near Falaise, so arranged a meeting at Laigle
with Lefebre, earnestly entreating him to bring him all the money he
possibly could. But the Buquets, with whom the 60,000 francs had been
left on the 7th June, obstinately refused to give it up in spite of Mme.
Acquet's entreaties; they had removed the money from their garden and
hidden it in various places which they jealously kept secret. However,
through her influence over Joseph, Mme. Acquet succeeded in obtaining
3,300 francs which she gave the lawyer to take to Le Chevalier, but
Lefebre, as soon as he got hold of the money, declared that he had been
promised 12,000 francs for his assistance, and that he would keep this
on account. He went to meet Le Chevalier at Laigle however, and to calm
his impatience told him that Dusaussay was going to start for Paris
immediately with 60,000 francs which he would give him intact. Mme.
Acquet was desperate; prudence forbade her trying to overcome the
Buquets' obstinacy, and they, in order to keep the money, asserted that
it belonged to the royal exchequer, and they were responsible for it; so
the unhappy woman found that she had committed a crime that the
obstinacy of these rapacious peasants rendered useless. She was ready to
abandon all in order to rejoin Le Chevalier, ready even to expatriate
herself with him, when they heard that Mme. de Combray, hearing rumours
of what had happened in Lower Normandy, had decided to come to Falaise,
to plead the cause of her farmer, Hebert. She had left Tournebut on the
13th July and taken the Caen coach to Evreux.

Mme. Acquet had gone to Langannerie to meet her mother, and when Mme. de
Combray descended from the coach the young woman threw herself into her
arms. As the Marquise seemed rather surprised at this display of feeling
to which she had become unaccustomed, her daughter said in a low voice,
sobbing:

"Save me, mama, save me!"

Mother and daughter resumed the affectionate confidence of former days.
While the horses were being changed and the postillions were taking a
drink in the inn, they seated themselves beneath a tree near the road.
Mme. Acquet made a full confession. She told how her love for Le
Chevalier had led her to join in the affair of June 7th, to keep Allain
and his men, and to hide the stolen money with the Buquets. If it should
be found there she was lost, and it was important to get it from the
Buquets and send it to the leaders of the party for whom it was
intende