The notary turned on his heel.  The poor baroness, all whose pride the iron law, with its iron gripe, had crushed into dismay and terror, appealed to him.  “O sir! send me from the house, but not from the soil where my Henri is laid! is there not in all this domain a corner where she who was its mistress may lie down and die?  Where is the new baron, that I may ask this favor of him on my knees?”

She turned towards Raynal and seemed to be going towards him with outstretched arms.  But Rose checked her with fervor.  “Mamma! do not lower yourself.  Ask nothing of these wretches.  Let us lose all, but not forget ourselves.”

The baroness had not her daughter’s spirit.  Her very person tottered under this blow.  Josephine supported her, and the next moment Aubertin came out and hastened to her side.  Her head fell back; what little strength she had failed her; she was half lifted, half led, into the house.

Commandant Raynal was amazed at all this, and asked what the deuce was the matter.

“Oh!” said the notary, “we are used to these little scenes in our business.”

“But I am not,” replied the soldier.  “You never told me there was to be all this fuss.”

He then dismissed his friend rather abruptly and strode up and down the Pleasaunce.  He twisted his mustaches, muttered, and “pested,” and was ill at ease.  Accustomed to march gayly into a town, and see the regiment, that was there before, marching gayly out, or vice versa, and to strike tents twice a quarter at least, he was little prepared for such a scene as this.  True, he did not hear all the baroness’s words, but more than one tone of sharp distress reached him where he stood, and the action of the whole scene was so expressive, there was little need of words.  He saw the notice given; the dismay it caused, and the old lady turn imploringly towards him with a speaking gesture, and above all he saw her carried away, half fainting, her hands clasped, her reverend face pale.  He was not a man of quick sensibilities.  He did not thoroughly take the scene in at first:  it grew upon him afterwards.

“Confound it,” thought he, “I am the proprietor.  They all say so.  Instead of which I feel like a thief.  Fancy her getting so fond of a place as all this.”

Presently it occurred to him that the shortness of the notice might have much to do with her distress.  “These notaries,” said he to himself, “understand nothing save law:  women have piles of baggage, and can’t strike tents directly the order comes, as we can.  Perhaps if I were to give them twenty-four days instead of hours?—­hum!”

With this the commandant fell into a brown study.  Now each of us has his attitude of brown study.  One runs about the room like hyena in his den; another stands stately with folded arms (this one seldom thinks to the purpose); another sits cross-legged, brows lowered:  another must put his head into his hand, and so keep it up to thinking mark:  another must twiddle a bit of string, or a key; grant him this, he can hatch an epic.  This commandant must draw himself up very straight, and walk six paces and back very slowly, till the problem was solved:  I suspect he had done a good bit of sentinel work in his time.