s and
himself--possibly because he wished to deprive me of the power to oppose
him by taking me unawares. It would have been great imprudence on
my part to broach the subject myself, and so I waited calmly and
resignedly, storing up all my energy for the decisive hour. I willingly
confess that I am not a heroine of romance--I do not look upon
money with the contempt it deserves. I was resolved to wed solely in
accordance with the dictates of my heart; but I wished, and HOPED, that
M. de Chalusse would give me, not a fortune, but a modest dowry. He had
become more communicative than usual on money matters, and took no pains
to conceal the fact that he was engaged in raising the largest possible
amount of ready cash. He received frequent visits from his stockbroker,
and sometimes when the latter had left him, he showed me rolls of
bank-notes and packages of bonds, saying, as he did so: 'You see that
your future is assured, my dear Marguerite.'

"I am only doing the count justice when I say that my future was a
subject of constant anxiety to him during the last few months of his
life. Less than a fortnight after he had taken me from the asylum, he
drew up a will, in which he adopted me and made me his sole legatee. But
he afterward destroyed this document on the plea that it did not afford
me sufficient security; and a dozen others shared the same fate. For his
mind was constantly occupied with the subject, and he seemed to have a
presentiment that his death would be a sudden one. I am forced to
admit that he seemed less anxious to endow me with his fortune than to
frustrate the hopes of some persons I did not know. When he burned his
last will in my presence, he remarked: 'This document is useless: they
would contest it, and probably succeed in having it set aside. I have
thought of a better way; I have found an expedient which will provide
for all emergencies.' And as I ventured some timid objection--for it was
repugnant to my sense of honor to act as an instrument of vengeance or
injustice, or assist, even passively, in despoiling any person of his
rightful inheritance--he harshly, almost brutally, replied: 'Mind
your own business! I will disappoint the folks who are waiting for my
property as they deserve to be disappointed. They covet my estates do
they! Very well, they shall have them. I will leave them my property,
but they shall find it mortgaged to its full value.'

"Unfortunate man! all his plans have failed. Th