of our dear Abbe? If he could rise from his
grave, he would command you to do this thing that I beg of you upon my
knees."

"What is it?" asked Mme. du Croisier.

"Well. Here are the hundred thousand crowns," said Chesnel, drawing the
bundles of notes from his pocket. "Take them, and there will be an end
of it."

"If that is all," she began, "and if no harm can come of it to my
husband----"

"Nothing but good," Chesnel replied. "You are saving him from eternal
punishment in hell, at the cost of a slight disappointment here below."

"He will not be compromised, will he?" she asked, looking into Chesnel's
face.

Then Chesnel read the depths of the poor wife's mind. Mme. du Croisier
was hesitating between her two creeds; between wifely obedience to her
husband as laid down by the Church, and obedience to the altar and the
throne. Her husband, in her eyes, was acting wrongly, but she dared not
blame him; she would fain save the d'Esgrignons, but she was loyal to
her husband's interests.

"Not in the least," Chesnel answered; "your old notary swears it by the
Holy Gospels----"

He had nothing left to lose for the d'Esgrignons but his soul; he risked
it now by this horrible perjury, but Mme. du Croisier must be deceived,
there was no other choice but death. Without losing a moment, he
dictated a form of receipt by which Mme. du Croisier acknowledged
payment of a hundred thousand crowns five days before the fatal letter
of exchange appeared; for he recollected that du Croisier was away from
home, superintending improvements on his wife's property at the time.

"Now swear to me that you will declare before the examining magistrate
that you received the money on that date," he said, when Mme. du
Croisier had taken the notes and he held the receipt in his hand.

"It will be a lie, will it not?"

"Venial sin," said Chesnel.

"I could not do it without consulting my director, M. l'Abbe Couturier."

"Very well," said Chesnel, "will you be guided entirely by his advice in
this affair?"

"I promise that."

"And you must not give the money to M. du Croisier until you have been
before the magistrate."

"No. Ah! God give me strength to appear in a Court of Justice and
maintain a lie before men!"

Chesnel kissed Mme. du Croisier's hand, then stood upright, and majestic
as one of the prophets that Raphael painted in the Vatican.

"You uncle's soul is thrilled with joy," he said; "you have wiped
out for ever the wro