-hard! How has he
been since yesterday?"

The mother shook her head.

"Always the cough," she answered in a low tone.

"It's nothing, father," the child answered in his shrill voice. "Louis
had drawn me too fast in my wheeled chair; but I am well, very well; I
feel as strong as a man."

The peasant placed him carefully on the ground, set him upon his little
crutches, which had fallen, and looked at him with an air of
satisfaction.

"Don't you think he's growing, wife?" he asked in the tone of a man who
wishes to be encouraged. "Walk a bit, Jean; walk, boy! He walks more
quickly and more strongly. It'll all come right, wife; we must only be
patient."

The farmer's wife made no reply, but her eyes turned toward the feeble
child with a look of despair so deep that Arnold trembled; fortunately
Moser paid no heed.

"Come, the whole brood of you," he went on, opening the basket he had
taken from the cart; "here is something for every one! In line and hold
out your hands."

The peasant had displayed three small white rolls glazed in the baking;
three cries of joy burst forth simultaneously and six hands advanced to
seize the rolls, but they all paused at the word of command.

"And Jean?" asked the childish voices.

"To the devil with Jean," answered Moser gayly; "there is nothing for
him to-night. Jean shall have his share another time."

But the child smiled and tried to get up to look into the basket. The
farmer stepped back a pace, took off the cover carefully, and lifting
his arm with an air of solemnity, displayed before the eyes of all a
cake of gingerbread garnished with almonds and pink and white
sugar-plums.

There was a general shout of admiration. Jean himself could not restrain
a cry of delight; a slight flush rose to his pale face and he held out
his hands with an air of joyful expectancy.

"Ah, you like it, little mole!" cried the peasant, whose face was
radiant at the sight of the child's pleasure; "take it, old man, take
it; it is nothing but sugar and honey."

He placed the gingerbread in the hands of the little hunchback, who
trembled with happiness, watched him hobble off, and turning to Arnold
when the sound of the crutches was lost in the house, said with a slight
break in his voice:

"He is my eldest. Sickness has deformed him a little, but he's a shrewd
fellow and it only depends upon us to make a gentleman of him."

While speaking he had crossed the first room on the ground-floor a