countess knew it; and this knowledge made her strong. After working for
many months patiently and cautiously, she thought she had learnt the
secret of managing him, and that henceforth she would be able to control
his will whenever she was in earnest.

The opportunity to make the experiment came very soon. Although the
great people of the neighborhood had generally come round and treated
her quite fairly now, especially since she had become an heiress, the
countess found her position unpleasant, and was anxious to leave the
country. It recalled to her, besides, too many painful memories. There
were certain roads and lanes which she could never pass without a pang
at her heart. On the other hand, it was well known that the count had
sworn he would end his life in the province. He hated large cities; and
the mere idea of leaving his castle, where every thing was arranged to
suit his habits, made him seriously angry.

People would not believe it, therefore, when report first arose that
he was going to leave Ville-Handry, that he had bought a town-house
in Paris and that he would shortly go there to establish himself
permanently in the capital.

"It was much against the will of the countess," he said, full of delight
at her disappointment. "She would not agree to it at all; but I am not a
weather-cock. I insisted on having my way, and she yielded at last."

So that in the latter part of October, in 1851, the Count and the
Countess Ville-Handry moved into the magnificent house in Varennes
Street, a princely mansion, which, however, did not cost them more than
a third of its actual value, as they happened to buy at a time when real
estate was very low.