"Who is this Monsieur Cheval, little one?"
"He’s the horse-doctor and farrier of these parts; he doctors animals."
"The deuce! he must be one of the authorities of the neighborhood!"
"Messieurs! messieurs! I believe I see it!" cried Robineau, taking out his handkerchief and wiping his eyes.
"What—Monsieur Cheval?"
"My château! my estate! See—on that hill yonder.—Is that my château, boy?"
"Yes, monsieur, yes, that’s La Roche-Noire."
"Ah! what rapture, messieurs! Do you see a tower—I mean towers, ramparts, and—Stop the ass a minute, boy.—Wait, my friends—my joy, my emotion are—I believe I am going to fall."
They gathered around Robineau, who was almost fainting. At last he loosened his cravat, took a pinch of snuff, and returned to himself, only to turn his eyes once more upon his property, crying:
"Ah! messieurs, it makes me ill, but it makes me very happy!—Dieu! how large it looks! how beautiful! what a noble structure!"