d under him. Struck by the
communication of Dagobert which revealed the existence of other heirs,
he was unable to speak for some time; at length, he cried out, in a tone
of despair: "And it is I--oh, God! I--who am the cause of the spoliation
of this family!"

"You, brother?" exclaimed Agricola.

"Did they not wish to rob you also?" added Dagobert.

"The will," cried Gabriel, with increasing agony, "gave the property to
those of the heirs that should appear before noon."

"Well?" said Dagobert, alarmed at the emotion of the young priest.

"Twelve o'clock has struck," resumed the latter. "Of all the family, I
alone was present. Do you understand it now? The term is expired. The
heirs have been thrust aside by me!"

"By you!" said Dagobert, stammering with joy. "By you, my brave boy!
then all is well."

"But--"

"All is well," resumed Dagobert, radiant with delight. "You will share
with the others--I know you."

"But all this property I have irrevocably, made over to another," cried
Gabriel, in despair.

"Made over the property!" cried Dagobert, quite petrified. "To whom,
then?--to whom?"

"To this gentleman," said Gabriel, pointing to Father d'Aigrigny.

"To him!" exclaimed Dagobert, overwhelmed by the news; "to him--the
renegade--who has always been the evil genius of this family!"

"But, brother," cried Agricola, "did you then know your claim to this
inheritance?"

"No," answered the young priest, with deep dejection; "no--I only
learned it this morning, from Father d'Aigrigny. He told me, that he
had only recently been informed of my rights, by family papers long ago
found upon me, and sent by our mother to her confessor."

A sudden light seemed to dawn upon the mind of the smith, as he
exclaimed: "I understand it all now. They discovered in these papers,
that you would one day have a chance of becoming rich. Therefore, they
interested themselves about you--therefore, they took you into their
college, where we could never see you--therefore, they deceived you in
your vocation by shameful falsehoods, to force you to become a priest,
and to lead you to make this deed of gift. Oh, sir!" resumed Agricola,
turning towards Father d'Aigrigny, with indignation, "my father is
right--such machinations are indeed infamous!"

During this scene, the reverend father and his socius, at first alarmed
and shaken in their audacity, had by degrees recovered all their
coolness. Rodin, still leaning upon the casket,