Volume I Part 69 (1/2)
”You are perfectly right, madame, you speak very wisely. I think that you will like this neighborhood, although there are very few people to a.s.sociate with.”
”We did not come here for the society, monsieur.”
”You have bought this house of Courtivaux's, it isn't large, but it's large enough if there are only you two.”
”And one servant, monsieur; we are not afraid of being robbed, you see.”
”Everyone must do as he or she pleases. You have taken into your service that tall Poucette girl, niece of Guillot the farmer; poor people--very dest.i.tute!”
”An additional reason, monsieur, why we should be happy because we are able to employ someone belonging to them.”
”Yes, when they know how to serve; but I doubt very much whether that tall girl knows how to do anything; where can she have learned?”
”She will learn with us, monsieur, and I congratulate myself every day on having taken her into my service, for she is exceedingly zealous, willing and intelligent.”
Monsieur Jarnouillard simply bowed, while he inspected once more everything within his range of vision. Then he resumed:
”Madame is a widow?”
”Yes, monsieur.”
”Without children?”
”Alas! yes, monsieur! I had a son, but I lost him!”
”The old fool!” muttered Agathe; ”to revive my dear love's sorrow with his questions! What an inquisitive man!”
”We haven't any children either, my wife and I, and we congratulate ourselves on it every day! it's just so much less turmoil and trouble!”
”And I, monsieur, do not pa.s.s a day without regretting the son whom I lost; to my mind, it is so much less of happiness and of the purest love!”
Monsieur Jarnouillard bowed again; then he continued:
”You didn't pay a high price for this house--that is, if you bought it for fifteen thousand francs cash, as I understand.”
”Twenty thousand, monsieur, and I do not consider it dear.”
”Pardon me--the garden is small, and it yields nothing; you haven't enough rooms to let----”
”It has never been my intention, monsieur, to try to let rooms to strangers. My house is quite large enough for my friend and myself, and that is enough.”
”Oh! that makes a difference. You have furnished it very nicely; it was furnished already, but you have added various things; this couch was Monsieur Courtivaux's, but that etagere wasn't here, or these easy-chairs--Oh, yes! they did belong to Monsieur Courtivaux, but those two pictures weren't his.”
”I should say, monsieur, that you had taken an inventory of the property. You must know how many trees there are in the garden?”
”Not exactly, but very nearly; and wretched trees, too--worth nothing!
oh! miserable trees!”
”Monsieur doesn't know much about trees, I judge,” exclaimed Agathe angrily. ”We have the finest lindens it is possible to imagine!”