Also  strong  confirmation  of  these  said  rumours  was  found  in  the
circumstance  that  during  the  years  following  the  college  had  made
large  purchases  of  estates,  and,  besides,  lent  out  large  sums  at
interest.  The  jewel-dealers  of  the  neighbouring  large  towns,  too,
said  that  many  very  costly  precious  stones  coming  from  the  Jesuit
^College  in  Brest  had  been  priced  by  them,  and  regarding  other
valuables  it  became  known  that  they  had  been  forwarded  to  a
man  in  Paris.  Thus  it  could  not  fail  to  be  that  by  degrees
the  statement  regarding  the  fabulous  treasures  which  Ambrose
Guy  had  left  behind  him  penetrated  far  beyond  the  town  of
Brest,  and,  at  length,  the  affair  was  talked  about  even  in  the
town  of  Marseilles.  Here,  however,  there  i-esided  a  grand-
daughter of  Ambrose  Guy,  Franziska  Jourdan  by  name,
married  to  Esprit  Beranger,  and  one  might  easily  imagine
what  effect  these  reports  must  have  had  on  the  minds  of  the
■pair.
