The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau Volume I Part 10

"What does this mean, my dear? where did you get all these things? You hadn't a sou just now. Explain yourself, Georget, I insist."

"Why, yes, yes, never fear, I am going to tell you the whole story; but let me light the stove first, and then, while I blow my charcoal, I will tell you how Providence came to our a.s.sistance. Where is the stove? Ah!

there it is. This will light very quickly, I know, although the bellows isn't any too good."

"Did you get all these things in the house, my son?"

"Yes, mother; you see, first of all, I went down to borrow from the concierge, Monsieur Baudoin; but it wasn't any use for me to knock at their door, I couldn't wake them, they're worse than deaf people. So then I was coming up again in very low spirits, indeed, I believe I was crying, when the door on the third landing opened, and the gentleman who lives there came out to me. Oh! this thing proves, mother, that people very often say foolish things, or that it's very wrong to judge a person by his appearance. For that gentleman that they call the Bear, that gentleman that never speaks to anybody, and that everybody makes stupid jokes about, why, he took me into his room, and gave me all these things for you, because I told him that you were sick; and he didn't even let me thank him!--Ah! you miserable charcoal! you've got to burn!

Now I am going to put some water over the fire."

"But, my dear, this is an enormous loaf of sugar, and it is almost whole; you ought not to have borrowed so much as this."

"As if that gentleman would listen to me! He says: 'Take this!' and if you try to remonstrate, he shouts: 'Hold your tongue!' and it's impossible to prevent him from doing what he wants to.--Ah! my fire is going at last!"

"But this Monsieur Malberg--for the gentleman of the third floor is named Malberg--I have never met him; what sort of looking man is he, Georget? You must have had a good look at him, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes! mother; why, he's a man neither young nor old. At first sight, I am sure that you would take him to be older than he really is, because when a person never laughs, that makes him look older. He may be somewhat over fifty years old; his face is not ugly, not by any means, but his features have a sort of stern expression; his eyes are always gloomy and melancholy, and there are great wrinkles on his brow; his eyebrows are heavy, and his hair must have been black, but it's a little gray now. When he fixes his great brown eyes on you, it frightens you; and yet I got used to them, for his expression is neither unkind nor contemptuous; it's--I don't know just how to describe it--it's sort of compa.s.sionate, or sorrowful; and his voice, which sounds harsh at first, is much less so when he's talked to you for some time. You see, mother, that gentleman isn't like most people; oh, no! he makes you respect him, and it comes natural to obey him, and you don't dare to say anything."

"Really, my dear, you make me long to know this gentleman; when I am able to go out, I shall go to thank him. And did you tell him----"

"Just how we are placed, what we used to be, and what father did. Yes, I told him everything. Did I do wrong?"

"No, my boy, we have done nothing which we need to be ashamed of or to conceal."

"Ah! my water is boiling; now I am going to make you some herb tea, mother; which would you rather have?"

"Why, tell me first what you have in your pocket."

"Wait and I'll show you; I have a whole lot of bundles! Here, see what this is."

"Violet."

"And this?"

"Linden leaves."

"And--and--well! here's something else now!"

"What's the matter, Georget? Have you lost something?"

"Lost! oh, no! not by any means, mother! What I have just found in my pocket certainly wasn't there before! I am sure of that."

"Why, what have you found in your pocket?"

"Here, look, mother!"

And the young messenger tossed upon the good woman's bed four five-franc pieces.

"Twenty francs, Georget! twenty francs! What does this mean? where did you get all that money, my son?"

"I haven't any idea, mother; and I am very sure that I didn't have it when I came home. I didn't have a sou."

"But this money didn't get into your pocket of itself. Answer me, Georget, and above all, don't lie."

"Mon Dieu! how you say that, mother! Do you suppose that I am capable of having stolen this money from someone, I should like to know?"

"No, my dear, I do not suppose that my son, that the child of my honest Brunoy, would ever do a wicked action; but I have always carefully preserved your father's watch, and some time, without my knowledge, to help me, you might have----"

"p.a.w.ned papa's watch! Oh! never! I'd rather p.a.w.n myself! but wait, mother; I remember now; yes, that must have been it."

"What? tell me."

"That gentleman on the third floor, when I had the loaf of sugar and the box of charcoal in my arms, insisted on putting all these little bundles of dried leaves in my pocket himself; and that's the way he stuffed these five-franc pieces into my pocket! Oh! I am sure of it now!

for he went into his bedroom alone, to get the money, no doubt. It was him, mother, it was him; indeed, who else could have given me all this?"

"You are right, Georget, it can't have been anybody else; people who like to do good, think of everything, and it seems that he is very kind, this Bear!"

"Yes, indeed, he is kind, but I shall not keep his money. I will work to-morrow, and earn some; and he has put us under enough obligation by lending us sugar and charcoal. Mother, we mustn't keep these twenty francs that he slipped into my pocket so slyly, so that I could not thank him, must we? But still, it was very nice of him, all the same; he isn't like other people, that gentleman! I'll bet that when he tosses a piece of money to a poor man, he doesn't try to make it ring on the sidewalk when it falls."

"No, my dear, we mustn't keep the twenty francs, for it is quite a large sum, and it would be too hard to repay it."

"I am going to take it back to the gentleman right away."

"Oh! it must be quite late now; Monsieur Malberg has gone to bed, no doubt, and is probably asleep; if you wake him up, he won't like it.

Wait till morning, and when he's up, you can take the money back to him, and thank him again for both of us."

"After all, you are right, mother; it will be better for me to let the gentleman sleep, who has helped me to cure you. I will go to-morrow morning, when his negro is up.--But the water is still boiling; give me what I need for your tea."

The invalid chose one of the herbs. Georget soon made the tea and carried his mother a cup smoking hot and well sweetened; and when she had drunk it, he filled the cup again and placed it on the table by the bed.

"If you are thirsty again in the night," he said, "you must drink this; it will be all ready; now try to go to sleep."

"Yes, my dear, but it seems to me that I feel better already."

"Well! mother; it is always like that; when a person has all that he needs to get well, then the disease must go."

"Oh! not always, my boy, for in that case rich people would never be sick; but the thing that relieves one is contentment, happiness. It requires so little to make poor people happy! and what has happened to us this evening is real good fortune."

"Oh, yes! it is a kind of good fortune that the rich do not know, but that they can confer on others; and that must be a great pleasure too.--Good-night, mother; if you need anything, call me."

VII

A DIFFICULT ERRAND

The next day, before six o'clock, Georget was up and dressed; he went first to inquire concerning his mother's health; the invalid had slept, and felt better, although she was still too weak to rise. She smiled as she said: