the　toughest　disquisitions　in　the　Revue　des　Deux　Mondes；　and　you　will
  hardly　reach　the　level　of　Besancon。〃
  The　editor　took　the　hint；　and　thenceforth　spoke　the　most
  incomprehensible　philosophical　lingo。　His　success　was　complete。
  If　young　Monsieur　de　Soulas　did　not　fall　in　the　esteem　of　Besancon
  society；　it　was　out　of　pure　vanity　on　its　part；　the　aristocracy　were
  happy　to　affect　a　modern　air；　and　to　be　able　to　show　any　Parisians　of
  rank　who　visited　the　Comte　a　young　man　who　bore　some　likeness　to　them。
  All　this　hidden　labor；　all　this　dust　thrown　in　people's　eyes；　this
  display　of　folly　and　latent　prudence；　had　an　object；　or　the　/lion/　of
  Besancon　would　have　been　no　son　of　the　soil。　Amedee　wanted　to　achieve
  a　good　marriage　by　proving　some　day　that　his　farms　were　not　mortgaged；
  and　that　he　had　some　savings。　He　wanted　to　be　the　talk　of　the　town；　to
  be　the　finest　and　best…dressed　man　there；　in　order　to　win　first　the
  attention；　and　then　the　hand；　of　Mademoiselle　Rosalie　de　Watteville。
  In　1830；　at　the　time　when　young　Monsieur　de　Soulas　was　setting　up　in
  business　as　a　dandy；　Rosalie　was　but　fourteen。　Hence；　in　1834；
  Mademoiselle　de　Watteville　had　reached　the　age　when　young　persons　are
  easily　struck　by　the　peculiarities　which　attracted　the　attention　of
  the　town　to　Amedee。　There　are　so　many　/lions/　who　become　/lions/　out
  of　self…interest　and　speculation。　The　Wattevilles；　who　for　twelve
  years　had　been　drawing　an　income　of　fifty　thousand　francs　a　year；　did
  not　spend　more　than　four…and…twenty　thousand　francs　a　year；　while
  receiving　all　the　upper　circle　of　Besancon　every　Monday　and　Friday。　On
  Monday　they　gave　a　dinner；　on　Friday　an　evening　party。　Thus；　in　twelve
  years；　what　a　sum　must　have　accumulated　from　twenty…six　thousand
  francs　a　year；　saved　and　invested　with　the　judgment　that　distinguishes
  those　old　families！　It　was　very　generally　supposed　that　Madame　de
  Watteville；　thinking　she　had　land　enough；　had　placed　her　savings　in
  the　three　per　cents；　in　1830。　Rosalie's　dowry　would　therefore；　as　the
  best　informed　opined；　amount　to　about　twenty　thousand　francs　a　year。
  So　for　the　last　five　years　Amedee　had　worked　like　a　mole　to　get　into
  the　highest　favor　of　the　severe　Baroness；　while　laying　himself　out　to
  flatter　Mademoiselle　de　Watteville's　conceit。
  Madame　de　Watteville　was　in　the　secret　of　the　devices　by　which　Amedee
  succeeded　in　keeping　up　his　rank　in　Besancon；　and　esteemed　him　highly
  for　it。　Soulas　had　placed　himself　under　her　wing　when　she　was　thirty；
  and　at　that　time　had　dared　to　admire　her　and　make　her　his　idol；　he　had
  got　so　far　as　to　be　allowedhe　alone　in　the　worldto　pour　out　to　her
  all　the　unseemly　gossip　which　almost　all　very　precise　women　love　to
  hear；　being　authorized　by　their　superior　virtue　to　look　into　the　gulf
  without　falling；　and　into　the　devil's　snares　without　being　caught。　Do
  you　understand　why　the　lion　did　not　allow　himself　the　very　smallest
  intrigue？　He　lived　a　public　life；　in　the　street　so　to　speak；　on
  purpose　to　play　the　part　of　a　lover　sacrificed　to　duty　by　the
  Baroness；　and　to　feast　her　mind　with　the　sins　she　had　forbidden　to　her
  senses。　A　man　who　is　so　privileged　as　to　be　allowed　to　pour　light
  stories　into　the　ear　of　a　bigot　is　in　her　eyes　a　charming　man。　If　this
  exemplary　youth　had　better　known　the　human　heart；　he　might　without
  risk　have　allowed　himself　some　flirtations　among　the　grisettes　of
  Besancon　who　looked　up　to　him　as　a　king；　his　affairs　might　perhaps
  have　been　all　the　more　hopeful　with　the　strict　and　prudish　Baroness。
  To　Rosalie　our　Cato　affected　prodigality；　he　professed　a　life　of
  elegance；　showing　her　in　perspective　the　splendid　part　played　by　a
  woman　of　fashion　in　Paris；　whither　he　meant　to　go　as　Depute。
  All　these　manoeuvres　were　crowned　with　complete　success。　In　1834　the
  mothers　of　the　forty　noble　families　composing　the　high　society　of
  Besancon　quoted　Monsieur　Amedee　de　Soulas　as　the　most　charming　young
  man　in　the　town；　no　one　would　have　dared　to　dispute　his　place　as　cock
  of　the　walk　at　the　Hotel　de　Rupt；　and　all　Besancon　regarded　him　as
  Rosalie　de　Watteville's　future　husband。　There　had　even　been　some
  exchange　of　ideas　on　the　subject　between　the　Baroness　and　Amedee；　to
  which　the　Baron's　apparent　nonentity　gave　some　certainty。
  Mademoiselle　de　Watteville；　to　whom　her　enormous　prospective　fortune
  at　that　time　lent　considerable　importance；　had　been　brought　up
  exclusively　within　the　precincts　of　the　Hotel　de　Ruptwhich　her
  mother　rarely　quitted；　so　devoted　was　she　to　her　dear　Archbishopand
  severely　repressed　by　an　exclusively　religious　education；　and　by　her
  mother's　despotism；　which　held　her　rigidly　to　principles。　Rosalie　knew
  absolutely　nothing。　Is　it　knowledge　to　have　learned　geography　from
  Guthrie；　sacred　history；　ancient　history；　the　history　of　France；　and
  the　four　rules　all　passed　through　the　sieve　of　an　old　Jesuit？　Dancing
  and　music　were　forbidden；　as　being　more　likely　to　corrupt　life　than　to
  grace　it。　The　Baroness　taught　her　daughter　every　conceivable　stitch　in
  tapestry　and　women's　workplain　sewing；　embroidery；　netting。　At
  seventeen　Rosalie　had　never　read　anything　but　the　/Lettres　edifiantes/
  and　some　works　on　heraldry。　No　newspaper　had　ever　defiled　her　sight。
  She　attended　mass　at　the　Cathedral　every　morning；　taken　there　by　her
  mother；　came　back　to　breakfast；　did　needlework　after　a　little　walk　in
  the　garden；　and　received　visitors；　sitting　with　the　baroness　until
  dinner…time。　Then；　after　dinner；　excepting　on　Mondays　and　Fridays；　she
  accompanied　Madame　de　Watteville　to　other　houses　to　spend　the　evening；
  without　being　allowed　to　talk　more　than　the　maternal　rule　permitted。
  At　eighteen　Mademoiselle　de　Watteville　was　a　slight；　thin　girl　with　a
  flat　figure；　fair；　colorless；　and　insignificant　to　the　last　degree。
  Her　eyes；　of　a　very　light　blue；　borrowed　beauty　from　their　lashes；
  which；　when　downcast；　threw　a　shadow　on　her　cheeks。　A　few　freckles
  marred　the　whiteness　of　her　forehead；　which　was　shapely　enough。　Her
  face　was　exactly　like　those　of　Albert　Durer's　saints；　or　those　of　the
  painters　before　Perugino；　the　same　plump；　though　slender　modeling；　the
  same　delicacy　saddened　by　ecstasy；　the　same　severe　guilelessness。
  Everything　about　her；　even　to　her　attitude；　was　suggestive　of　those
  virgins；　whose　beauty　is　only　revealed　in　its　mystical　radiance　to　the
  eyes　of　the　studious　connoisseur。　She　had　fine　hands　though　red；　and　a
  pretty　foot；　the　foot　of　an　aristocrat。
  She　habitually　wore　simple　checked　cotton　dresses；　but　on　Sundays　and
  in　the　evening　her　mother　allowed　her　silk。　The　cut　of　her　frocks；
  made　at　Besancon；　almost　made　her　ugly；　while　her　mother　tried　to
  borrow　grace；　beauty；　and　elegance　from　Paris　fashions；　for　through
  Monsieur　de　Soulas　she　procured　the　smallest　trifles　of　her　dress　from
  thence。　Rosalie　had　never　worn　a　pair　of　silk　stockings　or　thin　boots；
  but　always　cotton　stockings　and　leather　shoes。　On　high　days　she　was
  dressed　in　a　muslin　frock；　her　hair　plainly　dressed；　and　had　bronze
  kid　shoes。
  This　education；　and　her　own　modest　demeanor；　hid　in　Rosalie　a　spirit
  of　iron。　Physiologists　and　profound　observers　will　tell　you；　perhaps
  to　your　astonishment；　that　tempers；　characteristics；　wit；　or　genius
  reappear　in　families　at　long　intervals；　precisely　like　what　are　known
  as　hereditary　diseases。　Thus　talent；　like　the　gout；　sometimes　skips
  over　two　generations。　We　have　an　illustrious　example　of　this
  phenomenon　in　George　Sand；　in　whom　are　resuscitated　the　force；　the
  power；　and　the　imaginative　faculty　of　the　Marechal　de　Saxe；　whose
  natural　granddaughter　she　is。
  The　decisive　character　and　romantic　daring　of　the　famous　Watteville
  had　reappeared　in　the　soul　of　his　grand…niece；　reinforced　by　the
  tenacity　and　pride　of　blood　of　the　Rupts。　But　these　qualitiesor
  faults；　if　you　will　have　it　sowere　as　deeply　buried　in　this　young
  girlish　soul；　apparently　so　weak　and　yielding；　as　the　seething　lavas
  within　a　hill　before　it　becomes　a　volcano。　Madame　de　Watteville　alone；
  perhaps；　suspected　this　inheritance　from　two　strains。　She　was　so
  severe　to　her　Rosalie；　that　she　replied　one　day　to　the　Archbishop；　who
  blamed　her　for　being　too　hard　on　the　child；　〃Leave　me　to　manage　her；
  monseigneur。　I　know　her！　She　has　more　than　one　Beelzebub　in　her　skin！〃
  The　Baroness　kept　all　the　keener　watch　over　her　daughter；　because　she
  considered　her　honor　as　a　mother　to　be　at　stake。　After　all；　she　had
  nothing　else　to　do。　Clotilde　de　Rupt；　at　this　time　five…and…thirty；
  and　as　good　as　widowed；　with　a　husband　who　turned　egg…cups　in　every
  variety　of　wood；　who　set　his　mind　on　making　wheels　with　six　spokes　out
  of　iron…wood；　and　manufactured　snuff…boxes　for　everyone　of　his
  acquaintance；　flirted　in　strict　propriety　with　Amedee　de　Soulas。　When
  this　young　man　was　in　the　house；　she　alternately　dismissed　and
  recalled　her　daughter；　and　tried　to　detect　symptoms　of　jealousy　in
  that　youthful　soul；　so　as　to　have　occasion　to　repress　them。　She
  imitated　the　police　in　its　dealings　with　the　republicans；　but　she
  labored　in　vain。　Rosalie　showed　no　symptoms　of　rebellion。　Then　the
  arid　bigot　accused　her　daughter　of　perfect　insensibility。　Rosalie　knew
  her　mother　well　enough　to　be　sure　that　if　she　had　thought　young
  Monsieur　de　Soulas