proceedings by coming forward
as purchaser. The creditors were paid off, and the title-deeds of
Roche-Mauprat passed into his hands.

The little garrison kept by the Mauprats, made up of adventurers of the
lowest type, had met the same fate as their masters. As I have already
said, the garrison had long been reduced to a few individuals. Two
or three of these were killed, others took to flight; one only was
captured. This man was tried and made to suffer for all. A serious
question arose as to whether judgment should not also be given against
John and Antony de Mauprat by default. There was apparently no doubt
that they had fled; the pond in which Walter's body was found floating
had been drained, yet no traces of the bodies had been discovered. The
chevalier, however, for the sake of the name he bore, strove to prevent
the disgrace of an ignominious sentence; as if such a sentence could
have added aught to the horror of the name of Mauprat. He brought to
bear all M. de la Marche's influence and his own (which was very real
in the province, especially on account of his high moral character),
to hush up the affair, and he succeeded. As for myself, though I had
certainly had a hand in more than one of my uncles' robberies, there was
no thought of discussing me even at the bar of public opinion. In
the storm of anger that my uncles had aroused people were pleased to
consider me simply as a young captive, a victim of their cruelty, and
thoroughly well disposed towards everybody. Certainly, in his generous
good nature and desire to rehabilitate the family, the chevalier greatly
exaggerated my merits, and spread a report everywhere that I was an
angel of sweetness and intelligence.

On the day that M. Hubert became purchaser of the estate he entered
my room early in the morning accompanied by his daughter and the
abbe. Showing me the documents which bore witness to his sacrifice
(Roche-Mauprat was valued at about two hundred thousand francs), he
declared that I was forthwith going to be put in possession not only
of my share in the inheritance, which was by no means considerable, but
also of half the revenue of the property. At the same time, he said, the
whole estate, lands and produce, should be secured to me by his will
on one condition, namely, that I would consent to receive an education
suitable to my position.

The chevalier had made all these arrangements in the kindness of his
heart and without ostentation, partly