after protracted
suffering, Hippolyte Ballet passed away.

A post-mortem was held on his body. It was made by Drs. Segalas and
Castaing. They stated that death was due to pleurisy aggravated by the
consumptive condition of the deceased, which, however serious, was not
of itself likely to have been so rapidly fatal in its consequences.

Hippolyte had died, leaving a fortune of some 240,000 francs. In the
previous September he had spoken to the notary Lebret, a former clerk
of his father's, of his intention of making a will. He had seen that his
brother Auguste was squandering his share of their inheritance; he told
Lebret that whatever he might leave to Auguste should not be placed at
his absolute disposal. To his servant Victoire, during his last illness,
Hippolyte had spoken of a will he had made which he wished to destroy.
If Hippolyte had made such a will, did he destroy it before his death?
In any case, no trace of it was ever found after his death. He
was presumed to have died intestate, and his fortune was divided,
three-quarters of it going to his brother Auguste, the remaining quarter
to his sister, Mme. Martignon.

On the day of Hippolyte's death Auguste Ballet wrote from his brother's
house to one Prignon: "With great grief I have to tell you that I have
just lost my brother; I write at the same time to say that I must have
100,000 francs to-day if possible. I have the greatest need of it.
Destroy my letter, and reply at once. M. Sandrie will, I am sure,
accommodate me. I am at my poor brother's house, from which I am
writing." Prignon did as he was asked, but it was two days before the
stockbroker, Sandrie, could raise the necessary sum. On October 7 he
sold out sufficient of Auguste's stock to realise 100,000 francs, and
the following day gave Prignon an order on the Bank of France for that
amount. The same day Prignon took the order to Auguste. Accompanied by
Castaing and Jean, Auguste's black servant, Auguste and Prignon drove to
the bank. There the order was cashed. Prignon's part of the business was
at an end. He said good-bye to Auguste outside the bank. As the latter
got into his cabriolet, carrying the bundle of notes, Prignon heard him
say to Castaing: "There are the 100,000 francs."

Why had Auguste Ballet, after his brother's death, such urgent need of
100,000 francs? If the statements of Auguste made to other persons
are to be believed, he had paid the 100,000 francs which he had raised
throu