CHAPTER IV
"You she preferred to all the gay resorts, Where female vanity might wish to shine, The pomp of cities, and the pride of courts."
LYTTELTON.
At the end of the time prescribed, the judges, including Victoireherself, who was the most severe of them all, agreed she had justlydeserved her reward. Maurice obtained his wish; and Victoire's tempernever relapsed into its former bad habits--so powerful is the effect of awell-chosen motive! Perhaps the historian may be blamed for dwelling onsuch trivial anecdotes; yet a lady, who was accustomed to theconversation of deep philosophers and polished courtiers, listenedwithout disdain to these simple annals. Nothing appeared to her a triflethat could tend to form the habits of temper, truth, honesty, order, andindustry: habits which are to be early induced, not by solemn precepts,but by practical lessons. A few more examples of these shall berecorded, notwithstanding the fear of being tiresome.
One day little Babet, who was now five years old, saw, as she was comingto school, an old woman sitting at a corner of the street beside a largeblack brazier full of roasted chestnuts. Babet thought that thechestnuts looked and smelled very good; the old woman was talkingearnestly to some people, who were on her other side; Babet filled herwork-bag with chestnuts, and then ran after her mother and sister, who,having turned the corner of the street, had not seen what passed. WhenBabet came to the schoolroom, she opened her bag with triumph, displayedher treasure, and offered to divide it with her companions. "Here,Victoire," said she, "here is the largest chestnut for you."
But Victoire would not take it; for she staid that Babet had no money,and that she could not have come honestly by these chestnuts. She spokeso forcibly upon this point that even those who had the tempting morselactually at their lips forbore to bite; those who had bitten laid downtheir half-eaten prize; and those who had their hands full of chestnutsrolled them back again towards the bag. Babet cried with vexation.
"I burned my fingers in getting them for you, and now you won't eatthem!--And I must not eat them!" said she: then curbing her passion, sheadded, "But at any rate, I won't be a thief. I am sure I did not thinkit was being a thief just to take a few chestnuts from an old woman whohad such heaps and heaps; but Victoire says it is wrong, and I would notbe a thief for all the chestnuts in the world--I'll throw them all intothe fire this minute!"
"No; give them back again to the old woman," said Victoire.
"But, may be, she would scold me for having taken them," said Babet; "orwho knows but she might whip me?"
"And if she did, could you not bear it?" said Victoire. "I am sure Iwould rather bear twenty whippings than be a thief."
"Twenty, whippings! that's a great many," said Babet; "and I am solittle, consider--and that woman has such a monstrous arm!--Now, if itwas Sister Frances, it would be another thing. But come! if you will gowith me, Victoire, you shall see how I will behave."
"We will all go with you," said Victoire.
"Yes, all!" said the children; "And Sister Frances, I dare say, would go,if you asked her."
Babet ran and told her, and she readily consented to accompany the littlepenitent to make restitution. The chestnut woman did not whip Babet, noreven scold her, but said she was sure that since the child was so honestas to return what she had taken, she would never steal again. This wasthe most glorious day of Babet's life, and the happiest. When thecircumstance was told to Madame de Fleury, she gave the little girl a bagof the best chestnuts the old women could select, and Babet with greatdelight shared her reward with her companions.
"But, alas! these chestnuts are not roasted. Oh, if we could but roastthem!" said the children.
Sister Frances placed in the middle of the table on which the chestnutswere spread a small earthenware furnace--a delightful toy, commonly usedby children in Paris to cook their little feasts.
"This can be bought for sixpence," said she: "and if each of you twelveearn one halfpenny apiece to-day, you can purchase it to-night, and Iwill put a little fire into it, and you will then be able to roast yourchestnuts."
The children ran eagerly to their work--some to wind worsted for a womanwho paid them a _liard_ for each ball, others to shell peas for aneighbouring _traiteur_--all rejoicing that they were able to earnsomething. The older girls, under the directions and with the assistanceof Sister Frances, completed making, washing, and ironing, half a dozenlittle caps, to supply a baby-linen warehouse. At the end of the day,when the sum of the produce of their labours was added together, theywere surprised to find that, instead of one, they could purchase twofurnaces. They received and enjoyed the reward of their united industry.The success of their first efforts was fixed in their memory: for theywere very happy roasting the chestnuts, and they were all (Sister Francesinclusive) unanimous in opinion that no chestnuts ever were so good, orso well roasted. Sister Frances always partook in their little innocentamusements; and it was her great delight to be the dispenser of rewardswhich at once conferred present pleasure and cherished future virtue.
Murad the Unlucky, and Other Tales Page 10
