There lived in Paris, under the reign of King Louis XV., a very rich old countess named Yolande de la Grenouille. She was a worthy and charitable lady, who distributed alms not only to the poor of her own parish, Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, but to the unfortunate of other quarters. Her husband, Roch-Eustache, Count of Grenouille, had fallen gloriously at the battle of Fontenoy, on the 11th of May, 1745.