emigration.

Thus Madame de Dey, noble, rich, and the mother of an emigre, could not
be unaware of the dangers of her cruel situation. Having no other desire
than to preserve a fortune for her son, she renounced the happiness of
emigrating with him; and when she read the vigorous laws by virtue
of which the Republic daily confiscated the property of emigres, she
congratulated herself on that act of courage; was she not guarding the
property of her son at the peril of her life? And when she heard of
the terrible executions ordered by the Convention, she slept in peace,
knowing that her sole treasure was in safety, far from danger, far from
scaffolds. She took pleasure in believing that they had each chosen the
wisest course, a course which would save to _him_ both life and fortune.

With this secret comfort in her mind, she was ready to make all the
concessions required by those evil days, and without sacrificing either
her dignity as a woman, or her aristocratic beliefs, she conciliated
the good-will of those about her. Madame de Dey had fully understood the
difficulties that awaited her on coming to Carentan. To seek to occupy
a leading position would be daily defiance to the scaffold; yet she
pursued her even way. Sustained by her motherly courage, she won the
affections of the poor by comforting indiscriminately all miseries, and
she made herself necessary to the rich by assisting their pleasures.
She received the procureur of the commune, the mayor, the judge of
the district court, the public prosecutor, and even the judges of the
revolutionary tribunal.

The first four of these personages, being bachelors, courted her with
the hope of marriage, furthering their cause by either letting her see
the evils they could do her, or those from which they could protect her.
The public prosecutor, previously an attorney at Caen, and the manager
of the countess's affairs, tried to inspire her with love by an
appearance of generosity and devotion; a dangerous attempt for her. He
was the most to be feared among her suitors. He alone knew the exact
condition of the property of his former client. His passion was
increased by cupidity, and his cause was backed by enormous power, the
power of life and death throughout the district. This man, still young,
showed so much apparent nobleness and generosity in his proceedings that
Madame de Dey had not yet been able to judge him. But, disregarding the
danger that attends all attempts a