Rimbaud's girl

So it was decided that Arthur would buy real estate for Vitaly in the suburbs of London as a dowry.

According to the thinking of ordinary families, only the son can inherit most of the family property. The 5 francs should have been left to Frederick, and even Arthur could not get much, but Mrs. Rimbaud wanted to treat the children fairly. Secondly, Vitaly is married to a noble young master, if she really only pays a few thousand francs, she is afraid that she will be wronged in the Oran family in the future.

Mrs. Rimbaud also took the opportunity to discuss the property issues of the family with her three children. After Vitaly got married, she would no longer give financial support to her married daughter. Arthur still paid 1 francs a month, and the small shop In addition to providing for Mrs. Rimbaud and Isabel's mother and daughter, the rest of the money must be saved for Arthur's future marriage, at least to be able to buy a real estate in Paris;

Vitaly said that the vacancy rate of real estate in Paris is still extremely high, so she is already looking for someone to look at the house, the price will not be too high, and it can be done before she gets married. Arthur buys a real estate, and Arthur's manuscript fee is in her hands; if the money is not enough, it is best for her mother to make up for the shortfall; after buying the house, she can save a dowry for Isabel, and visit her husband's house in the future The situation, but it is best to have a real estate in the urban area of ​​Paris. The house price in Paris is low now, and it will definitely rise in the future. Buying a house now is definitely a very cost-effective investment.

Mrs. Rimbaud felt that the future of the children was guaranteed, and she was satisfied.

Mrs. Orland was surprised that the Rimbaud family could come up with a dowry of 5 francs. She underestimated the property of a small Ardennes family.The Oran family is certainly not short of 5 francs, but the more money, the better; she also has a good impression of Mrs. Rimbaud. She is a country woman with a serious expression, but she knows what to say and what not to say. , will not talk nonsense, and will smile at questions that cannot be answered or are difficult to answer. Although people will despise you for being stupid, you will not be ridiculed for "not being on the stage". This is already the most ideal state.

In this way Mrs. Orland would not be laughed at for finding a country woman to be her in-law.

Mrs. Rimbaud thought the Orans were very kind, unlike the "damn aristocrats" who she thought were eyelids upturned.

Both parents are very satisfied.

In January 1876, the spring semester at Oxford University began, and Gabriel and Arthur left for Oxford.A few days later, Mrs. Flaubert and Mrs. Rimbaud took the Vitaly sisters across the Channel from Dover and returned to Rouen.

Mrs. Rimbaud stayed at the Cruzva Manor for a few days, and discussed with Caroline about Vitaly's wedding date and what to prepare for the wedding.The Oran family meant to wait until Gabriel graduated, and Gabriel meant to hold the wedding immediately after graduation. The time was in early July 1877, and then the newlyweds took a few servants to the Mediterranean for their honeymoon.

"In other words, you have to prepare things for your honeymoon abroad," Caroline nodded. "It must be more than a month, right? The noble young master usually travels abroad when he is around 20 years old, and Gabriel hasn't been there yet." Abroad, they may stay abroad for a year. Well, I will prepare according to the one-year plan."

She made a list on the manuscript paper. The wife of a baron heir should bring several servants, at least two maids, one manservant, and one personal maid. There are also clothes to bring, from coats to underwear, haircuts to socks; then there are things to bring, body lotion and shampoo, soap and bath salts, bath towels and face towels, handkerchiefs and sewing kits.

At this point, Caroline wondered, "Can Vitaly do needlework? I've never seen her do any manual work."

Mrs. Rimbaud was a little embarrassed. "I taught her, but she doesn't know much. But I saw Master Oran's handkerchief with his initials embroidered on it. He said it was embroidered by Vitaly."

Caroline nodded knowingly, "I see." It seems that Vitaly's female skills are limited.Well, this is not a big deal. Women nowadays don't need to have superb female celebrities to be considered "virtuous". Women's clothing stores can fully meet the needs of any wife or lady.

Caroline can't trust London or foreign tailors, she plans to order all the clothes needed for Vitaly in the women's clothing store in Paris; cosmetics, toiletries, and textiles are all purchased from French products, which is the pride and pride of being a Frenchman. conscious.

Mrs. Rimbaud felt dizzy when she saw the list made by Caroline: Dozens of all kinds of underwear alone, not counting the more expensive outer skirts and corsets that required more work; at least four dozen nightdresses, Dozens of pairs of various shoes, plus all kinds of slippers, outdoor boots and short boots, all the shoes add up to hundreds of pairs.

"Do you really need so many things?"

"Oh, my dear wife! Gabriel must have much more than this!" Caroline said lightly, "Gentlemen can't be regarded as gentlemen if they don't bring a hundred shirts. Don't worry. , they will have servants to carry the luggage. Besides, there is a train now, which is very convenient."

She continued to make a list, "Also, if they stay abroad for a year, maybe her first child will be born abroad. This is something to consider in advance. I hope they don't have children so early."

p;Mrs. Rimbaud was stunned: it never occurred to her that Vitaly would soon have a child of her own.

"Although it is too early to say that it is too early to have a baby, she will get married next summer. There is only one and a half years for us to prepare for the wedding. Maybe they will come back with their children in another year."

Mrs. Rimbaud was distraught.

Vitaly was also dizzy when she saw Caroline's list.

"Do I really need so many clothes?"

"Miss, you really haven't seen the young master's wardrobe." Leila followed her to the Croswa Manor.

"I have never seen it before. I have never entered his room." In fact, I sneaked in, but I didn't dare to stay longer, and I came out after a few minutes.

"A gentleman needs different shirts for different occasions. A dozen with different laces, a dozen with different fabrics, so many that you don't know what occasion he's going to wear."

"Really? He usually writes to me and won't talk about these small things. He has never worried about this kind of thing, so he won't care about it. To him, basic necessities such as food, clothing, housing and transportation are small things, as long as he has money It will be resolved."

"There must be servants."

"Yes, and servants. Do you speak French?"

"No, miss, can you teach me something?"

"Okay, just learn some life conversations first, it's very simple. Learn a little French, and you won't worry about not being able to understand what others say."

Vitaly was delighted that Layla was able to accompany her to Rouen. No one at the estate could speak English to her except Flaubert, and normally Flaubert could not speak English to her either.She learned English very well, but certainly not as good as the English, so Mrs. Orland asked her to speak English more often.Her English ability is very good, and she can understand difficult philosophy books, but her spoken English is different after all, she just needs to speak more.

Little Romy came in, "Aunt Vitaly, are we going to class today?"

"Yes, my baby." Vitaly hugged Romy on her lap, "Mom is very busy, baby has to study hard with auntie. The picture I asked you to draw yesterday, is it finished?"

"The painting is finished, take a look."

"It's really good. The baby's color feels very good, and I will definitely become a little painter in the future." I kissed the little girl's face hard, making her giggle.

"I like Auntie's paintings, they are very beautiful."

"Huh? Do you know what 'good-looking' is?"

"Of course I know! It's just that it looks good!" The 5-year-old girl has a limited vocabulary and can't think of any better words.

After returning to France, I have to start busy with making money again.

Becoming a well-known writer is relatively not the most difficult step. France alone publishes hundreds of new books every year, and at least hundreds of new writers emerge, but many of their books do not cause much trouble. There is no next book; some people find that wanting to get rich by writing is not as good as earning more money by seriously looking for a job. You can get a salary every month when you find a job, but writing is a thing that requires a lot of upfront investment. It is obvious that the income is not directly proportional, so I gave up creation; after all, there are only a few who can persist in creation and gradually accumulate fame and manuscript fees.

Their publisher, Mr. Alfonso, represented dozens of moderately famous writers, ideally representing works by more famous writers, such as Flaubert.In November last year, Flaubert finally handed over a complete script draft before the deadline of the deadline, and it is now being staged in theaters in Paris in full swing. Go out 11% of the seats.Flaubert's first play is precious, and the plot is very popular with the audience. Coupled with the celebrity effect, the theater, the publisher, Flaubert, and the audience win-win and everyone is happy.

A few years ago, Flaubert published "Emotional Education", which was not popular. The writer actually needs the affirmation of readers and the market. The works he created with painstaking efforts are not appreciated by others. No matter how strong a person is, he will have self-doubt , so Flaubert did not mention the idea of ​​creation in the next few years.Writing the script was entirely due to economic pressure, but the response was very good. Now he can be regarded as having a higher creative desire, and he is already conceiving the next script.

After entering 1876, the economic situation of Cruzva Manor improved significantly. There was no need to rent out the manor, and the whole family, from the master to the servants, breathed a sigh of relief.After Vitaly came back, she called the servants to hold a small meeting, announcing that Christmas bonuses could be given out at the end of this year!As long as the master is willing to create, the publishers and theater owners in Paris will write a check and send it obediently. Money is not a thing at all.So what's the point?It is knowledge that changes destiny. If the children in the family are willing to learn, send them to school as much as possible, regardless of whether they are boys or girls.The servants, based on the experience of the manor this year, said that what the lady said was so right!