in Chambers and swear to certain things--both of you, of course--and
that's all there is to it. You must declare that you, as the mother of
Napoleon, voluntarily relinquish all claim to him in favour of his
foster parents, and we, in turn, swear that--well, that we will bring
him up as our own, and--er--don't you know. That's quite simple, isn't
it?"

"Quite," said Rouquin.

"And you, Mr. Rousseau, will be obliged to swear that you, as well as
your wife, forfeit all claim, present or future, to this child, and do
so without force or duress. Of course, I shall ask my attorney to
explain everything to both of you, so that you may not act without
complete understanding. Before we go before the Court, you will be
instructed in every move you are to make. And now, Madame, will you be
willing to take oath that you are the mother of Napoleon and as such
will henceforth cease to regard him as your son in case we conclude to
adopt him as our own?"

Madame Rousseau looked from Jean to Rouquin and then from Rouquin to
Jean, quite helpless in the face of this requirement. Rouquin and Jean
looked at each other, and Jean's jaw was set rather hard and there was
an anxious, uncertain look in his eyes--a look not far short of being
rebellious. The young mother covered her face with her hands and began
to sob violently. For some reason, Jean's jaw relaxed.

"Oh, my poor little Napoleon!" she moaned. "How can I give you up? My
angel Napoleon!"

"See here," exclaimed Mr. Bingle, touched by this sudden aspect of