endeavored to collect his thoughts, but the rude surroundings of this
rustic sanctuary did not tend to comfort his troubled spirit, and he
became conscious of a sudden withering of all religious fervor.
He turned and left the place, taking a path that led through the forest.
It did not interest him more than the village; the woods spoke no
language which his heart could understand; he could not distinguish an
ash from an oak, and all the different plants were included by him under
one general term of "weeds"; but he needed bodily fatigue and violent
physical agitation to dissipate the overpowering feeling of
discouragement that weighed down his spirits. He walked for several
hours without seeing anything, nearly got lost, and did not reach home
till after dark. Once more the little servant appeared with his meal,
which he ate in an abstracted manner, without even asking whether he were
eating veal or mutton; then he went immediately to bed, and fell into an
uneasy sleep. And thus ended his first day.

The next morning, about nine o'clock, he was informed that the justice of
the peace, the notary, and the clerk, were waiting for him below. He
hastened down and found the three functionaries busy conferring in a low
voice with Manette and Claudet. The conversation ceased suddenly upon
his arrival, and during the embarrassing silence that followed, all eyes
were directed toward Julien, who saluted the company and delivered to the
justice the documents proving his identity, begging him to proceed
without delay to the legal breaking of the seals. They accordingly began
operations, and went through all the house without interruption,
accompanied by Claudet, who stood stiff and sullen behind the justice,
taking advantage of every little opportunity to testify his dislike and
ill-feeling toward the legal heir of Claude de Buxieres. Toward eleven
o'clock, the proceedings came to an end, the papers were signed, and
Julien was regularly invested with his rights. But the tiresome