“There you are making use of the inheritance business again to make me decide to leave Fonval. You have clearly no trust in me.”
With a gesture he deprecated the idea. I went on:
“No, allow me to remain in order that we may renew our acquaintance. We both need to do so.”
Lerne knitted his eyebrows, then he said in a mocking tone:
“You insist on renouncing me?”
“No; keep me beside you, otherwise you will hurt my feelings deeply; frankly,” this in a bantering tone, “I should not know what to think.”
“Stop,” rejoined my uncle with energy, “there is nothing wrong to suspect here—far from it.”
“No doubt. All the same, you have secrets—as you have every right to have. If I speak to you of them, it is because I must resign myself to assure you that I shall respect them.”
“There is only one! A single secret. And its aim is noble and salutary,” said my uncle sententiously and with animation: “One only, I tell you—that concerning our work; a blessing to humanity—glory too and gold! But we must have silence assured us. Secrets! Everybody knows we are here, that we are working. The newspapers have said so—there is no secret in that.”
“Keep calm, uncle, and tell me how I am to behave in your house. I am entirely at your disposal.”