"Let's call," said Agathe; "he must be either in the house or in the garden.—Monsieur Ledrux!"
"Monsieur Ledrux!"
"Perhaps we ought to say: 'plain Monsieur Ledrux.'"
"What a child you are! It seems to me that if he were in the house he would hear us, for it isn't large, and the gate rang a bell when we opened it. Let us look around the garden."
"See, there's a man at the further end of the garden; he sees us."
The master of the house was a little old man, thin and wrinkled, tanned by the sun, but whose face was at once kindly and shrewd. He came toward them humming between his teeth, which promised well for his disposition.
Honorine walked forward quickly to meet the singer.
"I beg pardon, monsieur, but we were told to apply to you to show us a house that is for sale in this neighborhood."
"What's that! a house for sale?"
"Monsieur Courtivaux's."