--He took a
chair, placed himself in front of my fire, put his hat on my table,
and answered while he rubbed his hands: 'Dear me, it is very
cold.--Monsieur, I am Monsieur Regnault.' "I was encouraging myself by saying to myself, '_Il bondo cani!_ Seek!' "'I am,' he went on, 'notary at Vendome.' "'I am delighted to hear it, monsieur,' I exclaimed. 'But I am not in a
position to make a will for reasons best known to myself.' "'One moment!' said he, holding up his hand as though to gain silence. 'Allow me, monsieur, allow me! I am informed that you sometimes go to
walk in the garden of la Grande Breteche.' "'Yes, monsieur.' "'One moment!' said he, repeating his gesture. 'That constitutes a
misdemeanor. Monsieur, as executor under the will of the late Comtesse
de Merret, I come in her name to beg you to discontinue the practice. One moment! I am not a Turk, and do not wish to make a crime of it. And
besides, you are free to be ignorant of the circumstances which
compel me to leave the finest mansion in Vendome to fall into ruin. Nevertheless, monsieur, you must be a man of education, and you should
know that the laws forbid, under heavy penalties, any trespass on
enclosed property. A hedge is the same as a wall. But, the state in
which the place is left may be an excuse for your curiosity. For my
part, I should be quite content to make you free to come and go in the
house; but being bound to respect the will of the testatrix, I have
the honor, monsieur, to beg that you will go into the garden no more. I myself, monsieur, since the will was read, have never set foot in the
house, which, as I had the honor of informing you, is part of the estate
of the late Madame de Merret. We have done nothing there but verify the
number of doors and windows to assess the taxes I have to pay annually
out of the funds left for that purpose by the late Madame de Merret. Ah! my dear sir, her will made a great commotion in the town.' "The good man paused to blow his nose. I respected his volubility,
perfectly understanding that the administration of Madame de Merret's
estate had been the most important event of his life, his reputation,
his glory, his Restoration. As I was forced to bid farewell to my
beautiful reveries and romances, I was to reject learning the truth on
official authority. "'Monsieur,' said I, 'would it be indiscreet if I were to ask you the
reasons for such eccentricity?' "At these words an expression, which revealed all the pleasure which
men feel who are accustomed to ride a hobby, overspread the lawyer's
countenance. He pulled up the collar of his shirt with an air, took out
his snuffbox, opened it, and offered me a pinch; on my refusing, he took
a large one. He was happy! A man who has no hobby does not know all
the good to be got out of life. A hobby is the happy medium between a
passion and a monomania. At this moment I understood the whole bearing
of Sterne's charming passion, and had a perfect idea of the delight with
which my uncle Toby, encouraged by Trim, bestrode his hobby-horse. "'Monsieur,' said Monsieur Regnault, 'I was head-clerk in Monsieur
Roguin's office, in Paris. A first-rate house, which you may have heard
mentioned? No! An unfortunate bankruptcy made it famous.--Not having
money enough to purchase a practice in Paris at the price to which they
were run up in 1816, I came here and bought my predecessor's business. I had relations in Vendome; among others, a wealthy aunt, who allowed
me to marry her daughter.--Monsieur,' he went on after a little pause,
'three months after being licensed by the Keeper of the Seals, one
evening, as I was going to bed--it was before my marriage--I was sent
for by Madame la Comtesse de Merret, to her Chateau of Merret. Her maid,
a good girl, who is now a servant in this inn, was waiting at my door
with the Countess' own carriage. Ah! one moment! I ought to tell you
that Monsieur le Comte de Merret had gone to Paris to die two months
before I came here. He came to a miserable end, flinging himself into
every kind of dissipation. You understand? "'On the day when he left, Madame la Comtesse had quitted la Grand
Breteche, having dismantled it. Some people even say that she had
burnt all the furniture, the hangings--in short, all the chattels and
furniture whatever used in furnishing the premises now let by the
said M.--(Dear, what am I saying? I beg your pardon, I thought I was
dictating a lease.) --In short, that she burnt everything in the meadow
at Merret. Have you been to Merret, monsieur?--No,' said he, answering
himself, 'Ah, it is a very fine place.' "'For about three months previously,' he went on, with a jerk of his
head, 'the Count and Countess had lived in a very eccentric way; they
admitted no visitors; Madame lived on the ground-floor, and Monsieur on
the first floor. When the Countess was left alone, she was never seen
excepting at church. Subsequently, at home, at the chateau, she refused
to see the friends, whether gentlemen or ladies, who went to call on
her. She was already very much altered when she left la Grande Breteche
to go to Merret. That dear lady--I say dear lady, for it was she who
gave me this diamond, but indeed I saw her but once--that kind lady was
very ill; she had, no doubt, given up all hope, for she died without
choosing to send for a doctor; indeed, many of our ladies fancied she
was not quite right in her head. Well, sir, my curiosity was strangely
excited by hearing that Madame de Merret had need of my services. Nor
was I the only person who took an interest in the affair. That very
night, though it was already late, all the town knew that I was going to
Merret. "'The waiting-woman replied but vaguely to the questions I asked her on
the way; nevertheless, she told me that her mistress had received the
Sacrament in the course of the day at the hands of the Cure of Merret,
and seemed unlikely to live through the night. It was about eleven when
I reached the chateau. I went up the great staircase. After crossing
some large, lofty, dark rooms, diabolically cold and damp, I reached the
state bedroom where the Countess lay. From the rumors that were current
concerning this lady (monsieur, I should never end if I were to repeat
all the tales that were told about her), I had imagined her a coquette. Imagine, then, that I had great difficulty in seeing her in the great
bed where she was lying. To be sure, to light this enormous room, with
old-fashioned heavy cornices, and so thick with dust that merely to see
it was enough to make you sneeze, she had only an old Argand lamp. Ah! but you have not been to Merret. Well, the bed is one of those old world
beds, with a high tester hung with flowered chintz. A small table stood
by the bed, on which I saw an "Imitation of Christ," which, by the
way, I bought for my wife, as well as the lamp. There were also a deep
armchair for her confidential maid, and two small chairs. There was no
fire.