The tears came into his eyes when he entered the parlor and noticed the care with which his daughter had replaced the old silver candelabra that he formerly had sold,--a visible sign that all the other disasters had been repaired.

Breakfast was served in the dining-room, whose sideboards and shelves were covered with curios and silver-ware not less valuable than the treasures that formerly stood there.

Though the family meal lasted a long time, it was still too short for the narratives which Balthazar exacted from each of his children.

The reaction of his moral being caused by this return to his home wedded him once more to family happiness, and he was again a father.

His manners recovered their former dignity.