Granville's estate

Callister, Galbien, their common grandfather and their respective parents when they were young - from the words of Countess de Lopez, the De Durand family once lived together like other prosperous noble families Together, only now, the turmoil of the times and the ravages of time have left this family with only the young Viscount Durand and his cousin: the lady's nostalgic look, and the cruel sentence "They were still there at that time." "It says it all.

Louis searched his memory for a while, and found that he didn't have much memory about Calliste's family - the only impression was that Callister had lied to Louis about his parents when he was still in Saint-Etienne are "gone" (in fact, there is no such thing), and Louis, who later learned that he was cheated, sulked for a few days; other than that, Callister didn't say anything to Louis About the rest of his family, even the sapphire franc box he gave Louis was told by his squire Cabo, and Louis didn't know that it was Calliste's grandfather (and he didn't know that until today. The old man's name is Maximilian de Durand!) What remains!

And when it comes to the old man who has returned to the embrace of God, Countess de Lopez's mood gradually becomes depressed-this is also a normal thing, the elderly will always have similar life sighs : "I didn't expect so many years to pass in the blink of an eye. Ah, how lively it was when everyone was together. Now, I am the only old woman who is still waiting for God's call!"

"Madam, please don't be sad about this. We will all return to the embrace of God one day. I believe that the Almighty Lord will give us the best arrangement."

Callister didn't seem to want to talk about the deceased relatives of his family. He comforted the Countess de Lopez: "If this is the test of the Lord, we can only accept it in silence. I think Mary Mrs. Ya would never want her grandmother to feel sad for her."

Mr. Dubois and Mr. Richard also persuaded Countess de Lopez one after another. Under the comfort of everyone, the old man gradually came out of the sad mood, but she still seemed very regretful. .

"My child, I am not only sad that Maria and the others have returned to the embrace of God." The lady said to Callister, "I only thought of Galbien at the same time, Lord, if his How good it would be if his father is still here! He used to admire his father very much, if your uncle is still here, then the child would not be left undisciplined and fall into the present situation."

It seems that Galbien's swinger-like lifestyle has indeed troubled his religiously disciplined great-grandmother, who is Callister's cousin, and presumably it has also troubled the bank. He has brought a lot of trouble to his family--thinking of this, Alrede nudged Louis with his elbow a little gloatingly, of course, he said very nicely: "Madam, you are too worried about this." After a while, with M. de Durand as an excellent example, you don't need to worry about Mr. Galbien at all—no matter what happens, M. Viscount is still there, isn't he?"

"Of course, M. de Granville."

Facing Alred's seemingly pointed words, Callister choked back without even thinking: "I am very confident in Galbion's future, after all, you have never been too extravagant and not in line with yourself. Here is a ready-made example of breaking free from the life of identity, and I think that when Galbien wants to make the right decision, he will encounter no more difficulties than you."

"you……!"

"Al!"

In order to prevent his friend from doing any disrespectful behavior, Louis had to gently tug on Alred's sleeve, and begged him in a low voice: "Al, please, don't say it!"

At this moment, Alrede couldn't do anything else, so he could only sit on the chair quite annoyed, watching Viscount Durand comfort the Countess with gentle words, while Louis comforted the Countess from time to time. Two words—but, speaking of it, it's like Louie couldn't imagine Galbien fighting his cousin when he was young (after all, that gentleman is too disciplined when he sees Callister now !) Similarly, Alred never thought that the adjective "soft-spoken" could be used with this rumored ruthless noble banker before, so he watched Callister do this The expression on his face was simply indescribable.

"Gentlemen, I am very glad that you have come to visit my old lady today."

It took Louis, Callister, and the other two gentlemen some time to get the Countess de Lopez out of her depression. It was about one o'clock at noon, and it was time for lunch , the Countess de Lopez invited the guests to stay and dine together: "I don't know if you are free to accompany me for lunch, if you don't dislike the crude food here."

"Of course, ma'am, it's our pleasure!"

The meal on Rue Massillon was definitely the lightest meal Louis had eaten since he came to Paris. Whether it was cold appetizers, main dishes or soup, all of them had a strong religious meaning, almost making Louis think that he was Back home in Magon, where fasting is being observed; it is precisely because of this that Louis knows why Galbien is not willing to visit his great-grandmother: for the woman who has been favored by various well-crafted wine bars, restaurants and cafes in Paris. To a dandy with a wretched appetite, food in the Rue Massillon must have been as dull as wine out of the bottle.

Let's take a look at the residents of the swamp area who abide by the teaching of "temperance". Split swiss-style honeycomb, a plate of butter and a dozen hard-boiled eggs, the fruits are fragrant strawberries and fresh apricots, but not many; the main course is a tail with lettuce, potatoes and radishes, turbot in a white sauce made with fresh butter, and a black water chicken stew with olives and potatoes (this amphibian is very fast-compliant and is therefore a favorite among believers). favorite ingredients); a thick soup with thyme and small meatballs, and a plate of brussels sprouts and green beans—all just enough food, nothing wasted, all austere, in moderation Yes, here the food returns to its roots.

There was also a small episode during the meal: For some reason, the residents of the swamp area seemed to regard bread-cutting as the right of the head of the family as in other provinces, so before the meal, Countess de Lopez’s What the cook brought to the table was not the sliced ​​bread that No. 79 St. George Street was used to, but a large, ten-pound loaf with flour on the bottom.

The Countess de Lopez, who is over 70 years old, naturally does not have the energy to cut such a thick bread for the guests, so the power of the head of the family naturally falls to Callis who has a close relationship with the lady Viscount de Durand, and the viscount used the power he possessed skillfully to make a small nuisance to Louis's friend when he divided the bread: he cut the bread for Alred than for anyone else. Much more for one person.

In this way, Alred was in great trouble-he didn't like to eat this kind of rough dry bread at all, but in the presence of the Countess de Lopez and his future landlady, it was another How could he keep the food he got in such a religious place as the swamp?You know, the sin of gluttony is not much condemned by the teachings, because it is the least of all sins, but greed and waste are severely condemned!

"That Durand, he must have done it on purpose!"

After lunch, the guests at 47 Rue Massillon stayed for about an hour. They played a few rounds of whist with the Countess de Lopez before leaving; Alred complained to Louis very angrily: "He deliberately gave me so much bread that I almost lost my manners in front of Madame and Mr. Dubois-Mr. Dubois probably thought I was the kind of greedy Whoever can’t stop eating!”

"Al, you are overthinking, Mr. Dubois won't think that way." Louis said, he also saw Viscount Durand's methods, and he could only rack his brains to try to comfort his friend: "I think De Bois Mr. Viscount Durand didn't do it on purpose, he was just talking to his wife at that time, so he didn't notice that he cut too much bread."

As soon as he said this, Alred pinched Louis on the cheek in anger, but as soon as his hand fell on Louis' face, he became gentle, and he was not willing to use force: "Louis! What's wrong with you today? ? You didn’t speak for me today, you just helped that De Durand!”

"I, I didn't help him either!"

Louis, whose cheek was pinched by Alred, could only speak vaguely. He looked at Alred's face and asked cautiously, "So, Al, do you still decide to move to Massillon Street?"

"Why don't I move? Such a good landlord and good 'neighbors' are hard to find!"

Alred glared at the guilty Louis angrily, "Anyway, I just moved there before Christmas, so I don't believe it. Before that, I couldn't get your visa back to Magon!"

"Ah, this..."

Their carriage drove out of the swamp area and drove slowly towards St. George's Street. When they were about to return to No. 79 St. George's Street, they saw Mary in a light yellow dress sitting on the steps in front of the house from a distance. She seemed to be waiting for the return of the masters, and Louis's coachman, Peter, and the doorman, Father Tonsal, were also by her side.

"That's strange. What's Mary doing sitting out there? What if she catches a cold?"

Alred said to Louis with some puzzlement, but when the carriage approached No. 79 St. George Street, enough to see "Mary" sitting on the steps clearly, the two friends were taken aback.

"Holy Virgin Mary, it's her...Mary! How dare she!"

The person sitting on the steps of No. 79 St. George Street was indeed a woman named Mary—except that it was not Mary, the maid hired by Alred, but the woman Louis had met at No. 150 Moore Street, and Sologne. That Mary that Grostetter was with.