r herself and her
children, who are as happy as fishes in the sea? Why, they want for
nothing; they have good air, good food, good fires, and good beds, with
a nurse to take care of them, besides Mlle. Rigolette, who, although
working like a little busy bee, and without seeming to take part in
their proceedings, never loses sight of them, bless you! And they have
had a black doctor to see them, who says he comes from you. 'Well,' says
I, when I looked at him, 'you are a funny one for a doctor, you are! I
suppose, Mr. Nigger, you are physician to a company of charcoalmen,
because there is no fear of your blacking your hands when you feel their
pulse?' But la, M. Rodolph, I'm only joking! For what difference does
colour make? Leastways your blacky seems to be a first-rate clever man,
spite of his dingy face, for the first thing he did was to order a
composing draught for Morel's wife, which did her a world of good!"

"Poor thing! I doubt not she is still very miserable?"

"Why, yes, M. Rodolph, naturally enough she is, for she has plenty of
grief before her: her husband in a madhouse, and her daughter in prison!
Ah, that poor Louise! That is the sorest of her heartaches; such a blow
as that to an honest family, such as theirs has always been, is not to
be got over so easily. And that Madame Seraphin, housekeeper to the
notary, who has caused all this misery, has just been here, saying all
manner of cruel things about the poor girl. If I had not had my own game
to play, she should not have told the tale quite her own way; but I've
got a pill for her to swallow by and by, so I'll let her off easy. Why,
only conceive her assurance in coming to ask me if I could not recommend
her some young person to supply the place of Louise in the establishment
of that old brute of a notary. What a blessed pair the master and his
housekeeper are! Just fancy their preferring an orphan, if they can
obtain one, to be their servant! Don't you see through that, M. Rodolph?
They pretend that their reason for wishing for an orphan is, because,
having neither parents nor friends, she would never wish to go out, and
would be more free from interruption; but that is not it, that is all a
fudge; the truth is, they think that, if they could get a poor,
friendless girl into their clutches, having nobody to see her righted,
they could cheat her out of her wages as much as they liked. Now is not
that true, M. Rodolph?"

"No doubt," replied the person a