It was at this moment that Marie returned, carrying in her arms a
cabbage. At the door, seeing the angry and distracted gesture of her
husband, she paused in consternation.

"But what then? Has anything gone wrong? The soup--Perine, you
unfortunate child, have you touched the soup?"

The girl pointed with triumph to where the tobacco had been.

"Good stuff, mother," she said, nodding.

"The tobacco! You have it put in!--Oh, my poor friend, no wonder you are
angry!" said Madame Didier in an undertone.

"Out with her!" cried her husband in a fierce whisper.

"Perine, Perine, and I have warned you so often to touch nothing without
leave! Now you have spoilt the soup, and we can have no dinner."

There was this inconvenience in the quick remorse which seized the girl
when Marie reproved her, however gently, that she broke at once into
sobs, which were as clumsy and unmanageable as her hands and feet. Jean
disliked them intensely, and he now made frantic signs to his wife that
she was to be sent away. "But she is as hungry as we are," pleaded
Marie, "and see, M. Plon has given me a cabbage, I can manage
something."

He was, however, inexorable; and his wife, always afraid of his
committing some imprudence, though on the whole Jean might be trusted to
take care of himself, said sorrowfully:

"Perine, my poor child, you must go; there is no dinner for you today.
Don't cry, don't cry; you meant no harm--you did not know, and Heaven is
witness how sorely we sometimes suffer for that!"

Between her sobs the girl jerked out piteously:

"Perine come back?"

Marie looked imploringly at her husband, but he shook his head.

"Not tonight, not to-night, my child. As you go out beg for a bit of
bread from M. Plon, he is in a splendid temper, and will not refuse it.
There make haste, go!"

She took her by the shoulders and pushed her towards the door, but when
she left her outside, kissed her.

PART II.

Perine had no sooner gone than Jean came out and flung himself angrily
on a chair.

"I shall stand this no longer. I give you notice of my determination,
Marie. You have her here, I believe, solely to torment me. Figure to
yourself having to stand by helpless, and see the creature put an end to
both one's dinner and one's pipe! She is not to come here any more,
those are my orders. Do you hear?"

"Yes, I hear," said Marie quietly, "but I beg of you to change your
mind. We are badly off, I allow, yet someh