The death of Balthazar's father and mother had left the old mansion deserted, and the young man was occupied for a time in settling its affairs.

His first grief over, he wished to marry; he needed the domestic happiness whose every religious aspect had fastened upon his mind.

He even followed the family custom of seeking a wife in Ghent, or at Bruges, or Antwerp; but it happened that no woman whom he met there suited him.

Undoubtedly, he had certain peculiar ideas as to marriage; from his youth he had been accused of never following the beaten track.
One day, at the house of a relation in Ghent, he heard a young lady, then living in Brussels, spoken of in a manner which gave rise to a long discussion.

Some said that the beauty of Mademoiselle de Temninck was destroyed by the imperfections of her figure; others declared that she was perfect in spite of her defects.