From the situation of salaried servant he ascended rapidly to the enviable position of husband.

This marriage was a first shock to public opinion.

No one could comprehend why Adelaide preferred this poor fellow, coarse, heavy, vulgar, scarce able to speak French, to those other young men, sons of well-to-do farmers, who had been seen hovering round her for some time.

And, as provincial people do not allow anything to remain unexplained, they made sure there was some mystery at the bottom of this affair, alleging even that the marriage of the two young people had become an absolute necessity.

But events proved the falsity of the accusation.