"What's the use?" said she, in rather a more disagreeable tone than usual. "I am sure he would much prefer to come alone. Beside, I want you both. Go into the garden to get me something to make a salad of. Come now!" These last two words settled the matter, and the children were soon off, without another word about the expedition to the sea-shore. "That's strange," thought I to myself; "I wonder if this Pierre can be a bad father, or at any rate a bad husband?" A few minutes afterward he came in. As if to strengthen this bad impression of mine, I noticed that Alphonsine never moved when he entered, and did not attempt to offer her hand or cheek to him. She did not even welcome him with a smile. No, she contented herself with taking a slate down from the wall, the pencil belonging to which was already in her hand: "How much?" said she, coolly. Pierre Prévost pulled out of his pocket a great leather purse, and detailed, day by day, how much he had made by the sale of his fish. After which, he put down the money upon the corner of the table. All this time the woman was eagerly dotting down the various sums on the slate. Then she gravely added them all up, and determinedly counted out every sou. By great good luck the figures tallied with the money. Then Alphonsine shut up the money in a drawer, and locked it very securely. Meanwhile Pierre repocketed his leather purse, which he had just emptied, never attempting to grumble in the least, and going through the task as methodically as possible. "I was quite wrong in forming so hasty an opinion," thought I to myself, as I witnessed this peculiar scene; "Pierre is not such a bad fellow, after all." It was not long before the young ones made a second burst into the room, making rather more noise than they did on the first occasion. They were not long in scrambling on to Pierre's knees, and smothering him with kisses, and it was all done so heartily, with such warmth, and so naturally, that I could not help exclaiming to myself, "Why, he's a capital father, after all!" But, judge, of my astonishment when I heard their pretty voices call out, "Oh! we're so glad to see you back again, dear uncle Pierre!" Then he was their uncle, after all, and he was not married to Alphonsine. But was he her brother, or merely a brother-in-law? And yet she seemed so entirely to have the upper-hand over him. It certainly was a very remarkable coincidence. But what surprised me most of all was the fatherly affection that Pierre Prévost seemed to have for the two children. He took them on his knees, and played with them, and appeared to make so much of them, that I, who was a silent spectator of this little scene, became really quite interested.