He soon observed that the depredations were committed only at Les Aigues; all the other estates were respected.

At first he despised a peasantry ungrateful enough to pillage a general of the Empire, an essentially kind and generous man; presently, however, he added hatred to contempt.

But multiply himself as he would, he could not be everywhere, and the enemy pillaged everywhere that he was not.
Groison made the general understand that it was necessary to organize the defence on a war footing, and proved to him the insufficiency of his own devoted efforts and the evil disposition of the inhabitants of the valley.
"There is something behind it all, general," he said; "these people are so bold they fear nothing; they seem to rely on the favor of the good God." "We shall see," replied the count.
Fatal word! The verb "to see" has no future tense for politicians.
At the moment, Montcornet was considering another difficulty, which seemed to him more pressing.

He needed an alter ego to do his work in the mayor's office during the months he lived in Paris.

Obliged to find some man who knew how to read and write for the position of assistant mayor, he knew of none and could hear of none throughout the district but Langlume, the tenant of his own flour-mill.