She possessed sufficient for her wants; and her son's practice, already large, had made them almost rich.

She lived very quietly, and with the exception of one or two friends, whom Noel occasionally invited to dinner, received very few visitors.

During more than fifteen years that M.Tabaret came familiarly to the apartments, he had only met the cure of the parish, one of Noel's old professors, and Madame Gerdy's brother, a retired colonel.

When these three visitors happened to call on the same evening, an event somewhat rare, they played at a round game called Boston; on other evenings piquet or all-fours was the rule.

Noel, however, seldom remained in the drawing-room, but shut himself up after dinner in his study, which with his bedroom formed a separate apartment to his mother's, and immersed himself in his law papers.