“As to the capital itself—­but we will not anticipate events.

“All of our readers will have understood that we are speaking of the Franco-American Society of Pennsylvania Oil-Wells, which for the last eight days has been the subject of universal excitement.

“On ’Change the shares of a hundred dollars are quoted at 4-to-5.”

Blinding tears prevented Henrietta from going on.  “Great God!” she exclaimed.  “O God!” Then, mastering her weakness, she began once more to read,—­

“And yet if ever any company seemed to offer all the material and moral guarantees which we can desire before risking our carefully saved earnings, this company presented them.

“It had at its head a man who in his day was looked up to as a statesman endowed with rare administrative talents, and whose reputation as a man of sterling integrity seemed to lie above all suspicion.

“Need we say that this was the ‘high and mighty Count Ville-Handry’?

“Hence they did not spare this great and noble name, but proclaimed it aloud on the housetops.  It was the Count Ville-Handry here, and the Count Ville-Handry there.  He was to bestow upon the country a new branch of industry.  He was to change vile petroleum into precious gold.

“It was especially brought into notice that the noble count’s personal fortune was nearly equal to the whole capital of the new company,—­ten millions.  Hence he was risking his own money rather than the money of others.

“It is now a year since these dazzling promises were made.  What remains of them all?  Shares, worth five dollars yesterday, worth, perhaps, nothing at all to-morrow, and a more than doubtful capital.

“Who could have expected in our day a new edition of Law’s Mississippi Scheme?”

The paper fell from the hands of the poor girl.  She had turned as pale as death, and was staggering so, that Papa Ravinet’s sister took her in her arms to support her.

“Horrible,” she murmured; “this is horrible!” Still she had not yet read all.  The old man picked up the paper, and read from another article, below the lines which carried poison in every word, the following comments:—­

“Two delegates of the stockholders of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Company were to sail this morning from Brest for New York.

“These gentlemen have been sent out by their fellow-sufferers to examine the lands on which the oil-wells are situated which constitute the only security of the shareholders.  Certain people have gone so far as to doubt even the existence of such oil-wells.”

And in another place, under the head of local items:—­

“The palace of Count Ville-Handry was sold last week.  This magnificent building, with the princely real estate belonging to it, was knocked down to the highest bidder for the sum of one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.  The misfortune is, that house and lot are burdened with mortgages, which amount together to nearly a hundred thousand dollars.”