ispose of a property in the country, the estate of
Buisson-Souef near Villeneuve-le-Roi, which he had purchased some ten
years before out of money acquired by a prudent marriage.

With an eye to the main chance M. de Lamotte had in 1760 ran away with
the daughter of a wealthy citizen of Rheims, who was then staying with
her sister in Paris. They lived together in the country for some time,
and a son was born to them, whom the father legitimised by subsequently
marrying the mother. For a few years M. and Mme. de Lamotte dwelt
happily together at Buisson-Souef. But as their boy grew up they became
anxious to leave the country and return to Paris, where M. de Lamotte
hoped to be able to obtain for his son some position about the Court of
Louis XVI. And so it was that in May, 1775, M. de Lamotte gave a
power of attorney to his wife in order that she might go to Paris
and negotiate for the sale of Buisson-Souef. The legal side of the
transaction was placed in the hands of one Jolly, a proctor at the
Chatelet in Paris.

Now the proctor Jolly had a client with a great desire to acquire a
place in the country, M. Derues de Cyrano de Bury, lord of Candeville,
Herchies, and other places. Here was the very man to comply with
the requirements of the de Lamottes, and such a pleasing, ready,
accommodating gentleman into the bargain! Very delicate to all
appearances, strangely pale, slight, fragile in build, with his
beardless chin and feminine cast of feature, there was something
cat-like in the soft insinuating smile of this seemingly most amiable,
candid and pious of men. Always cheerful and optimistic, it was quite
a pleasure to do business with M. Derues de Cyrano de Bury. The
de Lamottes after one or two interviews were delighted with their
prospective purchaser. Everything was speedily settled. M. Derues and
his wife, a lady belonging to the distinguished family of Nicolai,
visited Buisson-Souef. They were enchanted with what they saw, and their
hosts were hardly less enchanted with their visitors. By the end of
December, 1775, the purchase was concluded. M. Derues was to give
130,000 livres (about L20,000) for the estate, the payments to be made
by instalments, the first of 12,000 livres to be paid on the actual
signing of the contract of sale, which, it was agreed, was to be
concluded not later than the first of June, 1776. In the meantime, as an
earnest of good faith, M. Derues gave Mme. de Lamotte a bill for 4,200
livres