"Oh! how kind, generous, and rich must M.Hardy be, to spend so much money in doing good!"
"I am going to astonish you, mademoiselle!" said Agricola, with a smile;
"to astonish you so much, that perhaps you will not believe me."
"Why so, M.Agricola?"
"There is not certainly in the world a man with a better and more generous heart than M.Hardy; he does good for its own sake and without thinking of his personal interest.And yet, Mdlle.Angela, were he the most selfish and avaricious of men, he would still find it greatly to his advantage to put us in a position to be as comfortable as we are."
"Is it possible, M.Agricola? You tell me so, and I believe it; but if good can so easily be done, if there is even an advantage in doing it, why is it not more commonly attempted?"
"Ah! mademoiselle, it requires three gifts very rarely met with in the same person--knowledge, power and will."
"Alas! yes.Those who have the knowledge, have not the power."
"And those who have the power, have neither the knowledge nor the will."
"But how does M.Hardy find any advantage in the good he does for you?"
"I will explain that presently, mademoiselle."
"Oh, what a nice, sweet smell of fruit!" said Angela, suddenly.
"Our common fruit-store is close at hand.I wager we shall find there some of the little birds from the dormitory--not occupied in picking and stealing, but hard at work."
Opening a door, Agricola led Angela into a large room, furnished with shelves, on which the winter fruits were arranged in order.A number of children, from seven to eight years old, neatly and warmly clad, and glowing with health, exerted themselves cheerfully, under the superintendence of a woman, in separating and sorting the spoiled fruit.
"You see," said Agricola, "wherever it is possible, we make use of the children.These occupations are amusements for them, answering to the need of movement and activity natural to their age; and, in this way, we can employ the grown girls and the women to much better advantage."
"True, M.Agricola; how well it is all arranged."
"And if you saw what services the urchins in the kitchen render!
Directed by one or two women, they do the work of eight or ten servants."
"In fact," said Angela, smiling, "at their age, we like so much to play at cooking dinner.They must be delighted."
"And, in the same way, under pretext of playing at gardening, they weed the ground, gather the fruit and vegetables, water the flowers, roll the paths, and so on.In a word, this army of infant-workers, who generally remain till ten or twelve years of age without being of any service, are here very useful.Except three hours of school, which is quite sufficient for them, from the age of six or seven their recreations are turned to good account, and the dear little creatures, by the saving of full-grown arms which they effect, actually gain more than they cost; and then, mademoiselle, do you not think there is something in the presence of childhood thus mixed up with every labor--something mild, pure, almost sacred, which has its influence on our words and actions, and imposes a salutary reserve? The coarsest man will respect the presence of children."
"The more one reflects, the more one sees that everything here is really designed for the happiness of all!" said Angela, in admiration.
"It has not been done without trouble.It was necessary to conquer prejudices, and break through customs.But see, Mdlle.Angela! here we are at the kitchen," added the smith, smiling; "is it not as imposing as that of a barrack or a public school?"
Indeed, the culinary department of the Common Dwelling-house was immense.
All its utensils were bright and clean; and thanks to the marvellous and economical inventions of modern science (which are always beyond the reach of the poorer classes, to whom they are most necessary, because they can only be practised on a large scale), not only the fire on the hearth, and in the stoves, was fed with half the quantity of fuel that would have been consumed by each family individually, but the excess of the caloric sufficed, with the aid of well-constructed tubes, to spread a mild and equal warmth through all parts of the house.And here also children, under the direction of two women, rendered numerous services.
Nothing could be more comic than the serious manner in which they performed their culinary functions; it was the same with the assistance they gave in the bakehouse, where, at an extraordinary saving in the price (for they bought flour wholesale), they made an excellent household bread, composed of pure wheat and rye, so preferable to that whiter bread, which too often owes its apparent qualities to some deleterious substance.
"Good-day, Dame Bertrand," said Agricola, gayly, to a worthy matron, who was gravely contemplating the slow evolution of several spits, worthy of Gamache's Wedding so heavily were they laden with pieces of beef, mutton, and veal, which began to assume a fine golden brown color of the most attractive kind; good-day, Dame Bertrand.According to the rule, I do not pass the threshold of the kitchen.I only wish it to be admired by this young lady, who is a new-comer amongst us."
"Admire, my lad, pray admire--and above all take notice, how good these brats are, and how well they work!" So saying, the matron pointed with the long ladle, which served her as a sceptre, to some fifteen children of both ***es, seated round a table, and deeply absorbed in the exercise of their functions, which consisted in peeling potatoes and picking herbs.
"We are, I see, to have a downright Belshazzar's feast, Dame Bertrand?"
said Agricola, laughing.
"Faith, a feast like we have always, my lad.Here is our bill of fare for to-day.A good vegetable soup, roast beef with potatoes, salad, fruit, cheese; and for extras, it being Sunday, some currant tarts made by Mother Denis at the bakehouse, where the oven is heating now."