" In 1786,
six months after the death of her father, she married one of her own
workmen, named Rougon, "a rough-hewn peasant from the Basses Alpes."
Rougon died fifteen months after his marriage, leaving a son named
Pierre. Scarcely a year had elapsed before the widow took as her lover a
man named Macquart, who lived in a hovel adjoining her own property, and
two children were born. The legitimate son, Pierre Rougon, was brought
up along with his half brother and sister, Antoine and Ursule, with
whom, however, he was not on good terms. From her eighteenth year
Adelaide was subject to nervous fits, which brought on convulsions, and
though she was not yet insane, these repeated shocks produced cerebral
disorders. "She lived from day to day like a child; like a fawning
animal yielding to its instincts." These conditions continued for about
twenty years, till the death of Macquart, and the children grew up as
best they could. By this time Pierre realized the situation, and playing
upon his mother's mental weakness, he brought her completely under
his sway. On the death of Macquart, Adelaide went to live in the
hovel bequeathed to her by him, and Pierre sold the family property,
appropriating the price.
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