Page:Villette.djvu/99

92 her absence to rob the robber. Désirée proved herself the true daughter of her astute parent, by never suffering either her countenance or manner to betray the least sign of mortification on discovering the loss.

The second child Fifine, was said to be like its dead father. Certainly, though the mother had given it her healthy frame, her blue eye and ruddy cheek, not from her was deprived its moral being. It was an honest, gleeful little soul: a passionate, warm-tempered, bustling creature it was too, and of the sort likely to blunder often into perils and difficulties. One day it bethought itself to fall from top to bottom of a steep flight of stone steps; and when madame, hearing the noise (she always heard every noise), issued from the salle à mangerdining-room [sic] and picked it up, she said quietly,—

"Cet enfant a un os de casséThis child has a broken bone [sic]".

At first we hoped this was not the case. It was however, but too true: one little plump arm hung powerless.

"Let meess" (meaning me) "take her", said madame; "et qu'on aille tout de suite chercher un fiacreand we go immediately for a taxicab [sic]".

In a fiacrecarraige [sic] she promptly, but with admirable coolness and self-possession, departed to fetch a surgeon.

It appeared she did not find the family-surgeon at home; but that mattered not: she sought until she laid her hand on a substitute to her mind, and brought him back with her. Meantime I had cut the child's sleeve from its arm, undressed and put it to bed.

We none of us, I suppose (by we I mean the bonnehousemaid [sic], the cook, the portress, myself, all which personages were now gathered in the small and heated chamber), looked very scrutinizingly at the new doctor when he came into the room. I, at least, was taken up with endeavoring to soothe Fifine; whose cries (for she had good lungs) were appalling to hear. These cries redoubled in intensity as the stranger approached her bed; when he took her up, "Let alone!" she cried passionately, in her broken English (for she spoke English as did the other children). "I will not you: I will Dr. Phillule!".

"And Dr. Phillule is my very good friend", was the answer, in perfect English; "but he is busy at a place three leagues off, and I come in his stead. So now, when we get a little calmer, we must commence business; and we will soon have that unlucky little arm bandaged and in right order".