young and good-looking, nobody troubled about where all these luxuries
came from. It was quite the custom in those days that a well-set-up
young gentleman should want for nothing, and Sainte-Croix was commonly
said to have found the philosopher's stone. In his life in the world he
had formed friendships with various persons, some noble, some rich: among
the latter was a man named Reich de Penautier, receiver-general of the
clergy and treasurer of the States of Languedoc, a millionaire, and one
of those men who are always successful, and who seem able by the help of
their money to arrange matters that would appear to be in the province of
God alone. This Penautier was connected in business with a man called
d'Alibert, his first clerk, who died all of a sudden of apoplexy. The
attack was known to Penautier sooner than to his own family: then the
papers about the conditions of partnership disappeared, no one knew how,
and d'Alibert's wife and child were ruined. D'Alibert's brother-in-law,
who was Sieur de la Magdelaine, felt certain vague suspicions concerning
this death, and wished to get to the bottom of it; he accordingly began
investigations, which were suddenly brought to an end by his death.

In one way alone Fortune seemed to have abandoned her favourite: Maitre
Penautier had a great desire to succeed the Sieur of Mennevillette, who
was receiver of the clergy, and this office was worth nearly 60,000
livres. Penautier knew that Mennevillette was retiring in favour of his
chief clerk, Messire Pierre Hannyvel, Sieur de Saint-Laurent, and he had
taken all the necessary, steps for buying the place over his head: the
Sieur de Saint-Laurent, with the full support of the clergy, obtained the
reversion for nothing--a thing that never happened before. Penautier
then offered him 40,000 crowns to go halves, but Saint-Laurent refused.
Their relations, however, were not broken off, and they continued to
meet. Penautier was considered such a lucky fellow that it was generally
expected he would somehow or other get some day the post he coveted so