“Oh, come in, Nicolas,” he urged hospitably.
“Can’t; it’s too late; but saw you were still up, and wanted to tell you that I just had a message from Yves and he wants to take possession of this place at once. Think you could be out by this day week?”
“How do you know we aren’t going to pay off the mortgage?” flashed Desiré, annoyed at the man for taking things so for granted.
Nicolas gave a grunt. “What with? Don’t get mad. We all know you haven’t got any money. Glad to have you pay if you could, for you’ve always been good neighbors; but a man’s got to take care of his pennies. They’re not so plentiful now as they were when I took that mortgage.”
“Certainly, Nicolas,” said Jack, quietly laying a restraining hand on Desiré’s arm. “You may have the house a week from today.”
The man lingered rather awkwardly.
“Felice said she’d be willing to keep the two little ones, so as you and this girl could go to Boston, and find work—”
Desiré started to speak, but Jack’s hold on her arm tightened.
“They pay good wages there, I’m told,” the man went on. “Or, if you could find some place for the rest, Yves said he’d be glad to have you stay on here and help him farm.”
“We are indeed grateful for the kindness of our friends,” replied Jack; “but we have decided that we must all stick together, some way.”