“And what was this wonderful old lady’s name?”
“Gatienne Aubéry; she married a Breton squire called Budes, who was a gentilhomme verrier near St. Prest, in Anjou—that is, he made glass—decanters, water-bottles, tumblers, and all that, I suppose—in spite of his nobility. It was not considered derogatory to do so; indeed, it was the only trade permitted to the noblesse, and one had to be at least a squire to engage in it.
“She was a very notable woman, la belle Verrière, as she was called; and she managed the glass factory for many years after her husband’s death, and made lots of money for her two daughters.”
“How strange!” I exclaimed; “Gatienne Aubéry! Dame du Brail—Budes—the names are quite familiar to me. Mathurin Budes, Seigneur de Monhoudéard et de Verny le Moustier.”
“Yes, that’s
