us conversing, they had traversed the forest, and emerged on the
hill overlooking Vivey. From the border line where they stood, they could
discover, between the half-denuded branches of the line of aspens, the
sinuous, deepset gorge, in which the Aubette wound its tortuous way, at
the extremity of which the village lay embanked against an almost upright
wall of thicket and pointed rocks. On the west this narrow defile was
closed by a mill, standing like a sentinel on guard, in its uniform of
solid gray; on each side of the river a verdant line of meadow led the
eye gradually toward the clump of ancient and lofty ash-trees, behind
which rose the. Buxieres domicile. This magnificent grove of trees, and a
monumental fence of cast-iron, were the only excuse for giving the title
of chateau to a very commonplace structure, of which the main body
presented bare, whitewashed walls, flanked by two small towers on turrets
shaped like extinguishers, and otherwise resembling very ordinary
pigeon-houses.

This chateau, or rather country squire's residence, had belonged to the
Odouart de Buxieres for more than two centuries. Before the Revolution,
Christophe de Buxieres, grandfather of the last proprietor, had owned a
large portion of Vivey, besides several forges in operation on the Aube
and Aubette rivers. He had had three children: one daughter, who had
embraced religion as a vocation; Claude Antoine, the elder son, to whom
he left his entire fortune, and Julien Abdon, the younger, officer in the
regiment of Rohan Soubise, with whom he was not on good terms. After
emigrating and serving in Conde's army, the younger Buxieres had returned
to France during the Restoration, had married, and been appointed special
receiver in a small town in southern France. But since his return, he had
not resumed relations with his elder brother, whom he accused of having
defrauded him of his rights. The older one had married also, one of the
Rochetaillee family; he had had but one son, Claude Odouart de Buxieres,
whose recent decease had brought about the visit of the Justice of
Auberive and his clerk.

Claude de Buxieres had lived all his life at Vivey. Inheriting from his
father and grandfather flourishing health and a robust constitution, he
had also from them strong love for his native territory, a passion for
the chase, and a horror of the constraint and decorum exacted by worldly
obligations. He was a spoiled child, brought up by a weak-minded