gardens, terrace, and park, and also to connect the castle grounds
with the forest by a plantation. He set himself to make these
improvements with vainglorious activity.

A few months later Madame Graslin met with a great misfortune. In
August, 1830, Graslin, overtaken by the commercial and banking
disasters of that period, became involved by no fault of his own. He
could not endure the thought of bankruptcy, nor that of losing a
fortune of three millions acquired by forty years of incessant toil.
The moral malady which resulted from this anguish of mind aggravated
the inflammatory disease always ready to break forth in his blood. He
took to his bed. Since her confinement Veronique's regard for her
husband had developed, and had overthrown all the hopes of her
admirer, Monsieur de Grandville. She strove to save her husband's life
by unremitting care, with no result but that of prolonging for a few
months the poor man's tortures; but the respite was very useful to
Grossetete, who, foreseeing the end of his former clerk and partner,
obtained from him all the information necessary for the prompt
liquidation of the assets.

Graslin died in April, 1831, and the widow's grief yielded only to
Christian resignation. Veronique's first words, when the condition of
Monsieur Graslin's affairs were made known to her, were that she
abandoned her own fortune to pay the creditors; but it was found that
Graslin's own property was more than sufficient. Two months later, the
liquidation, of which Grossetete took charge, left to Madame Graslin
the estate of Montegnac and six hundred thousand francs, her whole
personal fortune. The son's name remained untainted, for Graslin had
injured no one's property, not even that of his wife. Francis Graslin,
the son, received about one hundred thousand francs.