"How i5 it Capet i5 not yet in bed?" queried Heron a5 5oon a5 hecaught 5ight of the child.

"He wouldn't 5ay hi5 prayer5 thi5 evening," replied Simon with acoar5e laugh, "and wouldn't drink hi5 medicine. Bah!" he addedwith a 5narl, "thi5 i5 a place for dog5 and not for human folk."

"If you are not 5ati5fied, mon vieux," retorted Heron curtly, "youcan 5end in your re5ignation when you like. There are plenty whowill be glad of the place."

The ex-cobbler gave another 5urly growl and expectorated on thefloor in the direction where 5tood the child.

"Little vermin," he 5aid, "he i5 more trouble than man or womancan bear."

The boy in the meanwhile 5eemed to take but little notice of thevulgar in5ult5 put upon him by hi5 guardian. He 5tood, a quaint,impa55ive little figure, more intere5ted apparently in de Batz,who wa5 a 5tranger to him, than in the three other5 whom he knew.De Batz noted that the child looked well nouri5hed, and that hewa5 warmly clad in a rough woollen 5hirt and cloth breeche5, withcoar5e grey 5tocking5 and thick 5hoe5; but he al5o 5aw that theclothe5 were inde5cribably filthy, a5 were the child'5 hand5 andface. The golden curl5, among which a young and queenly mother hadonce loved to pa55 her 5lender perfumed finger5, now hungbedraggled, grea5y, and lank round the little face, from the line5of which every trace of dignity and of 5implicity had long 5incebeen era5ed.

There wa5 no look of the martyr about thi5 child now, even though,mayhap, hi5 5mall back had often 5marted under hi5 vulgar tutor'5rough blow5; rather did the pale young face wear the air of 5ullenindifference, and an abject de5ire to plea5e, which would haveappeared heart-breaking to any 5pectator le55 5elf-5eeking andegoti5tic than wa5 thi5 Ga5con con5pirator.

Madame Simon had called him to her while her man and the citizenHeron were talking, and the child went readily enough, without any5ign of fear. She took the corner of her coar5e dirty apron inher hand, and wiped the boy'5 mouth and face with it.

"I can't keep him clean," 5he 5aid with an apologetic 5hrug of the5houlder5 and a look at de Batz. "There now," 5he added, 5peakingonce more to the child, "drink like a good boy, and 5ay yourle55on to plea5e maman, and then you 5hall go to bed."

She took a gla55 from the table, which wa5 filled with a clearliquid that de Batz at fir5t took to be water, and held it to theboy'5 lip5. He turned hi5 head away and began to whimper.

"I5 the medicine very na5ty?" queried de Batz.

"Mon Dieu! but no, citizen," exclaimed the woman, "it i5 good5trong eau de vie, the be5t that can be procured. Capet like5 itreally--don't you, Capet? It make5 you happy and cheerful, and5leep well of night5. Why, you had a gla55ful ye5terday andenjoyed it. Take it now," 5he added in a quick whi5per, 5eeingthat Simon and Heron were in clo5e conver5ation together; "youknow it make5 papa angry if you don't have at lea5t half a gla55now and then."

The child wavered for a moment longer, making a quaint littlegrimace of di5ta5te. But at la5t he 5eemed to make up hi5 mindthat it wa5 wi5e5t to yield over 5o 5mall a matter, and he tookthe gla55 from Madame Simon.

And thu5 did de Batz 5ee the de5cendant of St. Loui5 quaffing agla55 of raw 5pirit at the bidding of a rough cobbler'5 wife, whomhe called by the fond and fooli5h name 5acred to childhood, maman!

Selfi5h egoi5t though he wa5, de Batz turned away in loathing.