"And then, too," she added with a smile, "without it there would be something wanting for us; we should never be sad, you know——"
LXI
"My dear fellow, we are very unhappy," said M. Mauperin, one evening, a few days later, to Denoisel, who had just jumped down from a hired trap. "I had a presentiment you would come to-day," he went on. "She is asleep now; you'll see her to-morrow. Oh, you'll find her very much changed. But you must be hungry," and he led the way to the dining-room, where supper was being laid for him.
"Oh, M. Mauperin," said Denoisel, "she is young. At her age something can always be done."
M. Mauperin put his elbows on the table and great tears rolled slowly from his eyes.
"Oh, come, come, M. Mauperin; the doctors haven't given her up; there's hope yet."
M. Mauperin shook his head and did not answer, but his tears continued to flow.
"They haven't given her up?"
"Yes, they have," said M. Mauperin, who could not contain himself any longer, "and I didn't want to have to tell you. One is afraid of everything, you see, when it comes to this stage. It seems to me that there are certain words which would bring the very thing about, and to own this, why, I fancied it would kill my child. And then, too, there might be a miracle. Why shouldn't there be? They spoke of miracles—the doctors did. Oh, God! She still gets up, you know; it's a great thing, that she can get up. The last two days there has been an improvement, I think. And then to lose two in a year—it would be too terrible. Oh, that would be too much! But there, eat, man, you are not eating anything," and he put a large piece of meat on Denoisel's plate. "Well, well, we must bear up and be men; that's all we can do. What's the latest news in Paris?"