Granville's estate

"Oh!"

Hearing Alred say "you should go home" to Louis, even the maid Mary couldn't help screaming.

For any decent person or self-proclaimed decent person in this era, it is the most basic criterion to entertain their relatives and friends enthusiastically. Don't talk about issuing an order to evict guests in front of the guests; if anyone has done this kind of thing and it is publicized, then he will definitely be ridiculed by everyone as an uneducated upstart, a penny-pinching miser-this is what Mary basically said. There is no doubt that leaving Paris is one of the reasons for Louis's own will. Who would have thought that Alred, as a nobleman, would want to drive his friend away!

However, as the party "expelled" by Alred, Louis was not at all annoyed and resented by being humiliated. On the contrary, he panicked because of his friend's words.

The time when Alred asked him to leave Paris was too coincidental. Yesterday, Louis promised Viscount Durand that he would not leave Paris. Today, Al asked him to go back to Magon without even asking him about his wishes. Even sending Joseph to go through the identity visa process without Louis knowing - Holy Mary, he sincerely prays that this is just a coincidence and not something his friend has already found out!

"Al, why do you suddenly want me to go back? You are still so anxious to ask me to leave today."

Louis observed his friend's expression anxiously, but Al's expression was very calm and calm, he couldn't see anything, so he made a joke: "Could it be that you are tired of me staying with you for free?" ? If this is the case, I can eat less and drink only raw water and no wine every day.”

"I'm not kidding you, Louis, you must leave Paris today."

Allred stared at the bills on the table and didn't look at his friend when he said these words: "When Joseph gets your passport back, you set off with Daddy Peter, go to my father's first, and then go home —I'll have Mary get you some bread and wine for the road."

"Al! This is too anxious, I..."

"I will also write a letter to my father, apologizing to him for my previous ignorance and asking for his forgiveness. This letter is very important. You must help me bring it to Chablis." Arle De said that he didn't intend to listen to Louis's own opinion at all, and after he finished speaking, he turned his head and yelled into the living room: "Father Tongsar! Are you outside?"

"Here I am, sir!"

The janitor came in. He looked at Louis and Mary in the dining room, and then at Alred: "Sir, I asked Mr. Richard about it."

"What did he say?" asked Alred, throwing the quill he was carrying onto the empty saucer.

"Mr. Richard said that he doesn't need to come here to see it to make a decision. He believes in your character. After all, you are a nobleman of noble birth, and you will never take the inside like some scoundrels he has seen. Bad furniture that is rotten to pass off as good."

"That sounds good, but I won't believe it, after all, he knows who I buy my furniture from—so, how much is he willing to pay?"

"Monsieur Richard said he would offer a thousand francs, but asked for some extra tableware, sir, which he said was absolutely fair."

"It's not fair. When I bought the furniture, his brother got [-] francs from me, and now it's only a few months since he wants to get another from me." That's fifteen hundred francs."

The gatekeeper just shrugged at Alred's statement.

"It's impossible, sir, it's all like this. It costs a lot of money to buy new furniture home, but the old furniture can't be sold at a price!"

Alred frowned and thought for a while, then knocked on the table with his fingers, and said to the doorman: "Please help me tell Mr. Richard that he can choose two sets of tableware from me, but he has to pay me a fee." Twelve hundred francs."

"Mr. Richard may think the price too high, my sir."

"Ah! Father Tongsar, what are you worrying about for a rich businessman? Whether he is willing or not is his business, you just need to tell him for me. But people like them, as long as there is an advantage to take advantage of , even if it is gold coins in the devil's frying pan, they will go to pick them up."

"Well, sir, since you ask, I will take the word with you."

After Papa Tongsar walked out, Alred deliberately ignored Louis who hesitated to speak, and pointed to Mary the big bread in the flat basket on the table: "Mary, cut that bread off Some, wrap it in paper and bring it to Papa Peter, and prepare some other food for them."

"But, sir," said Mary, looking at Louis hesitantly, "shouldn't it be asked what Mr. Louis means first?—I, I mean, Mr. Louis may not like this kind of bread. "

"You just have to do as I tell you, Mary," said Alred, although he spoke softly, but the unquestionable firmness in his tone was easy to hear.

"Okay, okay, sir."

Mary panicked and took away the basket containing the big bread, so there were only two people left in the dining room, Louis and Alred, and Louis was finally able to talk to Alred about his thoughts: "Al , What's going on here? Are you going to sell all your furniture?"

Alred turned his head to look at Louis, facing his good friend's sincere worry, he slightly pursed his lips: "There is no way, Sologne has cheated me of too much money , selling these things allows me to pay off part of the debt first."

"But from what you said to Father Tongsar, these furniture are going to be sold at a low price." Louis said, he actually complained that his friend shouldn't spend too much money on furniture before, but now he doesn't complain Useful: "Even if the furniture dealer is willing to give you twelve hundred francs, what will you do with the rest of the bills? You must not have enough money on hand, and you have to continue to pay rent, bread and other money. All kinds of expenses... And, if Miss Margaret wants to visit you, but you sell all the furniture, what will you do then?" He remembered what Mary said, here In fact, most of the furniture is bought because of Margaret's preference!

Hearing Louis mention Margaret, Alred's lips tightened even more.

"I probably won't go to her again." After a long silence, Alred told Louis, he spoke very fast when he said this, as if expressing his unwavering determination: "Before I Always thought I could make a big deal, make lots and lots of money, and actually be her 'sir', and I ended up screwing things up like this. If it wasn't for De Durand, my father's father for years My heart and my sister's future will be ruined by me. How can I have the face to go to her like this? Even if she doesn't know about me, what can I give her now? People like them will die overnight It can cost a thousand francs, or more, which I cannot afford."

"I will move out from here soon, and move to places with lower rents in the Latin Quarter or the Marsh. In Paris, only the cost of carriages cannot be cut, but it is okay to be frugal about rent and other expenses. As long as I get through the current difficulties, I will seek a position as a reporter or a clerk in Paris as my father expected. As for the furniture here-it’s cheap if it’s cheap, I don’t care anymore. There is no room for these furniture in my house."

Louis stared blankly at his friend. He didn't expect that in just one night, Alrede had recovered from the haze brought by Sologne, and had already made quite detailed plans for the future. .

"I believe in your determination and ability, Al. After all, you once told me that there is nothing more difficult than living in the city of Paris on one franc a day. You can definitely do it. what you want to do."

"Of course I can do it, you don't have to worry about anything, just stay in Magon and wait for my good news." Alred said, he stood up, and stretched out his hand to straighten the somewhat messy collar of Louis' pajamas : "I think I'm more suitable to be a reporter. Maybe it won't take two years for you to see the title 'Editor-in-Chief Alred de Granville' appear on the biggest newspaper in France!"

"However, Al, rather than leaving Paris now, I still want to wait for a while and consider returning to Magon after you settle down in your new residence."

Upon hearing Louis's thought, Alred's voice suddenly became severe.

"It's absolutely impossible!" said Alred, in such a harsh tone that Louis was taken aback: "You must leave Paris today, I will take care of everything else here, and you don't need to Forget it—same with those notes you signed with De Durand."

"Tickets, bills?"

Louis almost jumped up when he heard the name "De Durand" with a guilty conscience, but Alrede's words made him feel very confused: "What bill? I, I have not signed a bill with him. ah?"

"But I'd rather you sign a contract with him to repay one hundred thousand francs than you don't sign anything—what happened to the pocket watch and franc box you brought back?"