Perhaps you would like to liquidate
your brother's affairs?"
"Ah! Grandet," said the notary, "that would be the right thing to do.
There is honor down here in the provinces. If you save your name--for
it is your name--you will be a man--"
"A noble man!" cried the president, interrupting his uncle.
"Certainly," answered the old man, "my b-b-brother's name was
G-G-Grandet, like m-m-mine. Th-that's c-c-certain; I d-d-don't
d-d-deny it. And th-th-this l-l-liquidation might be, in m-m-many
ways, v-v-very advan-t-t-tageous t-t-to the interests of m-m-my
n-n-nephew, whom I l-l-love. But I must consider. I don't k-k-know the
t-t-tricks of P-P-Paris. I b-b-belong to Sau-m-mur, d-d-don't you see?
M-m-my vines, my d-d-drains--in short, I've my own b-b-business. I
never g-g-give n-n-notes. What are n-n-notes? I t-t-take a good
m-m-many, but I have never s-s-signed one. I d-d-don't understand such
things. I have h-h-heard say that n-n-notes c-c-can be b-b-bought up."
"Of course," said the president. "Notes can be bought in the market,
less so much per cent. Don't you understand?"
Grandet made an ear-trumpet of his hand, and the president repeated
his words.
"Well, then," replied the man, "there's s-s-something to be g-g-got
out of it? I k-know n-nothing at my age about such th-th-things. I
l-l-live here and l-l-look after the v-v-vines. The vines g-g-grow,
and it's the w-w-wine that p-p-pays. L-l-look after the v-v-vintage,
t-t-that's my r-r-rule.
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