children without saying anything? One could not even see the children now
in order to kiss them. It was a nice state of things. They were left to
the servants; in fact, it was the servants now who controlled the house.

Thereupon Valentine began to cry.

"_Mon Dieu_!" said Marianne to her husband, when she found herself out of
doors, able to breathe, and happy once more now that she was leaning on
his arm; "why, they are quite mad, the people in that house."

"Yes," Mathieu responded, "they are mad, no doubt; but we must pity them,
for they know not what happiness is."



VI

ABOUT nine o'clock one fine cold morning, a few days afterwards, as
Mathieu, bound for his office, a little late through having lingered near
his wife, was striding hastily across the garden which separated the
pavilion from the factory yard, he met Constance and Maurice, who, clad
in furs, were going out for a walk in the sharp air. Beauchene, who was
accompanying them as far as the gate, bareheaded and ever sturdy and
victorious, gayly exclaimed to his wife:

"Give the youngster a good spin on his legs! Let him take in all the
fresh air he can. There's nothing like that and good food to make a man."

Mathieu, on hearing this, stopped short. "Has Maurice been poorly again?"
he inquired.