Page:Novels of Honoré de Balzac Volume 23.djvu/297

 induce little Mirouët—who possesses moreover forty thousand francs—to become your wife, as sure as my name is Minoret, I will give you the means to buy a notary’s practice at Orleans.”

“No,” said Goupil, “I should not be conspicuous enough; but at Montargis—”

“No,” retorted Minoret, “but at Sens—”

“Done! then it shall be Sens!” cried the hideous head clerk, “there is an archbishop there, I do not dislike a pious country; with a little hypocrisy one gets on better. Besides, the little one is religious, she would be a success there.”

“It must be clearly understood,” said Minoret, “that I only give the hundred thousand francs upon the marriage of our relation, whom I want to settle comfortably out of consideration for my dead uncle.”

“And why not a little for my sake?” said Goupil slily, suspecting some secret in Minoret’s behavior, “was it not through my directions that you were able to collect twenty-four thousand francs a year from one holding without enclave, round about the Chateau du Rouvre? With your grassland and mill on the other side of the Loing, you might add sixteen thousand francs! See here, old fellow, do you intend to deal fairly with me?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, to let you feel my fangs, I was nursing the purchase of Le Rouvre, the parks, gardens, reserves and forest for Massin—”

“Take care how you do that!” broke in Zélie.