"Well, messieurs," said Robineau, "what do you think of my property?"
"It is very extensive," said Alfred, "but, if you follow my advice, you will pull down this old château, which it will ruin you to keep, and with the materials, build a pretty modern house, which it won’t take you three hours to walk over; then you will be able to make some profitable use of all the land that belongs to the estate."
"My dear Alfred," said Robineau, "I didn’t buy a château to have a mere bourgeois house; I should be a vandal if I followed your advice."
"You will ruin yourself if you don’t follow it."
"I will ruin myself if I choose, but I shall keep my château."
"Keep what you please, but don’t ask me again for my advice."
"And you, Monsieur Edouard," said Robineau, approaching the young poet, who seemed absorbed in thought, "what do you think of my château?"
"I like this country very much," said Edouard absent-mindedly.
"Look you, La Roche-Noire, I believe that we have done nothing but talk about your château since this morning, and it’s almost five o’clock. It’s beginning to be a little tiresome. Don’t you intend ever to dine in your house?"
"Pardon me, my friends, pardon me!—Holà! François!"