"It will end by killing me," she added; "I shall always get more
kicks than money at it. How unjust it is! Here have I brought you back a
superb child, and yet you look anything but pleased--it's enough to
disgust one of doing one's best!"
In thus complaining her object perhaps was to extract from the
haberdasher as large a present as possible. Madame Menoux was certainly
disturbed by it all. Her boy woke up and began to wail loudly, and it
became necessary to give him a little lukewarm milk. At last, when the
accounts were settled, the nurse-agent, seeing that she would have ten
francs for herself, grew calmer. She was about to take her leave when
Madame Menoux, pointing to Mathieu, exclaimed: "This gentleman wished to
speak to you on business."
Although La Couteau had not seen the gentleman for several years past,
she had recognized him perfectly well. Still she had not even turned
towards him, for she knew him to be mixed up in so many matters that his
discretion was a certainty. And so she contented herself with saying: "If
monsieur will kindly explain to me what it is I shall be quite at his
service."
"I will accompany you," replied Mathieu; "we can speak together as we
walk along.
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