Then, as soon as they had walked to the old pavilion, now transformed into a little farm, and had seated themselves in the garden, pending dinner-time, the conversation fell upon children. Marianne, as it happened, had weaned Gervais the day before, and he was there among the ladies, still somewhat unsteady on his legs, and yet boldly going from one to the other, careless of his frequent falls on his back or his nose. He was a gay-spirited child who seldom lost his temper, doubtless because his health was so good. His big clear eyes were ever laughing; he offered his little hands in a friendly way, and was very white, very pink, and very sturdy--quite a little man indeed, though but fifteen and a half months old. Constance and Valentine admired him, while Marianne jested and turned him away each time that he greedily put out his little hands towards her. "No, no, monsieur, it's over now. You will have nothing but soup in future." "Weaning is such a terrible business," then remarked Constance. "Did he let you sleep last night?" "Oh! yes, he had good habits, you know; he never troubled me at night. But this morning he was stupefied and began to cry. Still, you see, he is fairly well behaved already. Besides, I never had more trouble than this with the other ones." Beauchêne was standing there, listening, and, as usual, smoking a cigar. Constance appealed to him: "You are lucky. But you, dear, remember--don't you?--what a life Maurice led us when his nurse went away. For three whole nights we were unable to sleep." "But just look how your Maurice is playing!" exclaimed Beauchêne. "Yet you'll be telling me again that he is ill." "Oh! I no longer say that, my friend; he is quite well now. Besides, I was never anxious; I know that he is very strong." A great game of hide-and-seek was going on in the garden, along the paths and even over the flower-beds, among the eight children who were assembled there. Besides the four of the house--Blaise, Denis, Ambroise, and Rose--there were Gaston and Lucie, the two elder children of the Séguins, who had abstained, however, from bringing their other daughter--little Andrée. Then, too, both Reine and Maurice were present. And the latter now, indeed, seemed to be all right upon his legs, though his square face with its heavy jaw still remained somewhat pale. His mother watched him running about, and felt so happy and so vain at the realization of her dream that she became quite amiable even towards these poor relatives the Froments, whose retirement into the country seemed to her like an incomprehensible downfall, which forever thrust them out of her social sphere. "Ah! well," resumed Beauchêne, "I've only one boy, but he's a sturdy fellow, I warrant it; isn't he, Mathieu?"