"Ah! that is something we didn"t know. And what is the name of these people? Monsieur Luminot can"t remember."
"Their name--wait a minute; I heard what it was; it"s near La Courtille."
"Their name is near La Courtille! Really, I don"t understand.--Well, Droguet, have you finished your pirouetting? I have zigzags before my eyes, it makes me see stars to watch him whirl round like that; when I married him I didn"t get a husband, but a teetotum--nothing else!"
Madame Jarnouillard soon increased this amiable party by her presence.
"My compliments to the company," she said; "I came to inform you that the confectioner"s estate is sold at last; but I"ll wager that you all know it."
"Yes, yes--we know it."
"But no one can remember the purchaser"s name."
"Monsieur de Belleville."
"That"s it, yes, that"s it; didn"t I tell you it was in the outskirts of Paris?"
"Why, you didn"t tell us so at all; Monsieur Belleville; that"s a real name."
"_De_ Belleville!"
"Is there a _de_?"
"Yes, they are n.o.bles."
"It"s to be hoped that they will be decently polite; that they will call on us, and not act like those minxes at the Courtivaux house."
"Oh! there"s no danger! On the contrary, it seems that the lady intends to give some gorgeous fetes, and invite the whole neighborhood!"
"Really! How do you know that so soon, Madame Jarnouillard?"
"Oh! because the last time the purchasers came in their carriage to inspect the property--that is to say, the lady came alone; no one has seen the husband yet--Jarnouillard, who happened to be pa.s.sing, led their coachman into conversation, in order to get some information."
"That was an excellent idea, very prudent; in that way one finds out who people are. Did the coachman say anything more?"
"His masters are very rich; they live in the Chaussee d"Antin in Paris."
"Oh, well! if they live in the Chaussee d"Antin, I have the very highest opinion of their morality!"
"And they are to take possession to-day?"
"So it is said."
"Jarnouillard will take occasion to walk by the Goldfish Villa, and he will find out whether the new owners are there."
"Really, Monsieur Jarnouillard is a most invaluable man for obtaining information!"
That same day, about two o"clock in the afternoon, a fine open caleche rumbled noisily through the little village of Ch.e.l.les. The coachman had received orders to crack his whip constantly, and he acquitted himself of that duty so zealously that the children shrieked and fled as he pa.s.sed, the hens had barely time to reach their dung-heaps, the dogs barked, and everybody ran to see what was happening.
On the back seat of the caleche sat Monsieur and Madame de Belleville.
Thelenie, in a fascinating morning costume, a.s.sumed the careless air, accompanied by disdainful movements of the head, which the belles of the demi-monde always have at their command, to throw dust in the eyes of fools. Chamoureau sat very straight and stiff; he might readily have been taken for a man of wood placed there to do escort duty.
The front seat was occupied by the lady"s maid, Mademoiselle Melie; and the cook sat on the box beside the coachman.
Then there was a mult.i.tude of boxes, packages and trunks; Chamoureau held four boxes on his knees, the maid three, and madame none.
Thelenie had wasted no time after the conversation with her husband, in which he had told her that Edmond had a love-affair at Ch.e.l.les and had hired a house there; she had started at once for that quarter, and on arriving had inquired concerning houses for sale or for rent in the village. There was nothing for rent except some small apartments unsuited to her new position. But the confectioner"s house was for sale, and was pointed out to her as the most desirable estate in the place.
Thelenie went at once to inspect the Goldfish Villa. It had been built for one of our fashionable actresses, so that it was certain to please Thelenie, and on leaving it she went at once to the person in whose hands the estate had been placed for sale; the bargain was soon struck and an appointment made for the next day, at a notary"s in Paris.
Thelenie, who carried the key to the cash-box, paid cash for her purchase; so that Chamoureau, when he brought the _Pet.i.tes-Affiches_ to his wife the next day, that she might make a selection among the estates offered for sale in the suburbs, was greatly surprised to learn that everything had been done, and that he was the owner of a fine country house at Ch.e.l.les.
"I say! at Ch.e.l.les!" cried Chamoureau; "that"s funny enough."
"What is there funny about it, monsieur?"
"Why, Ch.e.l.les is the very place where Edmond Didier has hired a house, in order to be near Madame Dalmont and her young friend."
"Well, monsieur, what difference does that make to us? is it any of our business? Because Monsieur Edmond is carrying on an intrigue in that neighborhood, should that prevent me from buying a charming estate in a lovely country which I like immensely?"
"Certainly not, my dear love; I didn"t mean anything of the kind; I simply made the remark."
"Another time keep your remarks to yourself; but make all your purchases and preparations; in five days we will go down to take possession of our new estate. I require that length of time to have the dresses made and the bonnets that I want to take with me."
The five days having pa.s.sed, Chamoureau came to take possession of a country house which he had never seen. When they drove through the village, where many of the streets were narrow, dirty and ill-paved, he did not fail to exclaim:
"Charming country! delightful country! It reminds me of Switzerland."
"Have you been in Switzerland, monsieur?"
"No, but I had a client who used often to talk to me about it. How delicious the country air is! what a pleasure to breathe it!"
At that moment Thelenie was holding her handkerchief to her face because they were pa.s.sing a heap of offal and muddy water which emitted a most offensive odor.
"You are not happy in your observations, monsieur; there is a horrible smell here."
"That"s nothing, madame; a pond stirred up by the ducks--that"s all; it"s gone already.--There are some very pretty houses. Ah! this one is built in imitation of a chalet; that"s an original idea."
"Have you ever seen any real chalets, monsieur?"
"No; but one of my clients drew a sketch of one for me."
"Monsieur de Belleville, I trust that you will soon stop talking about your clients; you must try not to say such things before company. Why need you let people know that you were once in business? You are stupid!"
"Why, madame, I might have been an advocate; that"s a fine profession!"
"Ha! ha! an advocate! you an advocate! Great heaven! who would believe it?"