this poor woman, mother of four
children, caused her to engage him as her shopman in the year 1767,
thereby signing the warrant for her own ruin.

Derues began life under his new mistress with a master-stroke. His
exemplary piety was the talk of the whole quarter, and his first care had
been to request Madame Legrand to recommend him a confessor. She sent
him to the director of her late husband, Pere Cartault, of the Carmelite
order, who, astonished at the devotion of his penitent, never failed, if
he passed the shop, to enter and congratulate Madame Legrand on the
excellent acquisition she had made in securing this young man, who would
certainly bring her a blessing along with him. Derues affected the
greatest modesty, and blushed at these praises, and often, when he saw
the good father approaching, appeared not to see him, and found something
to do elsewhere; whereby the field was left clear for his too credulous
panegyrists.

But Pere Cartault appeared too indulgent, and Derues feared that his sins
were too easily pardoned; and he dared not find peace in an absolution
which was never refused. Therefore, before the year was out, he chose a
second confessor, Pere Denys, a Franciscan, consulting both alternately,
and confiding his conscientious scruples to them. Every penance appeared
too easy, and he added to those enjoined by his directors continual
mortifications of his own devising, so that even Tartufe himself would
have owned his superiority.

He wore about him two shrouds, to which were fastened relics of Madame de
Chantal, also a medal of St. Francois de Saps, and occasionally scourged
himself. His mistress related that he had begged her to take a sitting
at the church of St. Nicholas, in order that he might more easily attend
service when he had a day out, and had brought her a small sum which he
had saved, to pay half the expense.

Moreover, he had slept upon straw during the whole of Lent, and took care
that Madame Legrand heard of this through the servant, pretending at
first to hide it as if it were something wrong. He tried to prevent the
maid from going into his room, and when she found out the straw he
forbade her to mention it--which naturally made her more anxious to
relate her discovery. Such a piece of piety, combined with such
meritorious humility, such dread of publicity, could only increase the
excellent opinion which everyone already had of him.

Every day was marked by some fresh hyp