What makes you think he is short of money?"

"Oh! oh!" said the cure, "a man who has money either pays his debts, or
is a cheat. Now Heaven preserve me from suspecting Monsieur Derues'
honesty!"

"What do you know about him?"

"Do you remember Brother Marchois of the Camaldulians, who came to see me
last spring, and who was here the day Monsieur Derues arrived, with your
wife and Edouard?"

"Perfectly. Well?"

"Well, I happened to tell him in one of my letters that Monsieur Derues
had become the purchaser of Buisson-Souef, and that I believed the
arrangements were concluded. Thereupon Brother Marchois wrote asking me
to remind him that he owes them a sum of eight hundred livres, and that,
so far, they have not seen a penny of it."

"Ah!" said Monsieur de Lamotte, "perhaps I should have done better not to
let myself be deluded by his fine promises. He certainly has money on
his tongue, and when once one begins to listen to him, one can't help
doing what he wants. All the same, I had rather have had to deal with
someone else."

"And is it this which worries you, and makes you seem so anxious?"

"This and other things."