At the period when Mother Marie-des-Anges was authorized to reconstitute her community, Laurent Goussard, who had not made much by his purchase, went to see the good abbess, and proposed to her to buy back the former property of her convent.Very shrewd in business, Laurent Goussard, whose niece Mother Marie-des-Anges had educated gratuitously, seemed to pique himself on the great liberality of his offer, the terms of which were that the sisterhood should reimburse him the amount of his purchase-money.The dear man was not however making a bad bargain, for the difference in the value of assignats with which he had paid and the good sound money he would receive made a pretty profit.But Mother Marie-des-Anges, remembering that without his warning Danton could not have saved her, did better still for her first helper.At the time when Laurent Goussard made his offer the community of the Ursulines was, financially speaking, in an excellent position.Having since its restoration received many liberal gifts, it was also enriched by the savings of its superior, made from the proceeds of her secular school, which she generously made over to the common fund.Laurent Goussard must therefore have been thunderstruck when he read the following letter:--Your proposal does not suit me.My conscience will not allow me to buy property below its proper value.Before the Revolution the property of our abbey was estimated at--[so much].That is the price I choose to give, and not that to which it has fallen since the great depreciation of all property called national.In a word, my friend, I wish to pay you more than you ask; let me know if that suits you.
Laurent Goussard thought at first that either she had misunderstood him or he her.But when it became clear to him that owing to these pretended scruples of Mother Marie-des-Anges, he was the gainer of fifty thousand francs, he would not do violence to so tender a conscience, and he pocketed this profit (which came to him literally from heaven), but he went about relating everywhere the marvellous proceeding, which, as you can well imagine, put Mother Marie-des-Anges on a pinnacle of respect (especially from the holders of other national property) which leaves her nothing to fear from any future revolution.Personally Laurent Goussard has become her slave, her henchman.He does no business, he takes no step, he never moves a sack of flour without going to her for advice; and, as she said in joke the other day, if she took a fancy to make a John the Baptist of the sub-prefect, Laurent Goussard would bring her his head on a charger.That is proof enough that he will also bring his vote and that of his friends to any candidate she may favor.
Among the clergy Mother Marie-des-Anges has, naturally, many affiliations,--as much on account of her high reputation for goodness as for the habit of her order, but she particularly counts among the number of her most zealous servitors Monseigneur Troubert, bishop of the diocese, who, though formerly a familiar of the Congregation [see "The Vicar of Tours"], has nevertheless managed to secure from the dynasty of July an archbishopric which will lead to a cardinalship.