lage. I gave her the eight francs and asked her
to take care of the money because I could get no more; and then I kissed
her and said that she was not to suppose I kissed her with any evil
motives or because I was in love with her, for that I did so solely out
of pity for her, and because from the first I had not accounted her as
guilty so much as unfortunate. I longed to console and encourage her
somehow, and to assure her that she was not the low, base thing which
she and others strove to make out; but I don't think she understood me.
She stood before me, dreadfully ashamed of herself, and with downcast
eyes; and when I had finished she kissed my hand. I would have kissed
hers, but she drew it away. Just at this moment the whole troop of
children saw us. (I found out afterwards that they had long kept a
watch upon me.) They all began whistling and clapping their hands, and
laughing at us. Marie ran away at once; and when I tried to talk to
them, they threw stones at me. All the village heard of it the same day,
and Marie's position became worse than ever. The children would not let
her pass now in the streets, but annoyed her and threw dirt at her more
than before. They used to run after her--she racing away with her poor
feeble lungs panting and gasping, and they pelting her and shouting
abuse at her.

"Once I had to interfere by force; and after that I took to speaking
to them every day and whenever I could. Occasionally they stopped and
listened; but they teased Marie all the same.

"I told them how unhappy Marie was, and after a while they stopped their
abuse of her, and let her go by silently. Little by little we got into
the way of conversing together, the children and I. I concealed nothing
from them, I told them all. They listened very attentively and soon
began to be sorry for Marie. At last some of them took to saying
'Good-morning' to her, kindly, when they met her. It is the custom there
to salute anyone you meet with 'Good-morning' whether acquainted or not.
I can imagine how astonished Marie was at these first greetings from the
children.

"Once two little girls got hold of some food and took it to her, and
came back and told me. They said she had burst into tears, and that they
loved her very much now. Very soon after that they all became fond of
Marie, and at the same time they began to develop the greatest affection
for myself. They often came to me and begged me to tell them stories. I
think I mus