du Rouvre, who is threatened with arrest. Don't you see how Bongrand
is sprinkling him with advice?" said Goupil, slipping an idea of
retaliation into Massin's mind. "But you had better go easy with your
chief; he's a clever old fellow; he might use his influence with your
uncle and persuade him not to leave everything to the church."

"Pooh! we sha'n't die of it," said Minoret-Levrault, opening his
enormous snuff-box.

"You won't live of it, either," said Goupil, making the two women
tremble. More quick-witted than their husbands, they saw the
privations this loss of inheritance (so long counted on for many
comforts) would be to them. "However," added Goupil, "we'll drown this
little grief in floods of champagne in honor of Desire!--sha'n't we,
old fellow?" he cried, tapping the stomach of the giant, and inviting
himself to the feast for fear he should be left out.



CHAPTER II

THE RICH UNCLE

Before proceeding further, persons of an exact turn of mind may like
to read a species of family inventory, so as to understand the degrees
of relationship which connected the old man thus suddenly converted to
religion with these three heads of families or their wives. This
cross-breeding of families in the remote provinces might be made the
subject of many instructive reflections.