Volume Ii Part 29 (2/2)
”Here I am,” said the young woman, rising; ”I was not far away.”
”I have been looking for you everywhere; I was worried about you. Ah!
here's Ami; good-day, brave dog!”
Ami had left his place to run to meet Agathe, who then spied the owner of the Tower.
She bowed affably to him, saying:
”Had I known that monsieur was with you, I shouldn't have been alarmed, as he is always our protector.”
”I have done nothing yet to earn that t.i.tle,” said Paul, returning Agathe's bow. ”But I should esteem myself very fortunate, mademoiselle, if I could ever be of any real service to you.”
As he finished speaking, he bowed to the two friends and left them, motioning to his dog to follow him, which he did not make up his mind to do until he had trotted back several times to the young women, to fawn upon them and wag his tail.
XI
AN AMAZON
Two days later, Pere Ledrux was working in Madame Dalmont's little garden. Humming as usual, he approached the two friends, who were sitting amid a clump of trees.
”Well!” he said, ”here's more fine folks in the place; ah! but these are regular bigwigs, so it seems; even bigger than Madame Droguet!”
”Whom are you talking about, Pere Ledrux?” asked Honorine.
”The folks who've bought the house with the goldfish.”
”What!” cried Agathe, ”is there a house with goldfish in this village--and we didn't know it?”
”Bless me! mamzelle, when it was for sale, n.o.body thought much about it; it was too dear for the natives here. It's a splendid place, with a park and an English garden and a kitchen garden.”
”And goldfish apparently?”
”Yes, mamzelle; a big pond full of 'em.”
”And you know who has bought the place?”
”Pardi! everybody in Ch.e.l.les knows.”
”You see that that isn't so, Pere Ledrux, for we don't know a word about it.”
”The buyers are Monsieur and Madame de Belleville--man and wife; both young. The lady's a fine woman, and she's always dressed up--my word!--as if she was going to a wedding.”
”Really? then they are living here?”
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