"So much the worse!" replied Reine, very decidedly. "A man ought to
show more energy. Come now, Monsieur de Buxieres, will you allow me to
speak frankly to you? If you wish people to come to you, you must first
get out of yourself and go to seek them; if you expect your neighbor to
show confidence and good-will toward you, you must be open and good-
natured toward him."

"That plan has not yet succeeded with two persons around here," replied
Julien, shaking his head.

"Which persons?"

"The Sejournants, mother and son. I tried to be pleasant with Claudet,
and received from both only rebuffs and insolence."

"Oh! as to Claudet," resumed she, impulsively, "he is excusable. You
can not expect he will be very gracious in his reception of the person
who has supplanted him--"

"Supplanted?--I do not understand."

"What!" exclaimed Reine, "have they not told you anything, then?
That is wrong. Well, at the risk of meddling in what does not concern
me, I think it is better to put you in possession of the facts: Your
deceased cousin never was married, but he had a child all the same--
Claudet is his son, and he intended that he should be his heir also.
Every one around the country knows that, for Monsieur de Buxieres made no
secret of it "

"Claudet, the son of Claude de Buxieres?" ejaculated Julien, with