"'This lady, or her son, obtain whatever they ask of the Marquis
d'Espard without demur; and if he has not ready money, M. d'Espard
draws bills to be paid by the said Mongenod, who has offered to give
evidence to that effect for the petitioner.

"'That, moreover, in further proof of these facts, lately, on the
occasion of the renewal of the leases on the Espard estate, the
farmers having paid a considerable premium for the renewal of their
leases on the old terms, M. Jeanrenaud at once secured the payment of
it into his own hands.

"'That the Marquis d'Espard parts with these sums of money so little
of his own free-will, that when he was spoken to on the subject he
seemed to remember nothing of the matter; that whenever anybody of any
weight has questioned him as to his devotion to these two persons, his
replies have shown so complete an absence of ideas and of sense of his
own interests, that there obviously must be some occult cause at work
to which the petitioner begs to direct the eye of justice, inasmuch as
it is impossible but that this cause should be criminal, malignant,
and wrongful, or else of a nature to come under medical jurisdiction;
unless this influence is of the kind which constitutes an abuse of
moral power--such as can only be described by the word /possession/
----'The devil!" exclaimed Popinot. "What do you say to that, doctor.
These are strange statements."

"They might certainly," said Bianchon, "be an effect of magnetic
force."

"Then do you believe in Mesmer's nonsense, and his tub, and seeing
through walls?"