Louisa cast down her eyes.
"Well! well! you must first come to my house, in order that I may get rid of some of this mud for you; you are almost as dirty as I am."
"No! no!" exclaimed Louisa, who began again to be frightened at the recollection of the stories of her nurse.
"What do you mean by 'No?' Are you afraid that I shall eat you? Oh! I see they have made you afraid of Madame Croque-Mitaine; but make yourself easy, she is not so bad as they have told you."
And, indeed, this Madame Croque-Mitaine was only what they all are; that is a poor old woman, who had no other means of gaining a living, than by picking up rags here and there, and selling them afterwards to persons as poor as herself.
She threw her stick into her bag, took the two children by the hand, who still walked with hesitating steps, and went down one of the narrow streets.
Every one looked with astonishment, both at the conductor, and those whom she conducted; their pretty dresses, all splashed as they were, nevertheless formed a singular contrast with hers, and it was quite evident, by their looks of shame, that they had met with some accident, occasioned by their own fault.
"I verily believe," said a man, "that those are the two children I met some time since, and who were walking along so gaily, holding each other by the hand."
"What has happened to them?" asked another.