“You have a mortgage on this house for a hundred and fifty thousand francs,” he said in conclusion, “and we foreclose tomorrow. I have at my office the securities in the funds, which I have taken care to place in your wife’s name. Everything is quite regular.—But the contract includes a receipt for the sum represented by the diamonds; ask for them. Business is business. Diamonds are just now going up in the market; they may go down again. Your purchase of the lands of Auzac and Saint-Froult justifies you in turning everything into money so as not to touch your wife’s income. So, no false pride, Monsieur le Comte. The first payment is to be made after the formalities are concluded; use the diamonds for that purpose; it amounts to two hundred thousand francs. You will have the mortgage value of this house for the second call, and the income on the entailed property will help you to pay off the remainder. If only you are firm enough to spend no more than fifty thousand francs for the first three years, you will recoup the two hundred thousand francs you now owe. If you plant vines on the hill slopes of Saint-Froult, you may raise the returns to twenty-six thousand francs. Thus the entailed property, without including your house in Paris, will some day be worth fifty thousand francs a year—one of the finest estates I know of.—And so you will have married very handsomely.”
Paul pressed his old friend’s hands with warm affection. The gesture did not escape Madame Evangelista, who came to hand the pen to Paul. Her suspicion was now certainty; she was convinced that Paul and Mathias had an understanding. Surges of blood, hot with rage and hatred, choked her heart. Paul was warned!
After ascertaining that every clause was duly signed, that the three contracting parties had initialed the bottom of every page with their usual sign-manual, Maître Mathias looked first at his client and then at Madame Evangelista, and observing that Paul did not ask for the diamonds, he said:
“I suppose there will be no question as to the delivery of the diamonds now that you are but one family?”
“It would, no doubt, be in order that Madame Evangelista should surrender them. Monsieur de Manerville has given his discharge for the balance of the trust values, and no one can tell who may die or live,” said Maître Solonet, who thought this an opportunity for inciting his client against her son-in-law.
“Oh, my dear mother, it would be an affront to us if you did so!” cried Paul. “Summum jus, summa injuria, monsieur,” said he to Solonet.
“And I, on my part,” said she, her hostile temper regarding Mathias’ indirect demand as an insult, “if you do not accept the jewels, will tear up the contract.”
She went out of the room in one of those bloodthirsty furies which so long for the chance of wrecking everything, and which, when that is impossible, rise to the pitch of frenzy.
“In Heaven’s name, take them,” whispered Natalie. “My mother is angry; I will find out why this evening, and will tell you; we will pacify her.”
Madame Evangelista, quite pleased at this first stroke of policy, kept on her necklace and earrings. She brought the rest of the jewels, valued by Élie Magus at a hundred and fifty thousand francs. Maître Mathias and Solonet, though accustomed to handling family diamonds, exclaimed at the beauty of these jewels as they examined the contents of the cases.
“You will lose nothing of mademoiselle’s fortune, Monsieur le Comte,” said Solonet, and Paul reddened.
“Ay,” said Mathias, “these jewels will certainly pay the first instalment of the newly purchased land.”
“And the expenses of the contract,” said Solonet.
Hatred, like love, is fed on the merest trifles. Everything adds to it. Just as the one we love can do no wrong, the one we hate can do nothing right. Madame Evangelista scorned the hesitancy to which a natural reluctance gave rise in Paul as affected airs; while he, not knowing what to do with the jewel-cases, would have been glad to throw them out of the window. Madame Evangelista, seeing his embarrassment, fixed her eyes on him in a way which seemed to say, “Take them out of my sight!”
“My dear Natalie,” said Paul to his fiancée, “put the jewels away yourself; they are yours; I make them a present to you.”
Natalie put them into the drawers of a cabinet. At this instant the clatter of carriages and the voices of the guests waiting in the adjoining rooms required Natalie and her mother to appear among them. The rooms were immediately filled, and the ball began.
“Take advantage of the honeymoon to sell your diamonds,” said the old notary to Paul, as he withdrew.
While waiting for the dancing to begin, everybody was discussing the marriage in lowered tones, some of the company expressing doubts as to the future prospects of the engaged couple.
“Is it quite settled?” said one of the magnates of the town to Madame Evangelista.
“We have had so many papers to read and hear read, that we are late; but we may be excused,” replied she.
“For my part, I heard nothing,” said Natalie, taking Paul’s hand to open the ball.
“Both those young people like extravagance, and it will not be the mother that will check them,” said a dowager.
“But they have created an entail, I hear, of fifty thousand francs a year.”
“Pooh!”
“I see that our good Maître Mathias has had a finger in the pie. And certainly, if that is the case, the worthy man will have done his best to save the future fortunes of the family.”
“Natalie is too handsome not
