They were received with open arms.

The new town had never before had such close relations with the Saint-Marc quarter: some of the nobility even went so far as to shake hands with lawyers and retired oil-dealers.

This unexpected familiarity kindled the enthusiasm of the new quarter, which henceforward waged bitter warfare against the republican government.

To bring about such a coalition, the clergy had to display marvellous skill and endurance.

The nobility of Plassans for the most part lay prostrate, as if half dead.