Part 9 (2/2)
He arrived in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, and alighted from the carriage in front of the house which was soon to belong to him.
”Is Monsieur Renare in?” he asked the concierge.
”He is already at the notary's, monsieur.”
”The deuce! what prompt.i.tude! I must not keep him waiting.”
Murville left the cabriolet in the courtyard, and walked to the notary's. The deeds were ready, and Monsieur Renare was impatiently awaiting the arrival of the purchaser; for, having learned the night before of the episode at the Epee Couronnee, he had begun to feel some anxiety concerning the bargain; but Edouard's presence, and especially the sight of a wallet stuffed with good bank notes, restored all his tranquillity.
The deeds were signed, the price paid, and Monsieur Renare smilingly presented the keys of the house to Edouard.
”You are the owner now, monsieur; from this moment you can do as you please with your house and everything that it contains, as I have sold it to you furnished.”
”I thank you, monsieur, but you may take all the time that you please to make your preparations for departure. I do not wish to embarra.s.s you in any way.”
”Oh! my preparations will very soon be made, monsieur. I simply have a little bundle to pack, and I can carry it under my arm.”
”Then you already have another house in view?”
”Why,” said the notary, ”Monsieur Renare has six houses in Paris, and three more in the suburbs; so he is not likely to be at a loss.”
”Six houses in Paris,” thought Edouard, ”and he wears a patched coat and a broken hat! And he is a bachelor, too! and he has no heirs! Does the man think that he is never going to die?”
Our young man bowed to the old miser and left the notary's office. He returned to his newly-acquired property. The concierge was waiting in the courtyard, and seemed to have some question to ask him. Edouard guessed the cause of his embarra.s.sment.
”This house is now mine,” he said to the peasant; ”here is the deed stating that I am the owner of it. However, Monsieur Renare will soon inform you of it himself.”
”Oh, I don't doubt it, monsieur.”
”Are you attached to Monsieur Renare?”
”No, monsieur, I ain't attached to anything but the house, and if monsieur doesn't keep me, I shall be out of work.”
”Very well, I will keep you! I do not mean to discharge anybody; from this moment you are in my employ.”
”Very good, monsieur, I will try to satisfy you.”
Edouard was not greatly pleased with the peasant. He seemed brusque and rough, and had lived so long with Renare that he had acquired an air of distrust, that made itself manifest in all his acts. But Edouard did not desire, on returning to occupy the home of his parents, to create a bad impression on the people in the village.
As it was still early, and Edouard had finished his business at the notary's sooner than he expected, he could not resist the temptation to inspect his property; he ordered the concierge to give him the key of the gate at the end of the garden, and left him beside his cabriolet.
When we know that an estate belongs to us, we are likely to scrutinize every part of it closely. Edouard noticed that Monsieur Renare had planted cabbages and lettuces in all the beds intended for flowers; he had cut down the beautiful acacias, which, to be sure, produced nothing but shade, and had replaced them by fruit trees. Instead of box as a border for the paths, he had planted parsley and nasturtiums; and as he entered a clump of shrubbery, which formerly was bright with lilacs and roses, Edouard smelled nothing but the odor of chevril and onion.
”We shall have to make many changes,” said Edouard to himself, laughing at the former owner's parsimony; ”but in a week everything will be as it was, with the exception of the acacias, on which I used to have a swing; but I have pa.s.sed the age when I could enjoy it so much.”
He was then at the end of the garden; he approached the gate, saying to himself:
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