ann,
director of the Credit Immobilier, who became interested in him, and
eventually found the money necessary to carry out the vast schemes of
extension which he had long had in mind. By this time Denise Baudu
had come to "The Ladies' Paradise" as a saleswoman, and from the first
Mouret had taken an interest in her. This was probably increased by the
fact that she resisted all his advances, and refused all his offers.
Ultimately he became so infatuated by her that he asked her to marry
him, which she agreed to do. By this time the success of "The Ladies'
Paradise" had become triumphant, and the smaller traders of the
district were being crushed out of existence, and driven one by one into
bankruptcy. Au Bonheur des Dames.

He assisted at the burial of his cousin, Claude Lantier the artist.
By this time he had become very rich, was decorated with the Legion
of Honour, and was desirous of giving the impression of an enlightened
taste for art. L'Oeuvre.

Octave Mouret, whose immense fortune continued to increase, had towards
the end of 1872 a second child by his wife Denise Baudu, whom he adored,
though he again began to lead a somewhat irregular life. Their little
girl was puny, but the younger child, a boy, took after his mother, and
grew magnificently. Le Docteur Pascal.

[*] It is interesting to note that by a curious oversight M.
Zola in _Pot-Bouille_ refers to Octave Mouret as having
passed the examination for his bachelor's degree before
leaving Plassans, and states that at Marseilles the lad
showed a passion for business life, being able during his
three years' stay there to make a sum of five thousand
francs (two hundred pounds), which he took with him to
Paris.

MOURET (MADAME CAROLINE), first wife of the preceding. See Madame
Caroline Hedouin.

MOURET (MADAME DENISE), second wife of Octave Mouret. See Denise Baudu.

MOURET (SERGE), born 1841, son of Francois Mouret. La Fortune des
Rougon.

He was a young man of nervous temperament and of somewhat delicate
health. Educated at Plassans, he took his degree at the college there,
and it was intended that he should go to Paris to study for the bar. The
state of his health caused his departure to be delayed, and meantime he,
like his mother, fell under the influence of Abbe Faujas. Ultimately he
decided to abandon the study of the law in order to become a priest, and
against the wishes of his father he entered the Semi