le not to be moved by an impulse of charity. The boy's eyes,
like blazing coals, gazed first at the luxuries of the room, and then at
those on the table.

"Have you no mother?" asked Madame de Montcornet, unable otherwise to
explain the child's nakedness.

"No, ma'am; m'ma died of grief for losing p'pa, who went to the army
in 1812 without marrying her with papers, and got frozen, saving your
presence. But I've my Grandpa Fourchon, who is a good man,--though he
does beat me bad sometimes."

"How is it, my dear, that such wretched people can be found on your
estate?" said the countess, looking at the general.

"Madame la comtesse," said the abbe, "in this district we have none but
voluntary paupers. Monsieur le comte does all he can; but we have to do
with a class of persons who are without religion and who have but one
idea, that of living at your expense."

"But, my dear abbe," said Blondet, "you are here to improve their
morals."

"Monsieur," replied the abbe, "my bishop sent me here as if on a mission
to savages; but, as I had the honor of telling him, the savages of
France cannot be reached. They make it a law unto themselves not to
listen to us; whereas the church does get some hold on the savages of
America."

"M'sieur le cure, they do help me a bit now," remarked Mouche; "but if I
went to your church they _wouldn't_, and the other folks would make game
of my breeches."

"Religion ought to begin by giving him trousers, my dear abbe," said
Blondet. "In your foreign missions don't you begin by coaxing the
savages?"

"He would soon sell them," answered the abbe, in a low tone; "besides,
my salary does not enable me to begin on that line."

"Monsieur le cure is right," said the general, looking at Mouche.

The policy of the little scamp was to appear not to hear what they were
saying when it was against himself.

"The boy is intelligent enough to know good from evil," continued the
count, "and he is old enough to work; yet he thinks of nothing but how
to commit evil without being found out. All the keepers know him. He is
very well aware that the master of an estate may witness a trespass
on his property and yet have no right to arrest the trespasser. I have
known him keep his cows boldly in my meadows, though he knew I saw him;
but now, ever since I have been mayor, he runs away fast enough."

"Oh, that is very wrong," said the countess; "you should not take other
people's things, my little man."