thus nigh the cross-roads of life, had not yet decided
which one he would follow. He was a dark, sturdy young man, with an
open, laughing face. As a child, he had adored tales of travel and
far-away adventure, and had always evinced great courage and endurance,
returning home enraptured from interminable rambles, and never uttering
complaints, however badly his feet might be blistered. And withal he
possessed a most orderly mind, ever carefully arranging and classifying
his little belongings in his drawers, and looking down with contempt on
the haphazard way in which his sisters kept their things.

Later on, as he grew up, he became thoughtful, as if he were vainly
seeking around him some means of realizing his two-fold craving, that
of discovering some new land and organizing it properly. One of the
last-born of a numerous family, he no longer found space enough for the
amplitude and force of his desires. His brothers and sisters had already
taken all the surrounding lands, and he stifled, threatened also, as it
were, with famine, and ever sought the broad expanse that he dreamt of,
where he might grow and reap his bread. No more room, no more food! At
first he knew not in which direction to turn, but groped and hesitated
for some months. Nevertheless, his hearty laughter continued to gladden
the house; he wearied neither his father nor his mother with the care
of his destiny, for he knew that he was already strong enough to fix it
himself.

There was no corner left for him at the farm where Gervais and Claire
took up all the room. At the Beauchene works Denis was all sufficient,
reigning there like a conscientious toiler, and nothing justified
a younger brother in claiming a share beside him. At the mill, too,
Gregoire was as yet barely established, and his kingdom was so small
that he could not possibly cede half of it. Thus an opening was only
possible with Ambroise, and Nicolas ended by accepting an obliging offer
which the latter made to take him on trial for a few months, by way of
initiating him into the higher branches of commerce. Ambroise's fortune
was becoming prodigious since old uncle Du Hordel had died, leaving him
his commission business. Year by year the new master increased his trade
with all the countries of the world. Thanks to his lucky audacity and
broad international views, he was enriching himself with the spoils of
the earth. And though Nicolas again began to stifle in Ambroise's huge
store-hou