Sieur Acquet de Ferolles."

The invectives were, to say the least, ill-timed. The Combrays had gone
to law in order to force this man, whom they compared to the most
celebrated assassins, to undertake the education of their sister's three
children. These orphans, for whose schooling at the Misses Dusaussay's
no one was ready to pay, were pitied by all who knew of their situation.
Some pious ladies mentioned it to the Cardinal Archbishop of Rouen, who
kindly offered to subscribe towards the cost of their education. The
Combrays proudly refused, for which Acquet naturally blamed them. "They
think their nieces would be dishonoured by accepting a favour," he
wrote.

Mme. de Combray might perhaps have yielded, if any one had made her
understand that her granddaughters were the only stake she had left. In
fact, since Mme. Acquet's death, no stone had been left unturned to
obtain the old Marquise's pardon. Ducolombier even went to Navarre to
entreat the help of the Empress Josephine, whose credit did not stand
very high. We can understand that after the official notification of the
imperial divorce, and as soon as the great event became known, the
Combrays, renouncing their relationship (which was of the very
slightest) with the Tascher de la Pageries, began immediately to count
in advance on the clemency of the future Empress, be she who she might.
When it was certain that an Archduchess was to succeed General
Beauharnais's widow on the throne of France, Ducolombier set out for
Vienna in the hope of outstripping the innumerable host of those who
went there as petitioners. It does not appear that he got farther than
Carlsruhe, and his journey was absolutely fruitless; but it soon became
known that the imperial couple intended making a triumphal progress
through the north of France, ending at Havre or Rouen, and it was then
decided that the little Acquets should appear again.

At three o'clock in the afternoon of May 30th, the Emperor and Empress
arrived at Rouen. Ducolombier, walking in front of the three little
girls, who were escorted by Mlle. Querey, tried to force a passage for
them through the streets leading to the imperial residence, but could
not get into the house, and was obliged to content himself with handing
the petition, drawn up by Chauveau-Legarde, to the King of Westphalia.
He hoped the next day to be able to place the children on the Emperor's
route as he was on his way to visit some spinning mills; but as