ing
dinner-time, the conversation fell upon children. Marianne, as it
happened, had weaned Gervais the day before, and he was there among the
ladies, still somewhat unsteady on his legs, and yet boldly going from
one to the other, careless of his frequent falls on his back or his
nose. He was a gay-spirited child who seldom lost his temper, doubtless
because his health was so good. His big clear eyes were ever laughing;
he offered his little hands in a friendly way, and was very white, very
pink, and very sturdy--quite a little man indeed, though but fifteen and
a half months old. Constance and Valentine admired him, while Marianne
jested and turned him away each time that he greedily put out his little
hands towards her.

"No, no, monsieur, it's over now. You will have nothing but soup in
future."

"Weaning is such a terrible business," then remarked Constance. "Did he
let you sleep last night?"

"Oh! yes, he had good habits, you know; he never troubled me at night.
But this morning he was stupefied and began to cry. Still, you see, he
is fairly well behaved already. Besides, I never had more trouble than
this with the other ones."

Beauchene was standing there, listening, and, as usual, smoking a cigar.
Constance appealed to him:

"You are lucky. But you, dear, remember--don't you?--what a life Maurice
led us when his nurse went away. For three whole nights we were unable
to sleep."

"But just look how your Maurice is playing!" exclaimed Beauchene. "Yet
you'll be telling me again that he is ill."

"Oh! I no longer say that, my friend; he is quite well now. Besides, I
was never anxious; I know that he is very strong."

A great game of hide-and-seek was going on in the garden, along the
paths and even over the flower-beds, among the eight children who were
assembled there. Besides the four of the house--Blaise, Denis, Ambroise,
and Rose--there were Gaston and Lucie, the two elder children of
the Seguins, who had abstained, however, from bringing their other
daughter--little Andree. Then, too, both Reine and Maurice were present.
And the latter now, indeed, seemed to be all right upon his legs, though
his square face with its heavy jaw still remained somewhat pale. His
mother watched him running about, and felt so happy and so vain at the
realization of her dream that she became quite amiable even towards
these poor relatives the Froments, whose retirement into the country
seemed to her like an incomprehensibl