“Find out if the beautiful countess keeps the general at arm’s length,” said Lupin; “that’s the point if you want him to fall into the farce at Tivoli.”

“That little woman,” cried Madame Soudry, “is too much of a Parisian not to know how to run with the hare and hold with the hounds.”

“Fourchon has got his granddaughter Catherine on good terms, he tells me, with Charles, the Shopman’s groom.  That gives us one ear more in Les Aigues—­Are you sure of the Abbe Taupin,” he added, as the priest entered the room from the terrace.

“We hold him and the Abbe Mouchon, too, just as I hold Soudry,” said the queen, stroking her husband’s chin; “you are not unhappy, dearest, are you?” she said to Soudry.

“If I can plan a scandal against that Tartufe of a Brossette we can win,” said Rigou, in a low voice.  “But I am not sure if the local spirit can succeed against the Church spirit.  You don’t realize what that is.  I, myself, who am no fool, I can’t say what I’ll do when I fall ill.  I believe I shall try to be reconciled with the Church.”

“Suffer me to hope it,” said the Abbe Taupin, for whose benefit Rigou had raised his voice on the last words.

“Alas! the wrong I did in marrying prevents it,” replied Rigou.  “I cannot kill off Madame Rigou.”

“Meantime, let us think of Les Aigues,” said Madame Soudry.

“Yes,” said the ex-monk.  “Do you know, I begin to think that our associate at Ville-aux-Fayes may be cleverer than the rest of us.  I fancy that Gaubertin wants Les Aigues for himself, and that he means to trick us in the end.”

“But Les Aigues will not belong to any one of us; it will have to come down, from roof to cellar,” said Soudry.

“I shouldn’t be surprised if there were treasure buried in those cellars,” observed Rigou, cleverly.

“Nonsense!”

“Well, in the wars of the olden time the great lords, who were often besieged and surprised, did bury their gold until they should be able to recover it; and you know that the Marquis de Soulanges-Hautemer (in whom the younger branch came to an end) was one of the victims of the Biron conspiracy.  The Comtesse de Moret received the property from Henri IV. when it was confiscated.”

“See what it is to know the history of France!” said Soudry.  “You are right.  It is time to come to an understanding with Gaubertin.”

“If he shirks,” said Rigou, “we must smoke him out.”

“He is rich enough now,” said Lupin, “to be an honest man.”

“I’ll answer for him as I would for myself,” said Madame Soudry; “he’s the most loyal man in the kingdom.”

“We all believe in his loyalty,” said Rigou, “but nevertheless nothing should be neglected, even among friends—­ By the bye, I think there is some one in Soulanges who is hindering matters.”

“Who’s that?” asked Soudry.

“Plissoud,” replied Rigou.

“Plissoud!” exclaimed Soudry.  “Poor fool!  Brunet holds him by the halter, and his wife by the gullet; ask Lupin.”