Page 356 - madame-bovary

at her request, had consented to replace it by another, which
again had been renewed for a long date. Then he drew from
his pocket a list of goods not paid for; to wit, the curtains,
the carpet, the material for the armchairs, several dresses,
and divers articles of dress, the bills for which amounted to
about two thousand francs.
She bowed her head. He went on—
‘But if you haven’t any ready money, you have an estate.’
And he reminded her of a miserable little hovel situated at
Barneville, near Aumale, that brought in almost nothing.
It had formerly been part of a small farm sold by Monsieur
Bovary senior; for Lheureux knew everything, even to the
number of acres and the names of the neighbours.
‘If I were in your place,’ he said, ‘I should clear myself of
my debts, and have money left over.’
She pointed out the difficulty of getting a purchaser. He
held out the hope of finding one; but she asked him how she
should manage to sell it.
‘Haven’t you your power of attorney?’ he replied.
The phrase came to her like a breath of fresh air. ‘Leave
me the bill,’ said Emma.
‘Oh, it isn’t worth while,’ answered Lheureux.
He came back the following week and boasted of hav-
ing, after much trouble, at last discovered a certain Langlois,
who, for a long time, had had an eye on the property, but
without mentioning his price.
‘Never mind the price!’ she cried.
But they would, on the contrary, have to wait, to sound
the fellow. The thing was worth a journey, and, as she could