet silver pocket watch with the Granville family coat of arms, no matter what he wanted. It was a very valuable gift, both physically and in value; in exchange, Louis gave Arred one of a pair of enamel franc boxes handed down from his grandmother, also bearing the Français surname. family coat of arms.

Louis unconsciously touched the right pocket of his coat, and another franc box lay there quietly, containing four five-franc silver coins.Although very worried about Alred's behavior in Paris, Mary's words proved that Alred has not forgotten their friendship, which at least gave Louis a little bit of relief after the fatigue of the journey. comfort.

In this way, he was even more confused about the girl's identity, but this was not the top priority right now.

"I came from Magon to visit my friend, but he is not at home today." Louis considered his words, "I hope to see him today, Miss Mary, do you know how to find Alred?"

"Ah! You can just call me Mary. Mr. Allred doesn't know you will come today, otherwise he won't go out even if Miss Margaret is upset." Mary said bluntly, "Since you want to wait Mr. Alred, why don't you go inside and take a rest, even if you send someone out immediately, it will take some time for him to come back!"

Then she turned and looked at the gatekeeper: "Father Tonsal, you can find someone to run an errand to tell the gentleman, just say that Mr. Louis du Farentin is waiting for him, I dare say he will come back immediately of!"

"It's just you and me at home. How can I go away? I can't leave you at home as a girl! And at this point, no one knows where he is."

The janitor complained reluctantly.

"He must be at the Rischer's, or at the Oyster Rock Hotel, or any of those places. I'll give you a few sou, and you go and run some errand, I know you'll find it." Mary said.

On the other side, Father Peter lowered the steps of the carriage for Louis, and raised his eyebrows at Louis in surprise when he heard this. The latter didn't say anything, and followed Mary into No. 79 St. George Street.

Mary led the way with a candle, and they walked into the living room on the first floor of this small building. The fireplace in the living room was not burning, so the light inside could only rely on the street lamps outside the window, which was very dim.The curtains of the window near the street were drawn, and a ray of light from a street lamp shone on a table by the window. There were a few pieces of fabric piled up on it, and it looked like Mary was doing embroidery for a fabric dealer or something before going out. female red job.

"please sit down!"

Mary hastily adjusted the velvet cushions of the chair, put the candlesticks in place, lit two more candles, and hurried out of the drawing room.After a while, she came in carrying a small wooden box.

When the wooden box was shaking, it made the special metallic sound of coins colliding. Mary opened the lid, and by the candlelight, she saw scattered silver and copper coins inside. It looked like a change box.

At this time the doorman also came in, and he stared closely at the wooden box containing the coins.

"I'll give you four sous. Take it to the next-door servant and tell Mr. Alred."

As Mary said, she counted out two ten centimes copper coins from the box, held them in front of the candle, checked them, and handed them to the porter after making sure they were correct.

"I've got to run errands, and I've got to deliver a message, so give me a sou!" said the porter.

"Oh, you can go to the next door from here!" Mary said coquettishly, but still gave him a five centimetre copper coin.

The porter took the three copper coins and was about to leave when Mary called to him.

"Wait a minute, Father Tongsar!"

Then she turned and looked at Louis who was sitting on a chair and looking at the interior of the house.

"Mr. Farentin, did you eat before you came?"

Louis froze for a moment, touched his stomach in embarrassment, and realized that he hadn't eaten for a long time: "Uh, ah, not yet."

"Wait a minute, I'll bring you some bread later, so you can eat something to fill your belly." Mary said, reopening the closed wooden box, and took out two two-franc coins from inside. Silver coins: "Father Tongsar, please, wait until you go to Papa Deni's restaurant to buy two dinners, forty sous each, the kind of set meal where you can choose three dishes, one for Rhine carp, fresh mushrooms Roasted partridge and roasted duck with radish, a portion of lamb leg with onions, beef stewed with carrots and roasted goose with olives; beef soup and lily soup for soup, and Breton and Madeleine for dessert. "

This time the gatekeeper did not take the two silver coins.

"Tip, tip, Mary!" cried the porter, "I'm fine with running errands, and it's no big deal if a visitor comes to run errands, but you can't let me run errands and you'll have to pay! That's just the right price, isn't it?" Do you want me to tip the restaurant myself?"

"You don't eat in a restaurant, so you don't need a tip." Mary said, "As for your errand tip, don't you bring a bottle of red wine with each set meal? Mr. Allred and Mr. Farentin drink a bottle, and there is another The bottle is yours now."

The janitor hesitated for a moment and bargained: "If they don't drink, I have to give me both bottles."

"Success, hurry up and go."