Part 96 (1/2)
”Simply by looking at you, my dear fellow, I can see that everything is satisfactory.”
The young man replied by throwing his arms about Cherami and crying:
”Ah! you had guessed right. Adolphine loved me; Adolphine still loves me. In three days she will be my wife, and I shall owe my happiness to you; for without you I should never have discovered her secret.”
”What a charming fellow! He will be persuading me that he is the one who owes me grat.i.tude! Dear Gustave! so at last you are going to be as happy as you deserve! Par la sambleu! I am satisfied! I may fairly say that I have my cue! And the uncle?”
”My uncle doesn't laugh at my love now; on the contrary, he approves my choice.”
”He's a man of sense.”
”He has taken me into partners.h.i.+p.”
”Bravo!”
”And now, as you may imagine, I am going to look out for you. You must have a lucrative and agreeable place.”
”Get married first! you can attend to me afterward.”
”No. I have an idea that I want to suggest to my uncle.”
”Your uncle thinks that I am not good for anything.”
”He'll get over his prejudice. I am going to talk with him about you this very day. Come again, about noon, to-morrow; I shall have a favorable answer for you, I am sure.”
”All right; noon to-morrow. Here, or at your office?”
”At my office. By the way, I have changed my office. You pa.s.s my uncle's private room, go to the end of a long corridor leading to the cas.h.i.+er's office; turn to the left, and my door is in front of you.”
”Very good: a long corridor, then turn to the left. I will find it.
Until to-morrow, my dear Gustave! By the way, shall I be invited to the wedding?”
”Will you be? you, who made the match! You, who called my attention to that angel, whom my idiotic pa.s.sion had hidden from me! Why, if you were not there, something would be lacking in my happiness.”
”Ah! that's very prettily said! Never fear; I will do you honor, and I will make myself agreeable to everybody.”
LXIII
THE PORTFOLIO
As soon as Cherami had left him, Gustave went to Monsieur Grandcourt.
”Now that I am to be married, my dear uncle,” he said, ”you can understand that I don't care about travelling any more. But, in our business, we always need someone to represent us in foreign countries.
Wouldn't it be possible----”
”I see what you are coming at,” interrupted the banker, shaking his head; ”you are going to talk to me again about your Monsieur Cherami.”
”Well, yes. Am I wrong about it; hasn't he given me proof enough of his friends.h.i.+p and his devotion? He had shrewdly guessed that Adolphine loved me.”