Scenes from a Courtesan's Life [129]
in the depths of poverty, and he has a right to a certain sum calculated on the amount of the estate. The millions left by your father----"
At the word millions there was a perfectly unanimous cry from all the persons present. And now Derville ceased to study the prints.
"Old Sechard?--Millions?" said Courtois. "Who on earth told you that? Some peasant----"
"Monsieur," said Cachan, "you are not attached to the Treasury? You may be told all the facts----"
"Be quite easy," said Corentin, "I give you my word of honor I am not employed by the Treasury."
Cachan, who had just signed to everybody to say nothing, gave expression to his satisfaction.
"Monsieur," Corentin went on, "if the whole estate were but a million, a natural child's share would still be something considerable. But we have not come to threaten a lawsuit; on the contrary, our purpose is to propose that you should hand over one hundred thousand francs, and we will depart----"
"One hundred thousand francs!" cried Cachan, interrupting him. "But, monsieur, old Sechard left twenty acres of vineyard, five small farms, ten acres of meadowland here, and not a sou besides----"
"Nothing on earth," cried David Sechard, "would induce me to tell a lie, and less to a question of money than on any other.-- Monsieur," he said, turning to Corentin and Derville, "my father left us, besides the land----"
Courtois and Cachan signaled in vain to Sechard; he went on:
"Three hundred thousand francs, which raises the whole estate to about five hundred thousand francs."
"Monsieur Cachan," asked Eve Sechard, "what proportion does the law allot to a natural child?"
"Madame," said Corentin, "we are not Turks; we only require you to swear before these gentlemen that you did not inherit more than five hundred thousand francs from your father-in-law, and we can come to an understanding."
"First give me your word of honor that you really are a lawyer," said Cachan to Derville.
"Here is my passport," replied Derville, handing him a paper folded in four; "and monsieur is not, as you might suppose, an inspector from the Treasury, so be easy," he added. "We had an important reason for wanting to know the truth as to the Sechard estate, and we now know it."
Derville took Madame Sechard's hand and led her very courteously to the further end of the room.
"Madame," said he, in a low voice, "if it were not that the honor and future prospects of the house of Grandlieu are implicated in this affair, I would never have lent myself to the stratagem devised by this gentleman of the red ribbon. But you must forgive him; it was necessary to detect the falsehood by means of which your brother has stolen a march on the beliefs of that ancient family. Beware now of allowing it to be supposed that you have given your brother twelve hundred thousand francs to repurchase the Rubempre estates----"
"Twelve hundred thousand francs!" cried Madame Sechard, turning pale. "Where did he get them, wretched boy?"
"Ah! that is the question," replied Derville. "I fear that the source of his wealth is far from pure."
The tears rose to Eve's eyes, as her neighbors could see.
"We have, perhaps, done you a great service by saving you from abetting a falsehood of which the results may be positively dangerous," the lawyer went on.
Derville left Madame Sechard sitting pale and dejected with tears on her cheeks, and bowed to the company.
"To Mansle!" said Corentin to the little boy who drove the chaise.
There was but one vacant place in the diligence from Bordeaux to Paris; Derville begged Corentin to allow him to take it, urging a press of business; but in his soul he was distrustful of his traveling companion, whose diplomatic dexterity and coolness struck him as being the result of practice. Corentin remained three days longer at Mansle, unable to get away; he was obliged to secure a place in the Paris coach by writing to Bordeaux, and did not get back till nine days after leaving home.
Peyrade, meanwhile, had called every morning, either at Passy or in Paris,
At the word millions there was a perfectly unanimous cry from all the persons present. And now Derville ceased to study the prints.
"Old Sechard?--Millions?" said Courtois. "Who on earth told you that? Some peasant----"
"Monsieur," said Cachan, "you are not attached to the Treasury? You may be told all the facts----"
"Be quite easy," said Corentin, "I give you my word of honor I am not employed by the Treasury."
Cachan, who had just signed to everybody to say nothing, gave expression to his satisfaction.
"Monsieur," Corentin went on, "if the whole estate were but a million, a natural child's share would still be something considerable. But we have not come to threaten a lawsuit; on the contrary, our purpose is to propose that you should hand over one hundred thousand francs, and we will depart----"
"One hundred thousand francs!" cried Cachan, interrupting him. "But, monsieur, old Sechard left twenty acres of vineyard, five small farms, ten acres of meadowland here, and not a sou besides----"
"Nothing on earth," cried David Sechard, "would induce me to tell a lie, and less to a question of money than on any other.-- Monsieur," he said, turning to Corentin and Derville, "my father left us, besides the land----"
Courtois and Cachan signaled in vain to Sechard; he went on:
"Three hundred thousand francs, which raises the whole estate to about five hundred thousand francs."
"Monsieur Cachan," asked Eve Sechard, "what proportion does the law allot to a natural child?"
"Madame," said Corentin, "we are not Turks; we only require you to swear before these gentlemen that you did not inherit more than five hundred thousand francs from your father-in-law, and we can come to an understanding."
"First give me your word of honor that you really are a lawyer," said Cachan to Derville.
"Here is my passport," replied Derville, handing him a paper folded in four; "and monsieur is not, as you might suppose, an inspector from the Treasury, so be easy," he added. "We had an important reason for wanting to know the truth as to the Sechard estate, and we now know it."
Derville took Madame Sechard's hand and led her very courteously to the further end of the room.
"Madame," said he, in a low voice, "if it were not that the honor and future prospects of the house of Grandlieu are implicated in this affair, I would never have lent myself to the stratagem devised by this gentleman of the red ribbon. But you must forgive him; it was necessary to detect the falsehood by means of which your brother has stolen a march on the beliefs of that ancient family. Beware now of allowing it to be supposed that you have given your brother twelve hundred thousand francs to repurchase the Rubempre estates----"
"Twelve hundred thousand francs!" cried Madame Sechard, turning pale. "Where did he get them, wretched boy?"
"Ah! that is the question," replied Derville. "I fear that the source of his wealth is far from pure."
The tears rose to Eve's eyes, as her neighbors could see.
"We have, perhaps, done you a great service by saving you from abetting a falsehood of which the results may be positively dangerous," the lawyer went on.
Derville left Madame Sechard sitting pale and dejected with tears on her cheeks, and bowed to the company.
"To Mansle!" said Corentin to the little boy who drove the chaise.
There was but one vacant place in the diligence from Bordeaux to Paris; Derville begged Corentin to allow him to take it, urging a press of business; but in his soul he was distrustful of his traveling companion, whose diplomatic dexterity and coolness struck him as being the result of practice. Corentin remained three days longer at Mansle, unable to get away; he was obliged to secure a place in the Paris coach by writing to Bordeaux, and did not get back till nine days after leaving home.
Peyrade, meanwhile, had called every morning, either at Passy or in Paris,