to wallow at his ease in usury and sensuality, to
live anywhere but at Blangy; that Madame Soudry had sense enough to
see that she could reign nowhere else except at Soulanges; and that
Ville-aux-Fayes was Gaubertin's place of business. Those who enjoy
studying social nature will admit that General Montcornet was pursued by
special ill-luck in this accidental separation of his dangerous enemies,
who thus accomplished the evolutions of their individual power and
vanity at such distances from each other that neither star interfered
with the orbit of the other,--a fact which doubled and trebled their
powers of mischief.

Nevertheless, though all these worthy bourgeois, proud of their
accomplishments, considered their society as far superior in attractions
to that of Ville-aux-Fayes, and repeated with comic pomposity the local
dictum, "Soulanges is a town of society and social pleasures," it
must not be supposed that Ville-aux-Fayes accepted this supremacy. The
Gaubertin salon ridiculed ("in petto") the salon Soudry. By the manner
in which Gaubertin remarked, "We are a financial community, engaged
in actual business; we have the folly to fatigue ourselves in making
fortunes," it was easy to perceive a latent antagonism between the earth
and the moon. The moon believed herself useful to the earth, and the
earth governed the moon. Earth and moon, however, lived in the closest
intimacy. At the carnival the leading society of Soulanges went in a
body to four balls given by Gaubertin, Gendrin, Leclercq, and Soudry,
junior. Every Sunday the latter, his wife, Monsieur, Madame, and
Mademoiselle Elise Gaubertin dined with the Soudrys at Soulanges. When
the sub-prefect was invited, and when the postmaster of Conches arrived
to take pot-luck, Soulanges enjoyed the sight of four official equipages
drawn up at the door of the Soudry mansion.

CHAPTER II. THE CONSPIRATORS IN THE QUEEN'S SALON

Reaching Soulanges about half-past five o'clock, Rigou was sure of
finding the usual party assembled at the Soudrys'. There, as everywhere
else in town, the dinner-hour was three o'clock, according to the custom
of the last century. From five to nine the notables of Soulanges met
in Madame Soudry's salon to exchange the news, make their political
speeches, comment upon the private lives of every one in the valley, and
talk about Les Aigues, which latter topic kept the conversation going
for at least an hour every day. It was everybody's b