When Jasmin arrived at Nicole's, he found her at work in the house, while Jacquinot sat half asleep in an old easy-chair.

"My friends," said Jasmin, entering the room with a very busy air, and rolling his eyes about, "things can't remain like this; we must make a complete change."

Nicole gazed at the old servant and said:

"You want to change our house over; you think this room is too dark?

Dear me! we're used to it, you see."

"Ain't we going to drink a gla.s.s?" said Jacquinot, rising, and rubbing his eyes.

"In a minute, Jacquinot, in a minute.--My friends, you don't understand me. I am talking about your foster-child, my young master, to whom you only give such food as you yourselves eat; do you not?"

"Ain't he satisfied, the dear child?" cried Nicole. "Bless my soul! I will give him whatever he wants; all he has got to do is to speak. I will make him tarts, cakes----"

"It isn't that, Nicole, it isn't that sort of food that I'm talking about. It's Cherubin's mind that needs a lot of things."

"Mind? Something light, I suppose? I will make him some cream cheese."

"Once more, Dame Frimousset, allow me to speak. My young master must become a scholar, or something like it; it isn't a question of eating, but of studying. What does he learn here with you? Does he even know how to read, to write or to figure?"

"Faith, no," said Nicole; "you never mentioned those things, and we didn't think they were necessary, especially as Cherubin is going to be very rich; we didn't think there was any need of his learning a trade."

"It isn't a question of learning a trade, but of becoming a scholar."

"Ah yes! I understand, like the schoolmaster, who always stuffs his conversation full of words that n.o.body knows what they mean."

"That's the very thing. Oh! if Cherubin could say some of those fine sentences that no one can understand, that would be splendid.--So you have a learned schoolmaster in this village, have you?"

"To be sure,--Monsieur Gerondif."

"Gerondif! the name alone indicates a very learned man. Do you think he would consent to come to your house and give my young master lessons?

For it is impossible for monsieur le marquis to go to school with all the young brats in the village."

"Why shouldn't Monsieur Gerondif come here? He has educated two or three children for people who come to Gagny to pa.s.s the summer. Besides, he ain't very well fixed, the dear man, and to earn a little money----"

"There is no difficulty about that; I will pay him whatever he asks. Do you suppose that I could talk--that I could see this Monsieur Gerondif?"

"That's easy enough; Jacquinot will go and fetch him. It's after five o'clock, so his school is over. Jacquinot, you will find the schoolmaster at Manon the baker's, because he goes there every day to bake potatoes in her oven while it's still hot."

"Go, my dear Jacquinot; bring me this scholar, and then we will empty a few bottles; I will treat Monsieur Gerondif too."

That promise roused Jacquinot, who went out, promising to make haste, and Jasmin asked Nicole:

"Where is my young master?"

"My _fieu_?"

"My master, the young Marquis de Grandvilain. He is eleven years old now, my dear Nicole, and it seems to me that he is rather large for you to keep on calling him your _fieu_."

"Oh! bless my soul! habit--what do you expect?--He's in the garden, under the plum trees."

"Alone?"

"Oh no! Louise is with him, always with him. As if he could get along without her!"

"Ah! is that the little girl who was left here, and whose parents you don't know?"

"Mon Dieu! yes."

"And you are still taking care of her?"

"_Pardi!_ one child more. When there's enough for three, there's enough for four."

"That is what my father used to say, when he cribbed my share of breakfast; and in our house, on the contrary, when there was four of us, there was never enough for two.--Never mind, Dame Frimousset, you are an excellent woman, and when Cherubin leaves you, we will make you a handsome present."

"Oh! don't speak of that; I should rather not have any present, if my _fieu_ would never leave me."

"Oh yes! I can understand that; but still, we can't leave him out at nurse until he is thirty; that isn't the custom. I am going to present my respects to him, while I am waiting for Monsieur Gerondif; and I will inform him that he must become a scholar."

Cherubin was at the farther end of the garden, which ended in an orchard. There, trees which were never trimmed extended at pleasure their branches laden with fruit, as if to prove to man that nature does not need his help to grow and bear.

The Marquis de Grandvilain's son had attractive, regular features; his great blue eyes were exceedingly beautiful, and their soft and languorous expression made them resemble a woman's eyes rather than a man's; long dark lashes shaded those lovely eyes, which, according to appearances, were destined to realize Jasmin's prophecy, and to make many conquests some day. The rest of the face was agreeable, although not especially remarkable, except his complexion, which was as white as that of a girl who has a white skin; life in the country had not tanned the young marquis, because Nicole, who had always taken the greatest care of her foster-child, never left him exposed to the sun; and because the little fellow, who was not employed in the arduous labor of the fields, always had leisure to seek the cool shade.

Little Louise, who was then nine years old, had one of those pretty faces, gay and sad by turns, which painters delight to copy when they wish to represent a young maiden of Switzerland or of the neighborhood of Lake Geneva. It was a lovely face, after the style of Raphael's virgins, in which however there was a melancholy and charm distinctly French. Louise's eyes and hair were jet black, but very long lashes tempered their brilliancy, and gave to them a sort of velvety aspect which had an indescribable charm; a high, proud forehead, a very small mouth, and white teeth set like pearls, combined with her other features to make her one of the sweetest little girls whom one could hope to meet; and when she laughed, two little dimples which appeared in her cheeks added a new charm to her whole person; and she laughed often, for she was only nine years old. Nicole treated her as her own child, Cherubin as his sister, and she had as yet no suspicion that her mother had abandoned her.

When Jasmin walked toward the orchard, Cherubin and Louise were eating plums. The little girl was plucking them and throwing them to her companion, who sat at the foot of a tree so heavily laden that its branches seemed on the point of breaking beneath their burden.

Jasmin removed his hat, and humbly saluted his young master, uncovering his head which was almost bald, though the few hairs which still remained above the ears were brought together and combed with much care over the forehead, and made the old servant look, at a distance, as if he had tied a bandage around his head.

"I present my respects to Monsieur le Marquis de Grandvilain," said Jasmin.

At that moment the girl shook a branch which extended over the old valet's head, and a shower of plums rained down upon Jasmin's skull.

Thereupon there was a roar of laughter from behind the tree, and Cherubin mingled his laughter with it; while the old servant, who would not have kept his hat on his head in his master's presence for anything in the world, received with resignation the rain of plums that fell on him.

"My young master still seems to be in flourishing health," continued Jasmin, after throwing to the ground a few plums which had lodged between his coat collar and his stock.

"Yes, Jasmin, yes. But just see how handsome they are, and good too; eat some, Jasmin; you have only to stoop and pick some up."

"Monsieur is very kind, but plums--sometimes they occasion inconvenience.--I have come, first of all, to ask if monsieur wishes to return to Paris with me at last; his house is, as always, ready to receive him and----"

Jasmin was unable to finish his sentence, because a fresh shower of plums fell upon his head. This time he glanced angrily about, but the mischievous girl had hidden behind a tree; meanwhile Cherubin exclaimed:

"No, Jasmin, no, I don't want to go to Paris, I am so happy here; I have told you already that I should be bored in Paris, and I have such a pleasant time at my dear Nicole's."

"Very good, monsieur le marquis, I don't wish to thwart you on that point; but if you stay here, you must not pa.s.s all your time in playing any longer; you must study, my dear master, you must become a learned man; it is absolutely necessary and----"

A shower of plums, heavier than the other two, once more cut Jasmin short; and he, finding that he had two breaches in his band of hair, turned round and exclaimed angrily: