Was it
a scrutinising look or a forbidding one? A friendly or unfriendly
one?

Kate looked at the child with longing eyes. It was no longer crying,
it even smiled, and now--now it stretched out its little arms. Oh, it
was already so intelligent, it was looking at her, it noticed already
that she was fond of it. It tried to get up--oh, it wanted to go to
her, to her!

Her face flushed with joy. She had already stretched out her hands
to take the child, when its mother pushed herself in front of the
cradle like a wall.

"Neni,"[A] she said in Walloon, in a hard voice. She raised her
empty left hand to ward Kate off. And then she made the sign of the
cross on the child's forehead and then on its breast.

[Footnote A: Non.]

But why, why would she not give it all at once? Kate trembled with
dismay. She cast an imploring look at her husband, as much as to say:
"Help me. I must have the child."

And then her husband said what he wanted to say before when his wife
had cut him short: "We will secure your child's future. Do you know
what that means, my good woman? It will never have to trouble about its
daily bread--never have to hunger. Never have to work to prolong its
life--only work for the pleasure of working. Do you understand?"

Work--for the pleasure of working? The woman shook her head, she did
not understand him. But then the words came into her mind: never
hunger!--and a light shone in her dull eyes. Never hunger--ah, the
woman understood that; and still she shook her head again: "Neni!"

She pointed to herself and the other children, and then to the great
Venn outside with a comprehensive gesture:

"Nos avans tortos faim."[A] She shrugged her shoulders with the
equanimity of one who is accustomed to it, and it even looked as though
she wanted to smile; the corners of her sullen mouth did not droop
quite so much, her lips that were generally tightly closed showed her
strong healthy teeth.

The vestryman stepped in now: "'Pon my word, Lisa, to hunger is
surely no pleasure. Good heavens, how can you be so foolish! The child
will be taken from hell to heaven. Remember what I've told you, the
lady and gentleman are rich, very rich, and they are mad on the
child--quick, give it to them, you still have four."

Still four! She nodded reflectively, but then she threw her head
back, and a look--now it was plain, something like hatred flickered in
it--flew to the others standing there so rich, so fine, w