“Yes.”
“Well, sir, what do you require of me, and what document is it that you wish to be drawn up?”
Valentine named all the letters of the alphabet until she came to W. At this letter the eloquent eye of Noirtier gave her notice that she was to stop.
“It is very evident that it is the letter W which M. Noirtier wants,” said the notary.
“Wait,” said Valentine; and, turning to her grandfather, she repeated, “Wa—We—Wi——” The old man stopped her at the last syllable. Valentine then took the dictionary, and the notary watched her while she turned over the pages.
She passed her finger slowly down the columns, and when she came to the word “Will,” M. Noirtier’s eye bade her stop.
“Will,” said the notary; “it is very evident that M. Noirtier is desirous of making his will.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” motioned the invalid.
“Really, sir, you must allow that this is most extraordinary,” said the astonished notary, turning to M. de Villefort.
“Yes,” said the procureur, “and I think the will promises to be yet more extraordinary, for I cannot see how it is to be drawn up without the intervention of Valentine, and she may, perhaps, be considered as too much interested in its contents to allow of her being a suitable interpreter of the obscure and ill-defined wishes of her grandfather.”
“No, no, no,” replied the eye of the paralytic.
“What?” said Villefort, “do you mean to say that Valentine is not interested in your will?”