The Abbé Constantin

Book excerpt: The great estate of Longueval, consisting of the castle and its dependencies, two splendid farms and a forest, is advertised for sale by auction. The Abbé Constantin, a generous, genial, self-sacrificing priest, who has been thirty years the curé of the little village, is disconsolate at the thought that all his associations must be broken up. His distress is increased when he learns that the whole property has been bought by an American millionaire. He is about to sit down to his frugal dinner in company with his godson Lieutenant Jean Renaud, the orphaned son of the good village doctor, when his vicarage is invaded by two ladies who have just arrived by train from Paris. On their arrival the plot hinges; simple as it is, it has a great charm, and the style is delightful. It sparkles with light and graceful epigrams. First published in 1882, it has had more than one hundred and fifty editions and still enjoys uninterrupted popularity both in France and in English-speaking countries.