She had scarcely opened her
tear-dimmed eyes, and could have seen but a vague phantom of that poor
feeble creature, wailing and struggling at the decisive moment when he
was being cast into the unknown.
"You are killing me! Take him away; take him away!"
Once in the cab the child suddenly became silent. Either the jolting of
the vehicle calmed him, or the creaking of the wheels filled him with
emotion. La Couteau, who kept him on her knees, at first remained silent,
as if interested in the people on the footwalks, where the bright sun was
shining. Then, all of a sudden, she began to talk, venting her thoughts
aloud.
"That little woman made a great mistake in not trusting the child to me.
I should have put him out to nurse properly, and he would have grown up
finely at Rougemont. But there! they all imagine that we simply worry
them because we want to do business. But I just ask you, if she had given
me five francs for myself and paid my return journey, would that have
ruined her? A pretty girl like her oughtn't to be hard up for money. I
know very well that in our calling there are some people who are hardly
honest, who speculate and ask for commissions, and then put out nurslings
at cheap rates and rob both the parents and the nurse.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233