After the deaths in the Villefort household, Abbé Busoni had remained alone with the old man Noirtier in the death chamber. The priest and the elderly man were the sole guardians of young Valentine's body.
Perhaps it was the priest's Christian counsel, his kind charity, or his persuasive words that restored courage to Noirtier. Ever since his conversation with the abbé, his violent despair had given way to a calm resignation that surprised everyone who knew his deep love for Valentine.
Villefort hadn't seen his father since the morning of Valentine's death. Everything in the household had changed, new servants everywhere, new faces for every position, from the lowest worker to the coachmen. These changes widened the division that had always existed between members of the family.
