Granville's estate

"You want a salary advance?"

Mary's request was completely beyond Louis and Alred's expectations. They couldn't help but glanced at each other, seeing each other's eyes full of doubts—this kind of request is not unusual, even for the slowest master, for a person who is allowed to Maids who live in the employer's house with full board and lodging will instinctively feel that something is wrong when they want to advance their wages.

"Mary, why did you suddenly say that you want to pay in advance? Did you encounter something that required a lot of money?"

Alrede asked his maid in some puzzlement. He quickly calculated in his mind the salary he had paid to Mary in the past few months. According to Mary's character, some of the money should have been saved: "Your The salary is 20 francs a month, plus Joseph’s 15 francs a month, you don’t need to pay for food and living here, and you don’t need to pay for firewood and water. Savings?" How could it be that you need to pay wages in advance for emergencies?

Mary must have heard the meaning behind Alred's words. She lowered her head and twisted her fingers, her fair face and small ears were flushed red: "Sir, I, I have something to do..."

"What exactly is it?" Alred asked, looking at the embarrassed maid, he only needed to think for a while, and he immediately understood: "You are for Villiers, right?"

Mary's face turned even redder, she lowered her head and said nothing, apparently acquiescing to what Alred said.

Alrede couldn't help turning his head to look at Louis. Although the latter frowned and shook his head in disapproval at him, he still decided to listen to the maid's specific request first, and then make a decision according to the situation.

"So, Mary, how much are you going to pay me in advance?"

Alred asked. He felt that Mary had always done things properly. The wages she asked for in advance should not exceed fifty francs, and no more than one hundred francs. He was even ready to take out gold coins from his franc box. That's it--just so, today he has two fifty-franc gold coins of the largest denomination in his franc box.

Mary quickly raised her head to look at her master, and then lowered her head again. Maybe she knew that her request was too much. When she said her request, her voice was as thin as a mosquito.

"Three hundred francs, sir."

"What did you say?"

Alred looked at the maid standing in front of him in astonishment, as if he suddenly didn't recognize her: "Mary, I heard you right, do you want to advance three hundred francs?"

Also terrified by this was Louis who was sitting on the side.

"Mary, what's the matter with you? Are you trying to advance all your and Joseph's salary for a year to lend it to Mr. Villiers?"

A man asks a young woman for money. No matter where this kind of thing is, it is not nice to say it, so Louis can't help but become strict when he said: "Mary, what did that Mr. Villiers say to you?" What? Why did he ask you to borrow such a large sum of money? Didn't he think that the lives of your siblings would be in trouble because of this when he asked you?"

Three hundred francs is not a small amount. This amount is already worth one-tenth of Louis's annual income, and it is even the income that a female worker from other provinces can only earn after a year of hard work in bad times-not to mention, According to what Alred said before, what Mary wants to borrow is not only the three hundred francs advanced, but also other savings she saved when she was a maid.

"It's not like that, Mr. Louis, please don't get me wrong."

Maybe it was Louis' tone that startled Mary, she nervously defended her lover: "Villiers, he just needs a sum of money to turn around temporarily, and he can pay it back to me in a few months gone."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Alred asked, trying to keep his tone gentle: "Mary, can you tell us in detail what happened to Villiers and asked you to borrow money? It's not like usual You, you're going to confuse me."

Hearing Alred's question, Mary hesitated for a while, and then said the reason slowly with a blushing face: "It's like this, sir, Villiers... He, he got a job as a reporter in a newspaper office." Opportunities, but if you want to get a position, you must first spend a sum of money to open up relationships."

"Newspaper?"

"Yes, sir, the office of the "Longchamp Daily"!"

When talking about the place where her beloved is about to go, Mary's beautiful face suddenly glowed with brilliance, which is the kind of brilliance that only people immersed in passionate love have from the heart: "Villiers met Mr. Girard, a reporter from the "Longchamp Daily", and Mr. Girard introduced him to the editor-in-chief of the newspaper. The editor told him that as long as he can pay a thousand francs, We can arrange for him to work as a reporter in a newspaper office, although the money he can get in the first few months is less, but the salary after half a year is enough to make up for the regret."

This experience sounds too bizarre, and it reminds people of some scams to lure greedy people. Louis couldn't help but look at his friend: "Al, have you heard of this newspaper?"

"Girard... I've heard of this man's name, and he is indeed a reporter." Alred said, trying to search for everything about the newspaper that Mary said in his mind: "Ah, I remembered, he was indeed a reporter." I went to the "Longchamp Daily", which is named after the Longchamp Racecourse, and has always supported the king very firmly."

Alred said, turning to look at Mary: "So, Mary, is this why Villiers asked you to borrow money? How much are you going to lend him in total, one thousand francs? With all due respect, his future should be Let his family worry about it, instead of asking you to ask for the little support you and Joseph have accumulated so hard to use as a step for him to reach the sky."

Perhaps it was the word "family" that reminded Mary of the vows and sweet words her lover had said to her. Her ears, which had finally subsided from the heat, gradually turned red again.

"I don't have that much money, sir," said Marie, wringing her fingers uncomfortably and sweetly. ..."

Seeing her like this, Alred immediately understood that no matter what he said, this girl who had fallen into the quagmire of love probably wouldn't listen, so he couldn't help but sighed.

"Marie, you're going to ask Villiers to write down the IOU when you give the money out, aren't you?"

The young girl didn't seem to have thought about this question. When Alred asked, she froze for a moment before replying in a low voice: "I will, sir."

Even so, Mary's demeanor showed that at least before Alred raised this question, she hadn't actually thought about it.

"It seems that you have already made up your mind." Alred said, and he put on a businesslike look: "You want to advance three hundred francs, which is not out of the question, but this Once the money is given out, you and Joseph will only be able to receive 10 francs a month for the next year. This amount of money is too little to support the lives of two people. Joseph knows that you want to do this ?"

"He He……"

"I disagree!"

Just when Mary hesitated and hesitated in the face of Alred's question and could not give an affirmative answer neatly, the little servant Joseph rushed in from outside the study like a small cannonball.

"Sir, don't give her money!"

Joseph shouted to Alred in such a voice that one might think that some murder had happened here; then Joseph turned and shouted angrily at his sister.

"Sister, you are out of your mind. That man is a liar, a liar! Don't continue to be deceived by him!"