been
accused of taking," he continued, "I know what has become of it; it is
in the hands of M. de Fondege."

"I know that, Pascal--I'm sure of it; but the proof, the proof!"

"The proof exists, and, like the will, it is in the hands of the Marquis
de Valorsay."

"Is it possible! Great Heavens! You are sure you are not deceived?"

"I have seen the proof, and it is overpowering, irrefutable! I have
touched it--I have held it in my hands. And it explains everything which
may have seemed strange and incomprehensible to you. The letter which M.
de Chalusse received on the day of his death was written by his sister.
She asked in it for her share of the family estate, threatening him with
a terrible scandal if he refused to comply with her request. Had the
count decided to brave this scandal rather than yield? We have good
reason to suppose so. However, this much is certain: he had a terrible
hatred, not so much for his sister, perhaps, as for the man who had
seduced her, and afterward married her, actuated by avaricious motives
alone. He had sworn thousands of times that neither husband nor wife
should ever have a penny of the large fortune which really belonged
to them. Believing that a lawsuit was now inevitable, and wishing to
conceal his wealth, he was greatly embarrassed by the large amount of
money he had on hand. What should he do with it? Where could he hide it?
He finally decided to intrust it to the keeping of M. de Fondege, who
was known as an eccentric man, but whose honesty seemed to be above
suspicion. So, when he left home, on the afternoon of his illness, he
took the package of bank-notes and bonds, which you had noticed in the
escritoire that morning, away with him. We shall never know what passed
between your father and the General--we can only surmise. But what I do
know, and what I shall be able to prove, is that M. de Fondege accepted
the trust, and that he gave an acknowledgment of it in the form of a
letter, which read as follows:

"'MY DEAR COUNT DE CHALUSSE--I hereby acknowledge the receipt, on
Thursday, October 15, 186-, of the sum of two millions, two
hundred and fifty thousand francs, which I shall deposit, in my
name, at the Bank of France, subject to the orders of Mademoiselle
Marguerite, your daughter, on the day she presents this letter.
And believe, my dear count, in the absolute devotion of your old
comrade,

"GENERAL DE FONDEGE.'"