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Babet thought that the chestnuts looked and smelled very good; the old woman was talking earnestly to some people, who were on her other side; Babet filled her work-bag with chestnuts, and then ran after her mother and sister, who, having turned the corner of the street, had not seen what passed.
Into this house many comely Abigails had come and gone; but Babet Blais remained in spite of him, having, as she deemed, acquired a wife's settlement and privileges, by virtue of the presence of a dwarfish, swarthy creature, half oaf, half imp, their mutual offspring.
I could have sworn that she already saw him a notary or a doctor. I kissed her and gently said to her: "I wish our son to live in our dear valley. One day, he will find a Babet of sixteen, on the banks of the Durance, to whom he will give some water. Do you remember, my dear ? The country has brought us peace: our son shall be a peasant as we are, and happy as we are."
On that same night, then, when Little Gavroche picked up the two lost children, Brujon and Guelemer, who knew that Babet, who had escaped that morning, was waiting for them in the street as well as Montparnasse, rose softly, and with the nail which Brujon had found, began to pierce the chimney against which their beds stood. The rubbish fell on Brujon's bed, so that they were not heard.
A few letters had come from time to time to tell me they always loved me, and that happiness was awaiting me in my well-beloved valley. And I, I was going to fight, I was going to get killed. I began dreaming of my return. I saw my poor old uncle on the threshold of the parsonage extending his trembling arms; and behind him was Babet, quite red, smiling through her tears.
"But she did not know," said Victoire, "that pulling off the blossoms would prevent my having any cherries." "Oh, I am very sorry I was so foolish," said Babet; "Victoire did not even say a cross word to me." "Though she was excessively anxious about the cherries," pursued Annette, "because she intended to have given the first she had to Mad. de Fleury."
And he rapidly related to the gamin how, on the morning of that very day, Babet, having been transferred to La Conciergerie, had made his escape, by turning to the left instead of to the right in "the police office." Gavroche expressed his admiration for this skill. "What a dentist!" he cried. Montparnasse added a few details as to Babet's flight, and ended with: "Oh! That's not all."
He had exhibited phenomena at fairs, and he had owned a booth with a trumpet and this poster: "Babet, Dental Artist, Member of the Academies, makes physical experiments on metals and metalloids, extracts teeth, undertakes stumps abandoned by his brother practitioners. Price: one tooth, one franc, fifty centimes; two teeth, two francs; three teeth, two francs, fifty.
Marie was still seated on my shoulders. "Mamma, mamma," she cried, "come and look; I'm playing at horses." Babet, who was entering, smiled. Ah! my poor Babet, how old we were! I remember we were shivering with weariness, on that day, gazing sadly at one another when alone. Our children brought back our youth. Lunch was eaten in silence. We had been compelled to light the lamp.
Nothing like a woman to put quicksilver in a man's shoes eh! Babet?" "Or foolish thoughts into their hearts, Jean!" replied she, laughing. "And nothing more natural, Babet, if women's hearts are wise enough in their folly to like our foolish thoughts of them. But there are two! Who is that riding with the gentleman? Your eyes are better than mine, Babet!"
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