"Bijou!" called out the marchioness suddenly, "Madame de Juzencourt wants to see the children; go and fetch them. You will allow them to come down, Bertrade? and you, too, monsieur?" she added, turning to the abbé.
M. de Clagny looked vexed at being separated from Denyse. It seemed to him already as though he could not do without her.
She soon came back, followed by Marcel and Robert, leading by the hand a superb baby-child of four years old, who was smiling amiably and confidingly as he trotted along.
"This is my godson," she said, introducing him with evident pride. "Isn't he a pet, and so beautiful and good. He's a love!"
"Bijou is so good to that child," said Madame de Rueille, "she is always looking after him and is teaching him now to read."
"So early!" exclaimed M. de Clagny, in a reproachful tone, "is he being taught to read already?"
"Bijou teaches him plenty of other things, too, don't you, Bijou?" asked the marchioness; "you are teaching him Bible history, are you not? Two days ago he told me about Moses, and he knew it all very well."
"Oh!" exclaimed the count jeeringly, "I should like to hear that. Poor unfortunate little mite!"
In a graceful, winsome way, Bijou knelt down by the child. On hearing "his story" mentioned, the poor little fellow looked at her beseechingly.
"Now, Fred, tell it," she said.