Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 281: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GARDENER’S NEPHEW. 265 ‘‘Parbleu!’’ said Déroute, with a marvelous assurance, ‘‘and besides, they even speak of her at Paris.’”’ ‘‘What worries me is to lose my place, a good place. ’’ ‘*Pooh! a place between four walls.”’ ‘Ido not say nay. Butone hundred livres of wages with food and lodging. One earns one’s dowry in three or four years. ’’ ‘That is true; but, bah! Uncle Jerome will earn it for you.”’ ‘*In fact, I am his heir. So my Uncle Jerome, old though he is, is going to become a monk?”’ ‘It is necessary. He takes the frock to-morrow. See if your heart tells you to do likewise.”’ ‘‘My heart has never spoken to me of the convent; it hears only Catherine. What is vexatious is that I have scarcely a crown left; it is little for such a long road.”’ 7 “Oh! do not disturb yourself, Uncle Jerome has pro- vided for that.’’ ‘**How is that?’’ ‘If it happens,’’ he has said to me, ‘‘that Ambrose does not like the convent——’”’ Ambrose shook his head. ‘vou will hand him, twenty crowns and four louis.’’ As he said this, Déroute displayed upon a table the white and yellow pieces. ‘The eyes of Ambrose sparkled at this sight. ‘‘All this for me?’’ said he, with his hand upon the money. ‘* All this, and moreover, this double louis for Catherine. ’’ Ambrose took the whole, opened his valise, and placed the money at the bottom. ‘‘Friend Blondinet,’’ said he, ‘‘I will leave to-morrow by the coach.”’ ‘‘And you will do well; the convent will lose a good gardener by it, but it will be the fault of the king.”’ **Is it well understood?’’ continued Déroute, while Am- brose was stuffing his crowns and louis between his shirts and stockings in the valise. “Certainly !’’ ‘Then give me Madame Patu’s letter.’’ ‘*Mamma’s letter?’’ *Voe.** ‘‘What do you want with the letter?”’ ‘Tt will serve me as a proof with Jerome; he must know that I have fulfilled my commission.”’ 99 continued Déroute, ‘‘these GOmicboo S (E(0) =}