"He will work." "If you thought that he could work you wouldn't be so anxious to get rid of him. It is not for the money that's paid for their keep that you people take in lost children, it's for the work that you can get out of them. You make servants of them, they pay you and they themselves get no wages. If this child could have done much for you, you would have kept him." "Anyway, I should always have ten francs a month." "And if the Home, instead of letting you have him, gave him to some one else, you wouldn't get anything at all. Now with me you won't have to run for your money, all you have to do is to hold out your hand." He pulled a leather purse from his pocket, counting out four silver pieces of money; he threw them down on the table, making them ring as they fell. "But think," cried Barberin; "this child's parents will show up one day or the other." "What does that matter?" "Well, those who've brought him up will get something. If I hadn't thought of that I wouldn't have taken him in the first place." Oh! the wicked man! How I did dislike Barberin! "Now, look here, it's because you think his parents won't show up now that you're turning him out," said the old man. "Well, if by any chance they do appear, they'll go straight to you, not to me, for nobody knows me." "But if it's you who finds them?" "Well, in that case we'll go shares and I'll put thirty down for him now." "Make it forty." "No, for what he'll do for me that isn't possible." "What do you want him to do for you? For good legs, he's got good legs; for good arms, he's got good arms. I hold to what I said before. What are you going to do with him?" Then the old man looked at Barberin mockingly, then emptied his glass slowly: "He's just to keep me company. I'm getting old and at night I get a bit lonesome. When one is tired it's nice to have a child around." "Well, for that I'm sure his legs are strong enough." "Oh, not too much so, for he must also dance and jump and walk, and then walk and jump again. He'll take his place in Signor Vitalis' traveling company." "Where's this company?" "I am Signor Vitalis, and I'll show you the company right here." With this he opened the sheepskin and took out a strange animal which he held on his left arm, pressed against his chest. This was the animal that had several times raised the sheepskin, but it was not a little dog as I had thought. I found no name to give to this strange creature, which I saw for the first time. I looked at it in astonishment. It was dressed in a red coat trimmed with gold braid, but its arms and legs were bare, for they really were arms and legs, and not paws, but they were covered with a black, hairy skin, they were not white or pink. The head which was as large as a clenched fist was wide and short, the turned-up nose had spreading nostrils, and the lips were yellow. But what struck me more than anything, were the two eyes, close to each other, which glittered like glass.