He
had the carriage repainted a dark brown, and bought a tolerable
harness at a bargain. The whole town of Issoudun was shaken to its
centre in expectation of Pere Rouget's equipage; and on the occasion
of its first appearance, every household was on its door-step and
curious faces were at all the windows.
The second time the old bachelor went out he drove to Bourges, where,
to escape the trouble of attending personally to the business, or, if
you prefer it, being ordered to do so by Flore, he went before a
notary and signed a power of attorney in favor of Maxence Gilet,
enabling him to make all the transfers enumerated in the document.
Flore reserved to herself the business of making Monsieur sell out the
investments in Issoudun and its immediate neighborhood. The principal
notary in Bourges was requested by Rouget to get him a loan of one
hundred and forty thousand francs on his landed estate. Nothing was
known at Issoudun of these proceedings, which were secretly and
cleverly carried out. Maxence, who was a good rider, went with his own
horse to Bourges and back between five in the morning and five in the
afternoon. Flore never left the old bachelor. Rouget consented without
objection to the action Flore dictated to him; but he insisted that
the investment in the Funds, producing fifty thousand francs a year,
should stand in Flore's name as holding a life-interest only, and in
his as owner of the principal.
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