Read Everything Under the Sky for Free Online

way things are here. There's a great deal of poverty and hunger, madame. Rémy may have given Mrs. Zhong a little money now and then because he was very fond of her, but you're not required to— Ah, here it is!” he interrupted himself, pulling a page out of the disorganized pile. “So, let's see…. First of all, madame, you'll have to sell both houses: the one here and the one in Paris. Do you have any other property we can include?”
    “No.”
    “Nothing? Are you sure?” The poor man didn't know how to insist, and I could barely breathe. “Any property in Spain? A house, a piece of land, a business … ?”
    “I … no.” A slight whistle escaped my throat, and I held on desperately to the edge of my seat. “My family disowned me, and now my niece has inherited it all. But I can't …”
    “Would you like a glass of water, madame? The tea!” he suddenly remembered. M. Julliard bolted up and ran to the door. A few moments later, I had in my hand a beautiful Chinese cup with a lid, and the aroma that rose up from it was divine. I took small sips until I felt better. The lawyer was truly worried and had come to stand by my side.
    “M. Julliard,” I implored, “I have nothing I can draw on in Europe, and I'm not going to ask my niece for help. It doesn't seem right.”
    “Very well, madame, as you wish. Perhaps, with a bit of luck, we can get enough from both houses and the contents.”
    “But I can't lose the house in Paris! It's my home, the only one I have!”
    Was I going to have to start all over again at forty-something years of age? No. Impossible. I was young when I left Spain and had the drive and energy to face poverty, but I wasn't that person anymore. The years had dulled my shine, and I didn't think I could live in some filthy, attic apartment in a bad neighborhood.
    “Calm down, Mme De Poulain. I promise I'll do everything I can to help you, but the houses will have to be sold. There's no other way. Unless you can come up with three hundred thousand francs in the next few weeks.”
    How much did he say? No. Three hundred thousand?
    “Three hundred thousand francs!” I shrieked, horrified. I earned only seventy-five francs a month at the Académie! How was I going to get my hands on that much money? Besides, life in Paris had become intolerably expensive after the war. It had been ages since anyone had been able to shop in places like Le Louvre or Au Bon Marché. People had to be extremely frugal just to survive, and the few who still had money had seen their income severely reduced.
    “Don't worry. We'll sell the houses and organize an auction. Rémy was a great collector of Chinese art. Surely we'll be able to get almost the full amount.”
    “My house in Paris isn't very big,” I whispered. “It might be worth four or five thousand francs at most, and that's only because it's near L’École de Médecine.”
    “Would you like me to contact a colleague so he can take care of the sale?”
    “No!” I exclaimed with what little energy I had left. “I will not sell my house in Paris.”
    “Madame … !”
    “Absolutely not!”
    M. Julliard backed off, greatly distressed. “Very well, Mme De Poulain, whatever you say. But we're going to be in trouble. We might be able to get a hundred thousand francs for Rémy's house and another thirty or forty thousand from the auction, if all goes well. That still leaves a huge amount outstanding.”
    I had to get out of that office. I had to get out into the street so I could breathe. I couldn't stay a minute longer unless I wanted the lawyer to witness one of my spells.
    “Give me a few days, monsieur,” I said, standing up, gripping my purse. “I'll think of something.”
    “As you wish, madame,” the lawyer replied, kindly opening the door to his office. “I'll wait to hear from you, but please don't take too long. Could you sign the papers now so I can begin organizing the sale and auction?”
    I couldn't wait another second.
    “Some