“You seem to be so completely devoted to our interests,” she began, “that I will tell you about the difficulties of our position and our hopes.  The President’s great desire, ever since a match was projected between his daughter and an adventurer who recently started a bank, —­the President’s wish, I say, has been to round out the Marville estate with some grazing land, at that time in the market.  We dispossessed ourselves of fine property, as you know, to settle it upon our daughter; but I wish very much, my daughter being an only child, to buy all that remains of the grass land.  Part has been sold already.  The estate belongs to an Englishman who is returning to England after a twenty years’ residence in France.  He built the most charming cottage in a delightful situation, between Marville Park and the meadows which once were part of the Marville lands; he bought up covers, copse, and gardens at fancy prices to make the grounds about the cottage.  The house and its surroundings make a feature of the landscape, and it lies close to my daughter’s park palings.  The whole, land and house, should be bought for seven hundred thousand francs, for the net revenue is about twenty thousand francs. . . .  But if Mr. Wadman finds out that we think of buying it, he is sure to add another two or three hundred thousand francs to the price; for he will lose money if the house counts for nothing, as it usually does when you buy land in the country—­”

“Why, madame,” Fraisier broke in, “in my opinion you can be so sure that the inheritance is yours that I will offer to act the part of purchaser for you.  I will undertake that you shall have the land at the best possible price, and have a written engagement made out under private seal, like a contract to deliver goods. . . .  I will go to the Englishman in the character of buyer.  I understand that sort of thing; it was my specialty at Mantes.  Vatinelle doubled the value of his practice, while I worked in his name.”

“Hence your connection with little Madame Vatinelle.  He must be very well off—­”

“But Mme. Vatinelle has expensive tastes. . . .  So be easy, madame—­I will serve you up the Englishman done to a turn—­”

“If you can manage that you will have eternal claims to my gratitude.  Good-day, my dear M. Fraisier.  Till to-morrow—­”

Fraisier went.  His parting bow was a degree less cringing than on the first occasion.

“I am to dine to-morrow with President de Marville!” he said to himself.  “Come now, I have these folk in my power.  Only, to be absolute master, I ought to be the German’s legal adviser in the person of Tabareau, the justice’s clerk.  Tabareau will not have me now for his daughter, his only daughter, but he will give her to me when I am a justice of the peace.  I shall be eligible.  Mlle. Tabareau, that tall, consumptive girl with the red hair, has a house in the Place Royale in right of her mother.  At her father’s death she is sure to come in for six thousand francs, you must not look too hard at the plank.”