"That is certain," replied the marquis, thoughtfully. "It is one of the vilest deeds imaginable, and I would like right well to find the author of it and condemn him to lose his own nose! I would give him a good fright, on my word!" However, they tried to look upon it as nothing more than a piece of childish folly, and suspicion fell upon the youngest person in the château next to Mario. But Clindor displayed such righteous indignation that the marquis had to apologize to him too. On the following day, two or three more noses were missing, and the indignant Adamas caused a guard to be stationed day and night in the garden. The vandalism ceased, and honest Lucilio, touched by Bois-Doré's distress, compounded an Italian paste by means of which, with much patience, he neatly replaced all the noses. But who could be the perpetrator of the crime? Adamas suspected; but the marquis, refusing to believe that anyone in his household was capable of such infamous conduct, attributed it to some agent of Monsieur Poulain. "That hypocrite," he said, "considering us all heathens and idolaters, probably imagined that we worshipped those statues! And yet, Adamas, they are all modest and decently dressed, as it is fitting that they should be in a place where our children go to and fro." "I would say with you that it is some villain who very evidently entertains the detestable desire to cause monsieur le comte to be scolded. Now, everybody here would lay down his life for him, they all love him so, except one detestable creature----" "No, no, Adamas!" rejoined the generous-hearted marquis. "It is impossible! It would be too hateful on the part of one of the fair sex." They were beginning to forget this momentous affair when something even more unpleasant occurred. [Footnote 24: Michelet, unpublished letter.]