," he would long ago have been forced to ask for his exchange.
But Gaubertin in marrying him to his daughter thought much more of the
uncle, the general-secretary, than of the nephew; and in return, the
uncle, for the sake of his nephew, gave all his influence to Gaubertin.

Thus the Church, the magistracy both removable and irremovable, the
municipality, and the prefecture, the four feet of power, walked as the
mayor pleased. Let us now see how that functionary strengthened himself
in the spheres above and below that in which he worked.

The department to which Ville-aux-Fayes belongs is one the number of
whose population gives it the right to elect six deputies. Ever since
the creation of the Left Centre of the Chamber, the arrondissement of
Ville-aux-Fayes had sent a deputy named Leclercq, formerly banking agent
of the wine department of the custom-house, a son-in-law of Gaubertin,
and now a governor of the Bank of France. The number of electors which
this rich valley sent to the electoral college was sufficient to insure,
if only through private dealing, the constant appointment of Monsieur
de Ronquerolles, the patron of the Mouchon family. The voters of
Ville-aux-Fayes lent their support to the prefect, on condition that the
Marquis de Ronquerolles was maintained in the college. Thus Gaubertin,
who was the first to broach the idea of this arrangement, was favorably
received at the Prefecture, which he often, in return, saved from petty
annoyances. The prefect always selected three firm ministerialists,
and two deputies of the Left Centre. The latter, one of them being the
Marquis de Ronquerolles, brother-in-law of the Comte de Serisy, and the
other a governor of the Bank of France, gave little or no alarm to the
cabinet, and the elections in this department were rated excellent at
the ministry of the interior.

The Comte de Soulanges, peer of France, selected to be the next marshal,
and faithful to the Bourbons, knew that his forests and other property
were all well-managed by the notary Lupin, and well-watched by Soudry.
He was a patron of Gendrin's, having obtained his appointment as judge
partly by the help of Monsieur de Ronquerolles.

Messieurs Leclercq and de Ronquerolles sat in the Left Centre, but
nearer to the left than to the centre,--a political position which
offers great advantages to those who regard their political conscience
as a garment.

The brother of Monsieur Leclercq had obtained the situat