The division
made, the family soon became rapacious; Hyacinthe never paid anything,
Buteau only a part, and Delhomme, Fanny's husband, alone fulfilled his
obligation. Mere Fouan died, and the old man lived alone for a year;
after that he went to his daughter Fanny Delhomme, but her unkindness
made his life miserable, and he accepted in turn the hospitality of his
two sons, Buteau and Hyacinthe, both of whom had come to suspect the
existence of his nest-egg and were anxious to secure it. In this sordid
aim Buteau was eventually successful, and his subsequent treatment of
the old man was even more infamous than it had been before. From this
time Pere Fouan lived in isolation; he spoke to none and looked at none;
as far as appearances went, he might have been blind and dumb. But even
worse was to follow. He had seen the assault on Francoise Mouche which
resulted in her death, and to ensure his silence he was murdered by
Buteau and Lise, his son and daughter-in-law, who attempted to suffocate
him, and subsequently burned him alive in his bed. La Terre.
FOUAN (MADAME ROSE), wife of the preceding, nee Maliverne.
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