hould have a nice reputation, shouldn't we, with our name and
connections?" burst out Julien. "People would say that we encouraged
vice, and sheltered prostitutes, and respectable people would never come
near us. Why, what can you be thinking of? You must be mad!"

"I will never have Rosalie turned out," she repeated, quietly. "If you
will not keep her here, my mother will take her back again. But we are
sure to find out the name of the father."

At that, he went out of the room, too angry to talk to her any longer,
and as he banged the door after him he cried:

"Women are fools with their absurd notions!"

In the afternoon Jeanne went up to see the invalid. She was lying in
bed, wide awake, and the Widow Dentu was rocking the child in her arms.
As soon as she saw her mistress Rosalie began to sob violently, and when
Jeanne wanted to kiss her, she turned away and hid her face under the
bed-clothes. The nurse interfered and drew down the sheet, and then
Rosalie made no further resistance, though the tears still ran down her
cheeks.

The room was very cold, for there was only a small fire in the grate,
and the child was crying. Jeanne did not dare make any reference to the
little one, for fear of causing another burst of tears, but she held
Rosalie's hand and kept repeating mechanically:

"It won't matter; it won't matter."

The poor girl glanced shyly at the nurse from time to time; the child's
cries seemed to pierce her heart, and sobs still escaped from her
occasionally, though she forced herself to swallow her tears. Jeanne
kissed her again, and whispered in her ear: "We'll take good care of it,
you may be sure of that," and then ran quickly out of the room, for
Rosalie's tears were beginning to flow again.

After that, Jeanne went up every day to see the invalid, and every day
Rosalie burst into tears when her mistress came into the room. The child
was put out to nurse, and Julien would hardly speak to his wife, for he
could not forgive her for refusing to dismiss the maid. One day he
returned to the subject, but Jeanne drew out a letter from her mother
in which the baroness said that if they would not keep Rosalie at Les
Peuples she was to be sent on to Rouen directly.

"Your mother's as great a fool as you are," cried Julien; but he did not
say anything more about sending Rosalie away, and a fortnight later the
maid was able to get up and perform her duties again.

One morning Jeanne made her sit down, a