One day, one of the flower women, an honest old soul, who had often noticed the little nurse when she was taking the two children to walk, said to Violette, who seemed to be admiring her bouquets:
"Well, my girl, what have you done with the brats that you always brought here to walk? For I know you, I have looked after you very often; and bless my soul, it don't seem to me that anyone had any reason to complain of you. You didn't run about from one place to another. You didn't talk with a lot of people, as most of the nurses do that have children to take care of! Mon Dieu! if nothing happens to the young ones, it isn't the fault of those young women, who attend to everything else except the children that are in their care!"
"Alas! madame, my mistress has gone to England with her children."
"And you didn't want to leave your country, eh?"
"Oh! I would have been glad to go with madame, but she didn't choose to take me!"
"And she left you like that, without getting another place for you--a girl of your age, who took such good care of her little ones? Ah! that isn't right, that isn't. That mistress of yours can't be good for much!--But what are you doing now, my child?"
"I am looking for another place, madame, but I haven't found it yet. Luckily I saved money at my mistress's; I earned a hundred francs a year!"
"Is that all? Well, upon my word! she wasn't very generous, that mistress of yours!"
"Oh! I had quite enough; I didn't spend anything except to dress myself; and now I have some clothes and sixty francs of my own; I spend so little to live; I get along with five or six sous a day."
"Poor child! In that case, you're not much of a glutton; why, you must live on bread and water."
"I beg pardon, I have a sou's worth of milk every morning; bread dipped in milk is so good!"
"Bless my soul! It is good for those who like milk! But no matter, that diet will soon take away your fresh color. I say, you must be very fond of flowers to look at them so long, as if you wanted to kiss them!"
"Flowers! oh! I am mad over them, madame, I am never tired of gazing at them."
"So, so! and how would you like to sell them, to make bouquets as I do?"
"Make bouquets! live among flowers! you ask me if I would like that? Oh, madame! that would be the happiest life for me. It seems to me that one has nothing more to wish for when one is a flower girl!"