Doucet to Monseigneur."

"What for?" enquired Patoux, his round eyes opening widely in
amazement.

"Oh, for a strange fancy! That he may bless the child and pray Our
Lady to cure him of his lameness. It was Babette's whim. I told her
the Cardinal was a saint,--and she said,--well! she said she would
never believe it unless he worked a miracle! The wicked mischief
that girl is!--as bad as Henri, who puts a doubt on everything!"

"'Tis the school," said Jean gloomily--"I must speak to Pere
Laurent."

"Truly that would be well," said Madame--"He may explain what we
cannot. All the same, you may be sure the children WILL bring Fabien
Doucet to Monseigneur;--they have made up their minds about it,--and
if the little miserable's lameness gets no better, we shall have
work enough in future to make the saints respected!"

Patoux muttered something inaudible, and went his way. Life was in
his opinion, a very excellent thing,--nevertheless there were a few
details about it which occasionally troubled him, and one of these
details was decidedly the "national education" question. It struck
him as altogether remarkable that the State should force him to send
his children to school whether he liked it or no; and moreover that
the system of instruction at the said school should be totally
opposed to his own ideas. He would have certainly wished his son to
learn to read and write, and then to have been trained as a thorough
florist and gardener;--while for his daughter he also desired