He not only accepted the property, but made all possible haste to obtain possession of it. He made many excuses; and, if one might believe him, he was not acting in his own interest, but merely conforming to the wishes of his deceased sister; and he declared that not a penny would go into his pockets. This much is certain, as soon as he obtained legal possession of the estate, he sold all the property, troubling himself but little in regard to the price he received, provided the purchasers paid cash. He reserved only the furniture of the sumptuously adorned chamber at the Borderie. These articles he burned. This strange act was the talk of the neighborhood. “The poor young man has lost his reason!” was the almost universal opinion. And those who doubted it, doubted it no longer when it became known that Jean Lacheneur had formed an engagement with a company of strolling players who stopped at Montaignac for a few days. But the young man had not wanted for good advice and kind friends. M. d’Escorval and the abbe had exerted all their eloquence to induce him to return to Paris, and complete his studies; but in vain. The necessity for concealment no longer existed, either in the case of the baron or the priest. Thanks to Martial de Sairmeuse they were now installed, the one in the presbytery, the other at Escorval, as in days gone by. Acquitted at his new trial, restored to the possession of his property, reminded of his frightful fall only by a very slight lameness, the baron would have deemed himself a fortunate man, had it not been for his great anxiety on his son’s account. Poor Maurice! his heart was broken by the sound of the clods of earth falling upon Marie-Anne’s coffin; and his very life now seemed dependent upon the hope of finding his child. Assured of the powerful assistance of Abbe Midon, he had confessed all to his father, and confided his secret to Corporal Bavois, who was an honored guest at Escorval; and these devoted friends had promised him all possible aid. The task was very difficult, however, and certain resolutions on the part of Maurice greatly diminished the chance of success. Unlike Jean, he was determined to guard religiously the honor of the dead; and he had made _his_ friends promise that Marie-Anne’s name should not be mentioned in prosecuting the search. “We shall succeed all the same,” said the abbe, kindly; “with time and patience any mystery can be solved.” He divided the department into a certain number of districts; then one of the little band went each day from house to house questioning the inmates, but not without extreme caution, for fear of arousing suspicion, for a peasant becomes intractable at once if his suspicions are aroused. But the weeks went by, and the quest was fruitless. Maurice was deeply discouraged. “My child died on coming into the world,” he said, again and again. But the abbe reassured him.