The lawyer, as cold and stern as his late father, with a
sharp voice, a rough skin, implacable eyes, and the visage of a fox as
he licks his lips of the blood of chickens, bounded like a tiger when
he heard of Giroudeau's visit and proposal.
"And pray, mere Bridau," he cried, in his little cracked voice, "how
long are you going to be duped by your cursed brigand of a son? Don't
give him a farthing. Make yourself easy, I'll answer for Philippe. I
should like to see him brought before the Court of Peers; it might
save his future. You are afraid he will be condemned; but I say, may
it please God his lawyer lets him be convicted. Go to Issoudun, secure
the property for your children. If you don't succeed, if your brother
has made a will in favor of that woman, and you can't make him revoke
it,--well then, at least get all the evidence you can of undue
influence, and I'll institute proceedings for you. But you are too
honest a woman to know how to get at the bottom facts of such a
matter. I'll go myself to Issoudun in the holidays,--if I can."
That "go myself" made Joseph tremble in his skin. Desroches winked at
him to let his mother go downstairs first, and then the lawyer
detained the young man for a single moment.
"Your brother is a great scoundrel; he is the cause of the discovery
of this conspiracy,--intentionally or not, I can't say, for the rascal
is so sly no one can find out the exact truth as to that. Fool or
traitor,--take your choice.
Pages:
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139