"Pretty far; and then the wolves never leave the big forest. Even if one
should come here, your father would kill him."

"And would you kill him, too, little Marie?"

"We would all kill him, for you would help us, my Pierre, wouldn't you?
You're not afraid, I know. You would hit him hard!"

"Yes, yes," said the child, proudly, assuming a heroic attitude, "we
would kill 'em."

"There's no one like you for talking to children," said Germain to
little Marie, "and for making them hear reason. To be sure, it isn't
long since you were a child yourself, and you remember what your mother
used to say to you. I believe that the younger one is, the better one
understands the young. I am very much afraid that a woman of thirty,
who doesn't know what it is to be a mother, will find it hard to learn
to prattle and reason with young brats."

"Why so, Germain? I don't know why you have such a bad idea of this
woman; you'll get over it!"

"To the devil with the woman!" said Germain. "I would like to go home
and never come back here. What do I need of a woman I don't know!"

"Little father," said the child, "why do you keep talking about your
wife to-day, when she is dead?"

"Alas! you haven't forgotten your poor dear mother, have you?"