One of these patients was none other than Euphrasie, old
Moineaud's eldest daughter, now married to Auguste Benard, a mason, and
already the mother of three children. She had doubtless resumed her usual
avocations too soon after the birth of her last child, as often happens
in working-class families where the mother is unable to remain idle. At
all events, she had for some time been ailing, and had finally been
removed to the hospital. Mathieu had for a while employed her young
sister Cecile, now seventeen, as a servant in the house at Chantebled,
but she was of poor health and had returned to Paris, where, curiously
enough, she also entered Doctor Gaude's clinic. And Boutan waxed
indignant at the methods which Gaude employed. The two sisters, the
married woman and the girl, had been discharged as cured, and so far,
this might seem to be the case; but time, in Boutan's opinion, would
bring round some terrible revenges.
One curious point of the affair was that Beauchene's dissolute sister,
Seraphine, having heard of these so-called cures, which the newspapers
had widely extolled, had actually sought out the Benards and the
Moineauds to interview Euphrasie and Cecile on the subject.
Pages:
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339