"He loved the boy so much that he would not part with him. During the day, when he had to work in the shop, a good neighbor kept the urchin with her. But, the instant the grandfather returned home, he had but one thought on his mind, but one cry on his lips--'My little George.' He looked after him as lovingly as the best and tenderest of mothers. He ruined himself getting pretty clothes and pretty hats for the chap. He rigged the little fellow up to his own taste, and the grandfather was very proud of his grandchild. And so it came about that all the people in the neighborhood, who loved the worthy man greatly, began to call him the _nurse-father_." "But, George!" "In that way he brought up the boy, cared for him night and day, attended to all his needs, sent him to school, then to his apprenticeship, until--" "So much the worse!" cried out the old man, unable any longer to contain himself. "Seeing we are to tell the truth to each other, I shall have my turn, and we shall see! First of all, you were the son of my daughter Georgiana, whom I doted upon. I only did my duty--take that, to begin with--" "Neither have I done any more than my duty." "You? Don't tell me that!" cried the old man, vehemently brandishing his spoon. "You! This is what you did: Good luck saved you from drawing the lot of going into the army--" "Grandfather! Take care!" "Oh, you can not frighten me!" "You will upset your bowl of soup if you go on in that way." "I 'go on'! The devil take it! Do you think I have no blood left in my veins? Yes, answer, you who are always speaking of other people! When my infirmity began, what is it that you did, unhappy boy? You went in search of a merchant of men." "Grandfather, your soup will grow cold; for heaven's sake take it while it is warm." "Ta, ta, ta! You want to shut my mouth. I am not your dupe. Yes! And what did you say to the merchant of men? 'My grandfather is ailing; he can hardly any longer earn his living; I am his only support; I may fail him, either through sickness, or through lack of work; he is old; secure to him a little life annuity, and I shall sell myself to you.' And you did it!" cried the old man with tears in his eyes, and raising his spoon to the ceiling with such vehemence that, if George had not quickly seized the table it would have tumbled down to the floor with the bowl of soup and all. The young man exclaimed: "'Sdeath, grandfather! Keep quiet! You are carrying on like the devil in a sacristy. You will upset everything." "I don't care! It will not keep me from telling you why and how it came about that you became a soldier, and how you sold yourself for me--to a merchant of men--" "All that talk is a pretext to keep you from eating your soup. I see, you think it is not well made." "Just listen to him! I, find his soup bad! Well, well!" exclaimed the old man in pitiful accents, "That devil of a boy has made up his mind to break my heart!"