at us with haggard eyes.

"I went across to the grate and pulled out an unburned fragment. 'Ah,
madame!' I exclaimed, 'you have ruined your children! Those papers
were their titles to their property.'

"Her mouth twitched, she looked as if she were threatened by a
paralytic seizure.

"'Eh! eh!' cried Gobseck; the harsh, shrill tone grated upon our ears
like the sound of a brass candlestick scratching a marble surface.

"There was a pause, then the old man turned to me and said quietly:

"'Do you intend Mme. la Comtesse to suppose that I am not the
rightful owner of the property sold to me by her late husband? This
house belongs to me now.'

"A sudden blow on the head from a bludgeon would have given me less
pain and astonishment. The Countess saw the look of hesitation in my
face.

"'Monsieur,' she cried, 'Monsieur!' She could find no other words.

"'You are a trustee, are you not?' I asked.

"'That is possible.'

"'Then do you mean to take advantage of this crime of hers?'