I love him as though he were my own child; and, whatever happens, he will inherit almost the whole of my fortune: yes, I intend leaving him everything.

My will is made, and is in the hands of M.Baron, my notary.
There is a small legacy, too, for Madame Gerdy; but I am going to have the paragraph that relates to that taken out at once." "Madame Gerdy, M.Tabaret, will soon be beyond all need of worldly goods." "How, what do you mean?
Has the count--" "She is dying, and is not likely to live through the day; M.Gerdy told me so himself." "Ah! heavens!" cried the old fellow, "what is that you say?
Dying?
Noel will be distracted; but no: since she is not his mother, how can it affect him?
Dying! I thought so much of her before this discovery.

Poor humanity! It seems as though all the accomplices are passing away at the same time; for I forgot to tell you, that, just as I was leaving the Commarin mansion, I heard a servant tell another that the count had fallen down in a fit on learning the news of his son's arrest." "That will be a great misfortune for M.Gerdy." "For Noel ?" "I had counted upon M.de Commarin's testimony to recover for him all that he so well deserves.

The count dead, Widow Lerouge dead, Madame Gerdy dying, or in any event insane, who then can tell us whether the substitution alluded to in the letters was ever carried into execution ?" "True," murmured old Tabaret; "it is true! And I did not think of it.
What fatality! For I am not deceived; I am certain that--" He did not finish.

The door of M.Daburon's office opened, and the Count de Commarin himself appeared on the threshold, as rigid as one of those old portraits which look as though they were frozen in their gilded frames.