17.

The last of the Mouchons, who was a priest, and the curate of
Ville-aux-Fayes before the Revolution, was again a priest after the
re-establishment of Catholic worship, and again the curate of the same
little town. He was not willing to take the oath, and was hidden for a
long time in the hermitage of Les Aigues, under the protection of the
Gaubertins, father and son. Now about sixty-seven years of age, he was
treated with universal respect and affection, owing to the harmony of
his nature with that of the inhabitants. Parsimonious to the verge of
avarice, he was thought to be rich, and the credit of being so increased
the respect that was shown to him. Monseigneur the bishop paid the
greatest attention to the Abbe Mouchon, who was always spoken of as the
venerable curate of Ville-aux-Fayes; and the fact that he had several
times refused to go and live in a splendid parsonage attached to the
Prefecture, where Monseigneur wished to settle him, made him dearer
still to his people.

Gaubertin, now mayor of Ville-aux-Fayes, received steady support from
his brother-in-law Gendrin, who was judge of the municipal court.
Gaubertin the younger, the solicitor who had the most practice before
this court and much repute in the arrondissement, was already thinking
of selling his practice after five years' exercise of it. He wanted
to succeed his Uncle Gendrin as counsellor whenever the latter should
retire from the profession. Gendrin's only son was commissioner of
mortgages.

Soudry's son, who for the last two years had been prosecuting-attorney
at the prefecture, was Gaubertin's henchman. The clever Madame Soudry
had secured the future of her husband's son by marrying him to Rigou's
only daughter. The united fortunes of the Soudrys and the ex-monk, which
would come eventually to the attorney, made that young man one of the
most important personages of the department.

The sub-prefect of Ville-aux-Fayes, Monsieur des Lupeaulx, nephew of the
general-secretary of one of the most important ministries in Paris, was
the prospective husband of Mademoiselle Elise Gaubertin, the mayor's
youngest daughter, whose dowry, like that of her elder sister, was
two hundred thousand francs, not to speak of "expectations." This
functionary showed much sense, though not aware of it, in falling in
love with Mademoiselle Elise when he first arrived at Ville-aux-Fayes,
in 1819. If it had not been for his social position, which made him
"eligible