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When the political situation had eased, a nephew of the Comte de Soissons, known to be populist and in good standing with the government, made enquiries about the ring and eventually tracked it down to Gaston. Evidently it was a much-cherished family heirloom, although not intrinsically valuable, and relief at finding it safe made him talkative. He had been fond of the old man, who had lived kindly with a clear conscience and never feared death, only the possibly painful and protracted ways it might come, so he would have been grateful for a quick end. The nephew too was grateful, and not stingy in his thanks.
With the money Marie and Gaston bought a small property near Saint Cloud. Carefully tended, it supported them with a little surplus for extras and to put by. In time, with additions as the opportunity offered, it also supported their children, and later on their children's children. As Voltaire had said, in dangerous times, the thing to do is to cultivate one's garden.
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