A party of unbelievers denied the marriage altogether; the believers, on the other hand, affirmed it.

At the end of two weeks, the faction of unbelief received a vigorous blow in the sale of du Bousquier's house to the Marquis de Troisville, who only wanted a simple establishment in Alencon, intending to go to Paris after the death of the Princess Scherbellof; he proposed to await that inheritance in retirement, and then to reconstitute his estates.

This seemed positive.

The unbelievers, however, were not crushed.

They declared that du Bousquier, married or not, had made an excellent sale, for the house had only cost him twenty-seven thousand francs.
The believers were depressed by this practical observation of the incredulous.