第85章 CHAPTER XX REMORSE(3)

Minoret looked alternately at the two men to see if the priest had betrayed the dreams； but the abbe's face was unmoved， expressing only a calm sadness which reassured the guilty man.

"And it is the more surprising，" went on Monsieur Bongrand， "because you ought to be filled with satisfaction. You are lord of Rouvre and all those farms and mills and meadows and--with your investments in the Funds， you have an income of one hundred thousand francs--"

"I haven't anything in the Funds，" cried Minoret， hastily.

"Pooh，" said Bongrand； "this is just as it was about your son's love for Ursula，--first he denied it， and now he asks her in marriage.

After trying to kill Ursula with sorrow you now want her for a daughter-in-law. My good friend， you have got some secret in your pouch."

Minoret tried to answer； he searched for words and could find nothing better than：--

"You're very queer， monsieur. Good-day， gentlemen"； and he turned with a slow step into the Rue des Bourgeois.

"He has stolen the fortune of our poor Ursula，" said Bongrand， "but how can we ever find the proof？"

"God may--"

"God has put into us the sentiment that is now appealing to that man； but all that is merely what is called 'presumptive，' and human justice requires something more."

The abbe maintained the silence of a priest. As often happens in similar circumstances， he thought much oftener than he wished to think of the robbery， now almost admitted by Minoret， and of Savinien's happiness， delayed only by Ursula's loss of fortune--for the old lady had privately owned to him that she knew she had done wrong in not consenting to the marriage in the doctor's lifetime.

第一章CHAPTER XXI SHOWING HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO STEAL THAT WHICH SEEMS VERY EASILY STOLEN

The following day， as the abbe was leaving the altar after saying mass， a thought struck him with such force that it seemed to him the utterance of a voice. He made a sign to Ursula to wait for him， and accompanied her home without having breakfasted.

"My child，" he said， "I want to see the two volumes your godfather showed you in your dreams--where he said that he placed those certificates and banknotes."

Ursula and the abbe went up to the library and took down the third volume of the Pandects. When the old man opened it he noticed， not without surprise， a mark left by some enclosure upon the pages， which still kept the outline of the certificate. In the other volume he found a sort of hollow made by the long-continued presence of a package， which had left its traces on the two pages next to it.

"Yes， go up， Monsieur Bongrand，" La Bougival was heard to say， and the justice of the peace came into the library just as the abbe was putting on his spectacles to read three numbers in Doctor Minoret's hand-writing on the fly-leaf of colored paper with which the binder had lined the cover of the volume，--figures which Ursula had just discovered.

"What's the meaning of those figures？" said the abbe； "our dear doctor was too much of a bibliophile to spoil the fly-leaf of a valuable volume. Here are three numbers written between a first number preceded by the letter M and a last number preceded by a U."

"What are you talking of？" said Bongrand. "Let me see that. Good God！" he cried， after a moment's examination； "it would open the eyes of an atheist as an actual demonstration of Providence！ Human justice is， I believe， the development of the divine thought which hovers over the worlds." He seized Ursula and kissed her forehead. "Oh！ my child， you will be rich and happy， and all through me！"

"What is it？" exclaimed the abbe.

"Oh， monsieur，" cried La Bougival， catching Bongrand's blue overcoat， "let me kiss you for what you've just said."

"Explain， explain！ don't give us false hopes，" said the abbe.

"If I bring trouble on others by becoming rich，" said Ursula， forseeing a criminal trial， "I--"

"Remember，" said the justice， interrupting her， "the happiness you will give to Savinien."

"Are you mad？" said the abbe.

"No， my dear friend，" said Bongrand. "Listen； the certificates in the Funds are issued in series，--as many series as there are letters in the alphabet； and each number bears the letter of its series. But the certificates which are made out 'to bearer' cannot have a letter； they are not in any person's name. What you see there shows that the day the doctor placed his money in the Funds， he noted down， first， the number of his own certificate for fifteen thousand francs interest which bears his initial M； next， the numbers of three inscriptions to bearer； these are without a letter； and thirdly， the certificate of Ursula's share in the Funds， the number of which is 23，534， and which follows， as you see， that of the fifteen-thousand-franc certificate with lettering. This goes far to prove that those numbers are those of five certificates of investments made on the same day and noted down by the doctor in case of loss. I advised him to take certificates to bearer for Ursula's fortune， and he must have made his own investment and that of Ursula's little property the same day. I'll go to Dionis's office and look at the inventory. If the number of the certificate for his own investment is 23，533， letter M， we may be sure that he invested， through the same broker on the same day， first his own property on a single certificate； secondly his savings in three certificates to bearer (numbered， but without the series letter)； thirdly， Ursula's own property； the transfer books will show， of course， undeniable proofs of this. Ha！ Minoret， you deceiver， I have you-- Motus， my children！"

Whereupon he left them abruptly to reflect with admiration on the ways by which Providence had brought the innocent to victory.

"The finger of God is in all this，" cried the abbe.

"Will they punish him？" asked Ursula.

"Ah， mademoiselle，" cried La Bougival. "I'd give the rope to hang him."