Volume VIII Part 4 (1/2)
”A gentleman from the lawyer's”
”What lawyer?”
”Why M'sieu' Canu--who else?”
”And what did this gentleman say?”
”That M'sieu' Canu will call in hi”
Maitre Lecanu was M Roland's lawyer, and in a way his friend,his business for hi, soent and important must be in the wind; and the four Rolands looked at each other, disturbed by the announcement as folks of small fortune are wont to be at any intervention of a lawyer, with its suggestions of contracts, inheritance, law-suits--all sorts of desirable or forencies The father, after a few moments of silence, muttered:
”What on earth can it acy, of course I aood luck”
But they did not expect the death of any one who ood an to think over all their connections on her husband's side and on her own, to trace up pedigrees and the ra off her bonnet she said:
”I say, father” (she called her husband ”Father” at hoers), ”tell me, do you remember who it was that Joseph Lebru irl nahter”
”Had they any children?”
”I should think so! four or five at least”
”Not froer already in her search; she caught at the hope of so from the sky But Pierre, as very fond of his mother, who knew her to be soht be disappointed, a little grieved, a little saddened if the neere bad instead of good, checked her:
”Do not get excited, mother; there is no rich American uncle For e for Jean”
Every one was surprised at the suggestion, and Jean was a little ruffled by his brother's having spoken of it before Madame Rosemilly
”And why for me rather than for you? The hypothesis is very disputable You are the elder; you, therefore, would be the first to be thought of Besides, I do not wish to ly:
”Are you in love, then?”
And the other, much put out, retorted:
”Is it necessary that a man should be in love because he does not care to ht; you are waiting”
”Granted that I a, if you will have it so”