initial commit of ebook 23063HEADmain

9 files changed, 3119 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/23063-8.txt b/23063-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19dcecc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,990 @@
+Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lost Child
+       1894
+
+Author: François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+Translator: J. Matthewman
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23063]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+THE LOST CHILD
+
+By François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+Translated by J. Matthewman
+
+Copyright, 1894, by The Current Literature Publishing Company.
+
+
+On that morning, which was the morning before Christmas, two
+important events happened simultaneously--the sun rose, and so did M.
+Jean-Baptiste Godefroy.
+
+Unquestionably the sun, illuminating suddenly the whole of Paris with
+its morning rays, is an old friend regarded with affection by everybody,
+It is particularly welcome after a fortnight of misty atmosphere and
+gray skies, when the wind has cleared the air and allowed the sun's rays
+to reach the earth again. Besides all of which the sun is a person of
+importance. Formerly, he was regarded as a god, and was called Osiris,
+Apollyon, and I don't know what else. But do not imagine that because
+the sun is so important he is of greater influence than M. Jean-Baptiste
+Godefroy, millionaire banker, director of the _Comptoir Général de
+Crédit_, administrator of several big companies, deputy and member of
+the General Counsel of the Eure, officer of the Legion of Honor, etc.,
+etc. And whatever opinion the sun may have about himself, he certainly
+has not a higher opinion than M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy has of
+_him_self. So we are authorized to state, and we consider ourselves
+justified in stating, that on the morning in question, at about a
+quarter to eight, the sun and M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy rose.
+
+Certainly the manner of rising of these two great powers mentioned
+was not the same. The good old sun began by doing a great many pretty
+actions. As the sleet had, during the night, covered the bare branches
+of the trees in the boulevard Malesherbes, where the _hôtel_ Godefroy is
+situated, with a powdered coating, the great magician sun amused himself
+by transforming the branches into great bouquets of red coral. At the
+same time he scattered his rays impartially on those poor passers-by
+whom necessity sent out, so early in the morning, to gain their daily
+bread, He even had a smile for the poor clerk, who, in a thin overcoat,
+was hurrying to his office, as well as for the _grisette_, shivering
+under her thin, insufficient clothing; for the workman carrying half a
+loaf under his arm, for the car-conductor as he punched the tickets, and
+for the dealer in roast chestnuts, who was roasting his first panful. In
+short, the sun gave pleasure to everybody in the world. M. Jean-Baptiste
+Godefroy, on the contrary, rose in quite a different frame of mind. On
+the previous evening he had dined with the Minister for Agriculture.
+The dinner, from the removal of the _potage_ to the salad, bristled with
+truffles, and the banker's stomach, aged forty-seven years, experienced
+the burning and biting of pyrosis. So the manner in which M.
+Jean-Baptiste Godefroy rang for his valet-de-chambre was so expressive
+that, as he got some warm water for his master's shaving, Charles said
+to the kitchen-maid:
+
+"There he goes! The monkey is barbarously ill-tempered again this
+morning. My poor Gertrude, we're going to have a miserable day."
+
+Whereupon, walking on tiptoe, with eyes modestly cast down, he entered
+the chamber of his master, opened the curtains, lit the fire, and made
+all the necessary preparations for the toilet with the discreet demeanor
+and respectful gestures of a sacristan placing the sacred vessels on the
+altar for the priest.
+
+"What sort of weather this morning?" demanded M. Godefroy curtly, as he
+buttoned his undervest of gray swandown upon a stomach that was already
+a little too prominent.
+
+"Very cold, sir," replied Charles meekly. "At six o'clock the
+thermometer marked seven degrees above zero. But, as you will see,
+sir, the sky is quite clear, and I think we are going to have a fine
+morning."
+
+In stropping his razor, M. Godefroy approached the window, drew aside
+one of the hangings, looked on the boulevard, which was bathed in
+brightness, and made a slight grimace which bore some resemblance to a
+smile.
+
+It is all very well to be perfectly stiff and correct, and to know
+that it is bad taste to show feeling of any kind in the presence of
+domestics, but the appearance of the roguish sun in the middle of
+December sends such a glow of warmth to the heart that it is impossible
+to disguise the fact. So M. Godefroy deigned, as before observed, to
+smile. If some one had whispered to the opulent banker that his smile
+had anything in common with that of the printer's boy, who was enjoying
+himself by making a slide on the pavement, M. Godefroy would have been
+highly incensed. But it really was so all the same; and during the space
+of one minute this man who was so occupied by business matters, this
+leading light in the financial and political worlds, indulged in the
+childish pastime of watching the passers-by, and following with his eyes
+the files of conveyances as they gaily rolled in the sunshine.
+
+But pray do not be alarmed. Such a weakness could not last long. People
+of no account, and those who have nothing to do, may be able to
+let their time slip by in doing nothing. It is very well for women,
+children, poets, and riffraff. M. Godefroy had other fish to fry; and
+the work of the day which was commencing promised to be exceptionally
+heavy. From half-past eight to ten o'clock he had a meeting at his
+office with a certain number of gentlemen, all of whom bore a striking
+resemblance to M. Godefroy. Like him, they were very nervous; they had
+risen with the sun, they were all _blasés_, and they all had the same
+object in view--to gain money. After breakfast (which he took after
+the meeting), M. Godefroy had to leap into his carriage and rush to the
+Bourse, to exchange a few words with other gentlemen who had also risen
+at dawn, but who had not the least spark of imagination among them.
+(The conversations were always on the same subject--money.) From there,
+without losing an instant, M. Godefroy went to preside over another
+meeting of acquaintances entirely void of compassion and tenderness.
+The meeting was held round a baize-covered table, which was strewn with
+heaps of papers and well provided with ink-wells. The conversation again
+turned on money, and various methods of gaining it. After the aforesaid
+meeting he, in his capacity of deputy, had to appear before several
+commissions (always held in rooms where there were baize-covered tables
+and ink-wells and heaps of papers). There he found men as devoid of
+sentiment as he was, all utterly incapable of neglecting any occasion
+of gaining money, but who, nevertheless, had the extreme goodness to
+sacrifice several hours of the afternoon to the glory of France.
+
+After having quickly shaved he donned a morning suit, the elegant cut
+and finish of which showed that the old beau of nearly fifty had not
+ceased trying to please. When he shaved he spared the narrow strip
+of pepper-and-salt beard round his chin, as it gave him the air of a
+trust-worthy family man in the eyes of the Arrogants and of fools in
+general. Then he descended to his cabinet, where he received the file of
+men who were entirely occupied by one thought--that of augmenting their
+capital. These gentlemen discussed several projected enterprises, all
+of them of considerable importance, notably that of a new railroad to
+be laid across a wild desert. Another scheme was for the founding of
+monster works in the environs of Paris, another of a mine to be worked
+in one of the South American republics. It goes without saying that no
+one asked if the railway would have passengers or goods to carry, or if
+the proposed works should manufacture cotton nightcaps or distil whisky;
+whether the mine was to be of virgin gold or of second-rate copper:
+certainly not. The conversation of M. Godefroy's morning callers turned
+exclusively upon the profits which it would be possible to realize
+during the week which should follow the issue of the shares. They
+discussed particularly the values of the shares, which they knew would
+be destined before long to be worth less than the paper on which they
+were printed in fine style.
+
+These conversations, bristling with figures, lasted till ten o'clock
+precisely, and then the director of the _Comptoir Général de Crédit_,
+who, by the way, was an honest man--at least, as honest as is to be
+found in business--courteously conducted his last visitor to the head of
+the stairway. The visitor named was an old villain, as rich as Croesus,
+who, by a not uncommon chance, enjoyed the general esteem of the public;
+whereas, had justice been done to him, he would have been lodging at the
+expense of the State in one of those large establishments provided by a
+thoughtful government for smaller delinquents; and there he would have
+pursued a useful and healthy calling for a lengthy period, the exact
+length having been fixed by the judges of the supreme court. But M.
+Godefroy showed him out relentlessly, notwithstanding his importance--it
+was absolutely necessary to be at the Bourse at 11 o'clock--and went
+into the dining-room.
+
+It was a luxuriously furnished room. The furniture and plate would
+have served to endow a cathedral. Nevertheless, notwithstanding that M.
+Godefroy took a gulp of bicarbonate of soda, his indigestion refused
+to subside, consequently the banker could only take the scantiest
+breakfast--that of a dyspeptic. In the midst of such luxury, and under
+the eye of a well-paid butler, M. Godefroy could only eat a couple of
+boiled eggs and nibble a little mutton chop. The man of money trifled
+with dessert--took only a crumb of Roquefort--not more than two cents'
+worth. Then the door opened and an overdressed but charming little
+child--young Raoul, four years old--the son of the company director,
+entered the room, accompanied by his German nursery governess.
+
+This event occurred every day at the same hour--a quarter to eleven,
+precisely, while the carriage which was to take the banker to the Bourse
+was awaiting the gentleman who had only a quarter of an hour to give to
+paternal sentiment. It was not that he did not love his son. He did love
+him--nay, he adored him, in his own particular way. But then, you know,
+business _is_ business.
+
+At the age of forty-two, when already worldly-wise and _blasé_, he
+had fancied himself in love with the daughter of one of his club
+friends--Marquis de Neufontaine, an old rascal--a nobleman, but one
+whose card-playing was more than open to suspicion, and who would have
+been expelled from the club more than once but for the influence of M.
+Godefroy, The nobleman was only too happy to become the father-in-law of
+a man who would pay his debts, and without any scruples he handed over
+his daughter--a simple and ingenuous child of seventeen, who was taken
+from a convent to be married--to the worldly banker. The girl was
+certainly sweet and pretty, but she had no dowry except numerous
+aristocratic prejudices and romantic illusions, and her father thought
+he was fortunate in getting rid of her on such favorable terms. M.
+Godefroy, who was the son of an avowed old miser of Andelys, had always
+remained a man of the people, and intensely vulgar. In spite of his
+improved circumstances, he had not improved. His entire lack of tact and
+refinement was painful to his young wife, whose tenderest feelings
+he ruthlessly and thoughtlessly trampled upon. Things were looking
+unpromising, when, happily for her, Madame Godefroy died in giving birth
+to her firstborn. When he spoke of his deceased wife, the banker waxed
+poetical, although had she lived they would have been divorced in six
+months. His son he loved dearly for several reasons--first, because
+the child was an only son; secondly, because he was a scion of two such
+houses as Godefroy and Neufontaine; finally, because the man of money
+had naturally great respect for the heir to many millions. So the
+youngster had golden rattles and other similar toys, and was brought up
+like a young Dauphin. But his father, overwhelmed with business worries,
+could never give the child more than fifteen minutes per day of his
+precious time--and, as on the day mentioned, it was always during
+"cheese"--and for the rest of the day the father abandoned the child to
+the care of the servants.
+
+"Good morning, Raoul."
+
+"Good morning, papa."
+
+And the company director, having put his serviette away, sat young Raoul
+on his left knee, took the child's head between his big paws, and in
+stroking and kissing it actually forgot all his money matters and even
+his note of the afternoon, which was of great importance to him, as by
+it he could gain quite an important amount of patronage.
+
+"Papa," said little Raoul suddenly, "will Father Christmas put anything
+in my shoe tonight?"
+
+The father answered with "Yes, if you are a good child." This was
+very striking from a man who was a pronounced freethinker, who always
+applauded every anti-clerical attack in the Chamber with a vigorous
+"Hear, hear." He made a mental note that he must buy some toys for his
+child that very afternoon.
+
+Then he turned to the nursery governess with:
+
+"Are you quite satisfied with Raoul, Mademoiselle Bertha?"
+
+Mademoiselle Bertha became as red as a peony at being addressed, as
+if the question were scarcely _comme il faut_, and replied by a little
+imbecile snigger, which seemed fully to satisfy M. Godefroy's curiosity
+about his son's conduct.
+
+"It's fine to-day," said the financier, "but cold. If you take Raoul to
+Monceau Park, mademoiselle, please be careful to wrap him up well."
+
+Mademoiselle, by a second fit of idiotic smiling, having set at rest
+M. Godefroy's doubts and fears on that essential point, he kissed his
+child, left the room hastily, and in the hall was enveloped in his fur
+coat by Charles, who also closed the carriage door. Then the faithful
+fellow went off to the café which he frequented, Rue de Miromesnil,
+where he had promised to meet the coachman of the baroness who lived
+opposite, to play a game of billiards, thirty up--and spot-barred, of
+course.
+
+*****
+
+Thanks to the brown bay--for which a thousand francs over and above its
+value was paid by M. Godefroy as a result of a sumptuous snail supper
+given to that gentleman's coachman by the horse-dealer--thanks to the
+expensive brown bay which certainly went well, the financier was able to
+get through his many engagements satisfactorily. He appeared punctually
+at the Bourse, sat at several committee tables, and at a quarter to
+five, by voting with the ministry, he helped to reassure France
+and Europe that the rumors of a ministerial crisis had been totally
+unfounded. He voted with the ministry because he had succeeded in
+obtaining the favors which he demanded as the price of his vote.
+
+After he had thus nobly fulfilled his duty to himself and his country,
+M. Godefroy remembered what he had said to his child on the subject of
+Father Christmas, and gave his coachman the address of a dealer in toys.
+There he bought, and had put in his carriage, a fantastic rocking-horse,
+mounted on casters--a whip in each ear; a box of leaden soldiers--all as
+exactly alike as those grenadiers of the Russian regiment of the time
+of Paul I, who all had black hair and snub noses; and a score of other
+toys, all equally striking and costly. Then, as he returned home, softly
+reposing in his well-swung carriage, the rich banker, who, after all,
+was a father, began to think with pride of his little boy and to form
+plans for his future.
+
+When the child grew up he should have an education worthy of a prince,
+and he would be one, too, for there was no longer any aristocracy except
+that of money, and his boy would have a capital of about 80,000,000
+francs.
+
+If his father, a pettifogging provincial lawyer, who had formerly dined
+in the Latin Quarter when in Paris, who had remarked every evening when
+putting on a white tie that he looked as fine as if he were going to a
+wedding--if he had been able to accumulate an enormous fortune, and to
+become thereby a power in the republic; if he had been able to obtain in
+marriage a young lady, one of whose ancestors had fallen at Marignano,
+what an important personage little Raoul might become. M. Godefroy built
+all sorts of air-castles for his boy, forgetting that Christmas is the
+birthday of a very poor little child, son of a couple of vagrants, born
+in a stable, where the parents only found lodging through charity.
+
+In the midst of the banker's dreams the coachman cried: "Door, please,"
+and drove into the yard. As he went up the steps M. Godefroy was
+thinking that he had barely time to dress for dinner; but on entering
+the vestibule he found all the domestics crowded in front of him in a
+state of alarm and confusion. In a corner, crouching on a seat, was the
+German nursery-governess, crying. When she saw the banker she buried her
+face in her hands and wept still more copiously than before. M. Godefroy
+felt that some misfortune had happened.
+
+"What's the meaning of all this? What's amiss? What has happened?"
+
+Charles, the _valet de chambre_, a sneaking rascal of the worst type,
+looked at his master with eyes full of pity and stammered: "Mr. Raoul--"
+
+"My boy?"
+
+"Lost, sir. The stupid German did it. Since four o'clock this afternoon
+he has not been seen."
+
+The father staggered back like one who had been hit by a ball. The
+German threw herself at his feet, screaming: "Mercy, mercy!" and the
+domestics all spoke at the same time.
+
+"Bertha didn't go to _parc Monceau_. She lost the child over there on the
+fortifications. We have sought him all over, sir. We went to the office
+for you, sir, and then to the Chamber, but you had just left. Just
+imagine, the German had a rendezvous with her lover every day, beyond
+the ramparts, near the gate of Asnières. What a shame! It is a place
+full of low gipsies and strolling players. Perhaps the child has been
+stolen. Yes, sir, we informed the police at once. How could we imagine
+such a thing? A hypocrite, that German! She had a rendezvous, doubtless,
+with a countryman--a Prussian spy, sure enough!"
+
+His son lost! M. Godefroy seemed to have a torrent of blood rushing
+through his head. He sprang at Mademoiselle, seized her by the arms and
+shook her furiously.
+
+"Where did you lose him, you miserable girl? Tell me the truth before I
+shake you to pieces. Do you hear? Do you hear?"
+
+But the unfortunate girl could only cry and beg for mercy.
+
+The banker tried to be calm. No, it was impossible. Nobody would dare
+to steal _his_ boy. Somebody would find him and bring him back. Of that
+there could be no doubt. He could scatter money about right and left,
+and could have the entire police force at his orders. And he would set
+to work at once, for not an instant should be lost.
+
+"Charles, don't let the horses be taken out. You others, see that this
+girl doesn't escape. I'm going to the Prefecture."
+
+And M. Godefroy, with his heart thumping against his sides as if it
+would break them, his hair wild with fright, darted into his carriage,
+which at once rolled off as fast as the horses could take it. What
+irony! The carriage was full of glittering playthings, which sparkled
+every time a gaslight shone on them. For the next day was the birthday
+of the divine Infant at whose cradle wise men and simple shepherds alike
+adored.
+
+"My poor little Raoul! Poor darling! Where is my boy?" repeated the
+father as in his anguish he dug his nails into the cushions of the
+carriage.
+
+At that moment all his titles and decorations, his honors, his millions,
+were valueless to him. He had one single idea burning in his brain. "My
+poor child! Where is my child?"
+
+At last he reached the Prefecture of Police. But no one was there--the
+office had been deserted for some time.
+
+"I am M. Godefroy, deputy from L'Eure--My little boy is lost in Paris;
+a child of four years. I must see the Prefect." He slipped a louis into
+the hand of the _concierge_.
+
+The good old soul, a veteran with a gray mustache, less for the sake
+of the money than out of compassion for the poor father, led him to the
+Prefect's private apartments. M. Godefroy was finally ushered into the
+room of the man in whom were centred all his hopes. He was in evening
+dress, and wore a monocle; his manner was frigid and rather pretentious.
+The distressed father, whose knees trembled through emotion, sank into
+an armchair, and, bursting into tears, told of the loss of his boy--told
+the story stammeringly and with many breaks, for his voice was choked by
+sobs.
+
+The Prefect, who was also father of a family, was inwardly moved at the
+sight of his visitor's grief, but he repressed his emotion and assumed a
+cold and self-important air.
+
+"You say, sir, that your child has been missing since four o'clock?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Just when night was falling, confound it. He isn't at all precocious,
+speaks very little, doesn't know where he lives, and can't even
+pronounce his own name?"
+
+"Unfortunately that is so."
+
+"Not far from Asnières gate? A suspected quarter. But cheer up. We have
+a very intelligent _Commissaire de Police_ there. I'll telephone to
+him."
+
+The distressed father was left alone for five minutes. How his temples
+throbbed and his heartbeat!
+
+Then, suddenly, the Prefect reappeared, smiling with satisfaction.
+"Found!"
+
+Whereupon M. Godefroy rushed to the Prefect, whose hand he pressed till
+that functionary winced with the pain.
+
+"I must acknowledge that we were exceedingly fortunate. The little chap
+is blond, isn't he? Rather pale? In blue velvet? Black felt hat, with a
+white feather in it?"
+
+"Yes, yes; that's he. That's my little Raoul."
+
+"Well, he's at the house of a poor fellow down in that quarter who
+had just been at the police office to make his declaration to the
+Commissaire. Here's his address, which I took down: '_Pierron, rue des
+Cailloux, Levaïlois-Perret_.' With good horses you may reach your boy
+in less than an hour. Certainly, you won't find him in an aristocratic
+quarter; his surroundings won't be of the highest. The man who found him
+is only a small dealer in vegetables."
+
+But that was of no importance to M. Godefroy, who, having expressed his
+gratitude to the Prefect, leaped down the stairs four at a time, and
+sprang into his carriage. At that moment he realized how devotedly he
+loved his child. As he drove away he no longer thought of little Raoul's
+princely education and magnificent inheritance. He was decided never
+again to hand over the child entirely to the hands of servants, and he
+also made up his mind to devote less time to monetary matters and the
+glory of France and attend more to his own. The thought also occurred
+to him that France wouldn't be likely to suffer from the neglect. He had
+hitherto been ashamed to recognize the existence of an old-maid sister
+of his father, but he decided to send for her to his house. She would
+certainly shock his lackeys by her primitive manners and ideas. But what
+of that? She would take care of his boy, which to him was of much more
+importance than the good opinion of his servants. The financier, who
+was always in a hurry, never felt so eager to arrive punctually at a
+committee meeting as he was to reach the lost little one. For the first
+time in his life he was longing through pure affection to take the child
+in his arms.
+
+The carriage rolled rapidly along in the clear, crisp night air down
+boulevard Malesherbes; and, having crossed the ramparts and passed the
+large houses, plunged into the quiet solitude of suburban streets. When
+the carriage stopped M. Godefroy saw a wretched hovel, on which was the
+number he was seeking; it was the house where Pierron lived. The door of
+the house opened immediately, and a big, rough-looking fellow with red
+mustache appeared. One of his sleeves was empty. Seeing the gentleman
+in the carriage, Pierron said cheerily: "So you are the little one's
+father. Don't be afraid. The little darling is quite safe," and,
+stepping aside in order to allow M. Godefroy to pass, he placed his
+finger on his lips with: "Hush! The little one is asleep!"
+
+Yes, it was a real hovel. By the dim light of a little oil lamp M.
+Godefroy could just distinguish a dresser from which a drawer was
+missing, some broken chairs, a round table on which stood a beer-mug
+which was half empty, three glasses, some cold meat on a plate, and on
+the bare plaster of the wall two gaudy pictures--a bird's-eye view of
+the Exposition of 1889, with the Eiffel Tower in bright blue, and the
+portrait of General Boulanger when a handsome young lieutenant. This
+last evidence of weakness of the tenant of the house may well be
+excused, since it was shared by nearly everybody in France. The man took
+the lamp and went on tiptoe to the corner of the room where, on a clean
+bed, two little fellows were fast asleep. In the little one, around whom
+the other had thrown a protecting arm, M. Godefroy recognized his son.
+
+"The youngsters were tired to death, and so sleepy," said Pierron,
+trying to soften his rough voice. "I had no idea when you would come,
+so gave them some supper and put them to bed, and then I went to make
+a declaration at the police office. Zidore generally sleeps up in the
+garret, but I thought they would be better here, and that I should be
+better able to watch them."
+
+M. Godefroy, however, scarcely heard the explanation. Strangely moved,
+he looked at the two sleeping infants on an iron bedstead and covered
+with an old blanket which had once been used either in barracks or
+hospital. Little Raoul, who was still in his velvet suit, looked so
+frail and delicate compared with his companion that the banker almost
+envied the latter his brown complexion.
+
+"Is he your boy?" he asked Pierron.
+
+"No," answered he. "I am a bachelor, and don't suppose I shall ever
+marry, because of my accident. You see, a dray passed over my arm--that
+was all. Two years ago a neighbor of mine died, when that child was
+only five years old. The poor mother really died of starvation. She wove
+wreaths for the cemeteries, but could make nothing worth mentioning at
+that trade--not enough to live. However, she worked for the child for
+five years, and then the neighbors had to buy wreaths for her. So I took
+care of the youngster. Oh, it was nothing much, and I was soon repaid.
+He is seven years old, and is a sharp little fellow, so he helps me a
+great deal. On Sundays and Thursdays, and the other days after school,
+he helps me push my handcart. Zidore is a smart little chap. It was he
+who found your boy."
+
+"What!" exclaimed M. Godefroy--"that child!"
+
+"Oh, he's quite a little man, I assure you. When he left school he found
+your child, who was walking on ahead, crying like a fountain. He spoke
+to him and comforted him, like an old grandfather. The difficulty is,
+that one can't easily understand what your little one says--English
+words are mixed up with German and French. So we couldn't get much out
+of him, nor could we learn his address. Zidore brought him to me--I
+wasn't far away; and then all the old women in the place came round
+chattering and croaking like so many frogs, and all full of advice.
+
+"'Take him to the police,'" said some.
+
+But Zidore protested.
+
+"That would scare him," said he, for like all Parisians, he has no
+particular liking for the police-- "and besides, your little one didn't
+wish to leave him. So I came back here with the child as soon as I
+could. They had supper, and then off to bed. Don't they look sweet?"
+
+When he was in his carriage, M. Godefroy had decided to reward the
+finder of his child handsomely--to give him a handful of that gold so
+easily gained. Since entering the house he had seen a side of human
+nature with which he was formerly unacquainted--the brave charity of
+the poor in their misery. The courage of the poor girl who had worked
+herself to death weaving wreaths to keep her child; the generosity of
+the poor cripple in adopting the orphan, and above all, the intelligent
+goodness of the little street Arab in protecting the child who was still
+smaller than himself--all this touched M. Godefroy deeply and set him
+reflecting. For the thought had occurred to him that there were other
+cripples who needed to be looked after as well as Pierron, and other
+orphans as well as Zidore. He also debated whether it would not be
+better to employ his time looking after them, and whether money might
+not be put to a better use than merely gaining money. Such was his
+reverie as he stood looking at the two sleeping children. Finally, he
+turned round to study the features of the greengrocer, and was charmed
+by the loyal expression in the face of the man, and his clear, truthful
+eyes.
+
+"My friend," said M. Godefroy, "you and your adopted son have rendered
+me an immense service. I shall soon prove to you that I am not
+ungrateful. But, for to-day--I see that you are not in comfortable
+circumstances, and I should like to leave a small proof of my
+thankfulness."
+
+But the hand of the cripple arrested that of the banker, which was
+diving into his coat-pocket where he kept bank-notes.
+
+"No, sir; no! Anybody else should have done just as we have done. I will
+not accept any recompense; but pray don't take offense. Certainly, I
+am not rolling in wealth, but please excuse my pride--that of an old
+soldier; I have the Tonquin medal--and I don't wish to eat food which I
+haven't earned."
+
+"As you like," said the financier; "but an old soldier like you is
+capable of something better. You are too good to push a handcart. I will
+make some arrangement for you, never fear."
+
+The cripple responded by a quiet smile, and said coldly: "Well, sir, if
+you really wish to do something for me--"
+
+"You'll let me care for Zidore, won't you?" cried M. Godefroy, eagerly.
+
+"That I will, with the greatest of pleasure," responded Pierron,
+joyfully. "I have often, thought about the child's future. He is a sharp
+little fellow. His teachers are delighted with him."
+
+Then Pierron suddenly stopped, and an expression came over his face
+which M. Godefroy at once interpreted as one of distrust. The thought
+evidently was: "Oh, when he has once left us he'll forget us entirely."
+
+"You can safely pick the child up in your arms and take him to the
+carriage. He'll be better at home than here, of course. Oh, you needn't
+be afraid of disturbing him. He is fast asleep, and you can just pick
+him up. He must have his shoes on first, though."
+
+Following Pierron's glance M. Godefroy perceived on the hearth, where
+a scanty coke fire was dying out, two pairs of children's shoes;--the
+elegant ones of Raoul, and the rough ones of Zidore. Each pair contained
+a little toy and a package of bonbons.
+
+"Don't think about that," said Pierron in an abashed tone. "Zidore put
+the shoes there. You know children still believe in Christmas and the
+child Jesus, whatever scholars may say about fables; so, as I came back
+from the _commissaire_, as I didn't know whether your boy would have to
+stay here to-night, I got those things for them both."
+
+At which the eyes of M. Godefroy, the freethinker, the hardened
+capitalist, and _blasé_ man of the world, filled with tears.
+
+He rushed out of the house, but returned in a minute with his arms full
+of the superb mechanical horse, the box of leaden soldiers, and the rest
+of the costly playthings bought by him in the afternoon, and which had
+not even been taken out of the carriage.
+
+"My friend, my dear friend," said he to the greengrocer, "see, these are
+the presents which Christmas has brought to my little Raoul. I want him
+to find them here, when he awakens, and to share them with Zidore, who
+will henceforth be his playmate and friend. You'll trust me now, won't
+you? I'll take care both of Zidore and of you, and then I shall ever
+remain in your debt, for not only have you found my boy, but you have
+also reminded me, who am rich and lived only for myself, that there are
+other poor who need to be looked after. I swear by these two sleeping
+children, I won't forget them any longer."
+
+Such is the miracle which happened on the 24th of December of last year,
+ladies and gentlemen, at Paris, in the full flow of modern egotism. It
+doesn't sound likely--that I own; and I am compelled to attribute this
+miraculous event to the influence of the Divine Child who came down to
+earth nearly nineteen centuries ago to command men to love one another.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+***** This file should be named 23063-8.txt or 23063-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/0/6/23063/
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/23063-8.zip b/23063-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0540de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063-8.zip
diff --git a/23063-h.zip b/23063-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a3f7fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063-h.zip
diff --git a/23063-h/23063-h.htm b/23063-h/23063-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..831f04e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063-h/23063-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,1123 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
+
+<!DOCTYPE html
+   PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+   "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" >
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      The Lost Child, by François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+    
+    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+    
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lost Child
+       1894
+
+Author: François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+Translator: J. Matthewman
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23063]
+Last Updated: January 26, 2013
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <div style="height: 8em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      THE LOST CHILD
+    </h1>
+    <h2>
+      By François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h4>
+      Translated by J. Matthewman <br /> <br /> Copyright, 1894, by The Current
+      Literature Publishing Company.
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On that morning, which was the morning before Christmas, two important
+      events happened simultaneously&mdash;the sun rose, and so did M.
+      Jean-Baptiste Godefroy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unquestionably the sun, illuminating suddenly the whole of Paris with its
+      morning rays, is an old friend regarded with affection by everybody, It is
+      particularly welcome after a fortnight of misty atmosphere and gray skies,
+      when the wind has cleared the air and allowed the sun's rays to reach the
+      earth again. Besides all of which the sun is a person of importance.
+      Formerly, he was regarded as a god, and was called Osiris, Apollyon, and I
+      don't know what else. But do not imagine that because the sun is so
+      important he is of greater influence than M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy,
+      millionaire banker, director of the <i>Comptoir Général de Crédit</i>,
+      administrator of several big companies, deputy and member of the General
+      Counsel of the Eure, officer of the Legion of Honor, etc., etc. And
+      whatever opinion the sun may have about himself, he certainly has not a
+      higher opinion than M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy has of <i>him</i>self. So we
+      are authorized to state, and we consider ourselves justified in stating,
+      that on the morning in question, at about a quarter to eight, the sun and
+      M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Certainly the manner of rising of these two great powers mentioned was not
+      the same. The good old sun began by doing a great many pretty actions. As
+      the sleet had, during the night, covered the bare branches of the trees in
+      the boulevard Malesherbes, where the <i>hôtel</i> Godefroy is situated,
+      with a powdered coating, the great magician sun amused himself by
+      transforming the branches into great bouquets of red coral. At the same
+      time he scattered his rays impartially on those poor passers-by whom
+      necessity sent out, so early in the morning, to gain their daily bread, He
+      even had a smile for the poor clerk, who, in a thin overcoat, was hurrying
+      to his office, as well as for the <i>grisette</i>, shivering under her
+      thin, insufficient clothing; for the workman carrying half a loaf under
+      his arm, for the car-conductor as he punched the tickets, and for the
+      dealer in roast chestnuts, who was roasting his first panful. In short,
+      the sun gave pleasure to everybody in the world. M. Jean-Baptiste
+      Godefroy, on the contrary, rose in quite a different frame of mind. On the
+      previous evening he had dined with the Minister for Agriculture. The
+      dinner, from the removal of the <i>potage</i> to the salad, bristled with
+      truffles, and the banker's stomach, aged forty-seven years, experienced
+      the burning and biting of pyrosis. So the manner in which M. Jean-Baptiste
+      Godefroy rang for his valet-de-chambre was so expressive that, as he got
+      some warm water for his master's shaving, Charles said to the
+      kitchen-maid:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "There he goes! The monkey is barbarously ill-tempered again this morning.
+      My poor Gertrude, we're going to have a miserable day."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon, walking on tiptoe, with eyes modestly cast down, he entered the
+      chamber of his master, opened the curtains, lit the fire, and made all the
+      necessary preparations for the toilet with the discreet demeanor and
+      respectful gestures of a sacristan placing the sacred vessels on the altar
+      for the priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What sort of weather this morning?" demanded M. Godefroy curtly, as he
+      buttoned his undervest of gray swandown upon a stomach that was already a
+      little too prominent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Very cold, sir," replied Charles meekly. "At six o'clock the thermometer
+      marked seven degrees above zero. But, as you will see, sir, the sky is
+      quite clear, and I think we are going to have a fine morning."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In stropping his razor, M. Godefroy approached the window, drew aside one
+      of the hangings, looked on the boulevard, which was bathed in brightness,
+      and made a slight grimace which bore some resemblance to a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is all very well to be perfectly stiff and correct, and to know that it
+      is bad taste to show feeling of any kind in the presence of domestics, but
+      the appearance of the roguish sun in the middle of December sends such a
+      glow of warmth to the heart that it is impossible to disguise the fact. So
+      M. Godefroy deigned, as before observed, to smile. If some one had
+      whispered to the opulent banker that his smile had anything in common with
+      that of the printer's boy, who was enjoying himself by making a slide on
+      the pavement, M. Godefroy would have been highly incensed. But it really
+      was so all the same; and during the space of one minute this man who was
+      so occupied by business matters, this leading light in the financial and
+      political worlds, indulged in the childish pastime of watching the
+      passers-by, and following with his eyes the files of conveyances as they
+      gaily rolled in the sunshine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But pray do not be alarmed. Such a weakness could not last long. People of
+      no account, and those who have nothing to do, may be able to let their
+      time slip by in doing nothing. It is very well for women, children, poets,
+      and riffraff. M. Godefroy had other fish to fry; and the work of the day
+      which was commencing promised to be exceptionally heavy. From half-past
+      eight to ten o'clock he had a meeting at his office with a certain number
+      of gentlemen, all of whom bore a striking resemblance to M. Godefroy. Like
+      him, they were very nervous; they had risen with the sun, they were all <i>blasés</i>,
+      and they all had the same object in view&mdash;to gain money. After
+      breakfast (which he took after the meeting), M. Godefroy had to leap into
+      his carriage and rush to the Bourse, to exchange a few words with other
+      gentlemen who had also risen at dawn, but who had not the least spark of
+      imagination among them. (The conversations were always on the same subject&mdash;money.)
+      From there, without losing an instant, M. Godefroy went to preside over
+      another meeting of acquaintances entirely void of compassion and
+      tenderness. The meeting was held round a baize-covered table, which was
+      strewn with heaps of papers and well provided with ink-wells. The
+      conversation again turned on money, and various methods of gaining it.
+      After the aforesaid meeting he, in his capacity of deputy, had to appear
+      before several commissions (always held in rooms where there were
+      baize-covered tables and ink-wells and heaps of papers). There he found
+      men as devoid of sentiment as he was, all utterly incapable of neglecting
+      any occasion of gaining money, but who, nevertheless, had the extreme
+      goodness to sacrifice several hours of the afternoon to the glory of
+      France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After having quickly shaved he donned a morning suit, the elegant cut and
+      finish of which showed that the old beau of nearly fifty had not ceased
+      trying to please. When he shaved he spared the narrow strip of
+      pepper-and-salt beard round his chin, as it gave him the air of a
+      trust-worthy family man in the eyes of the Arrogants and of fools in
+      general. Then he descended to his cabinet, where he received the file of
+      men who were entirely occupied by one thought&mdash;that of augmenting
+      their capital. These gentlemen discussed several projected enterprises,
+      all of them of considerable importance, notably that of a new railroad to
+      be laid across a wild desert. Another scheme was for the founding of
+      monster works in the environs of Paris, another of a mine to be worked in
+      one of the South American republics. It goes without saying that no one
+      asked if the railway would have passengers or goods to carry, or if the
+      proposed works should manufacture cotton nightcaps or distil whisky;
+      whether the mine was to be of virgin gold or of second-rate copper:
+      certainly not. The conversation of M. Godefroy's morning callers turned
+      exclusively upon the profits which it would be possible to realize during
+      the week which should follow the issue of the shares. They discussed
+      particularly the values of the shares, which they knew would be destined
+      before long to be worth less than the paper on which they were printed in
+      fine style.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These conversations, bristling with figures, lasted till ten o'clock
+      precisely, and then the director of the <i>Comptoir Général de Crédit</i>,
+      who, by the way, was an honest man&mdash;at least, as honest as is to be
+      found in business&mdash;courteously conducted his last visitor to the head
+      of the stairway. The visitor named was an old villain, as rich as Croesus,
+      who, by a not uncommon chance, enjoyed the general esteem of the public;
+      whereas, had justice been done to him, he would have been lodging at the
+      expense of the State in one of those large establishments provided by a
+      thoughtful government for smaller delinquents; and there he would have
+      pursued a useful and healthy calling for a lengthy period, the exact
+      length having been fixed by the judges of the supreme court. But M.
+      Godefroy showed him out relentlessly, notwithstanding his importance&mdash;it
+      was absolutely necessary to be at the Bourse at 11 o'clock&mdash;and went
+      into the dining-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a luxuriously furnished room. The furniture and plate would have
+      served to endow a cathedral. Nevertheless, notwithstanding that M.
+      Godefroy took a gulp of bicarbonate of soda, his indigestion refused to
+      subside, consequently the banker could only take the scantiest breakfast&mdash;that
+      of a dyspeptic. In the midst of such luxury, and under the eye of a
+      well-paid butler, M. Godefroy could only eat a couple of boiled eggs and
+      nibble a little mutton chop. The man of money trifled with dessert&mdash;took
+      only a crumb of Roquefort&mdash;not more than two cents' worth. Then the
+      door opened and an overdressed but charming little child&mdash;young
+      Raoul, four years old&mdash;the son of the company director, entered the
+      room, accompanied by his German nursery governess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This event occurred every day at the same hour&mdash;a quarter to eleven,
+      precisely, while the carriage which was to take the banker to the Bourse
+      was awaiting the gentleman who had only a quarter of an hour to give to
+      paternal sentiment. It was not that he did not love his son. He did love
+      him&mdash;nay, he adored him, in his own particular way. But then, you
+      know, business <i>is</i> business.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the age of forty-two, when already worldly-wise and <i>blasé</i>, he
+      had fancied himself in love with the daughter of one of his club friends&mdash;Marquis
+      de Neufontaine, an old rascal&mdash;a nobleman, but one whose card-playing
+      was more than open to suspicion, and who would have been expelled from the
+      club more than once but for the influence of M. Godefroy, The nobleman was
+      only too happy to become the father-in-law of a man who would pay his
+      debts, and without any scruples he handed over his daughter&mdash;a simple
+      and ingenuous child of seventeen, who was taken from a convent to be
+      married&mdash;to the worldly banker. The girl was certainly sweet and
+      pretty, but she had no dowry except numerous aristocratic prejudices and
+      romantic illusions, and her father thought he was fortunate in getting rid
+      of her on such favorable terms. M. Godefroy, who was the son of an avowed
+      old miser of Andelys, had always remained a man of the people, and
+      intensely vulgar. In spite of his improved circumstances, he had not
+      improved. His entire lack of tact and refinement was painful to his young
+      wife, whose tenderest feelings he ruthlessly and thoughtlessly trampled
+      upon. Things were looking unpromising, when, happily for her, Madame
+      Godefroy died in giving birth to her firstborn. When he spoke of his
+      deceased wife, the banker waxed poetical, although had she lived they
+      would have been divorced in six months. His son he loved dearly for
+      several reasons&mdash;first, because the child was an only son; secondly,
+      because he was a scion of two such houses as Godefroy and Neufontaine;
+      finally, because the man of money had naturally great respect for the heir
+      to many millions. So the youngster had golden rattles and other similar
+      toys, and was brought up like a young Dauphin. But his father, overwhelmed
+      with business worries, could never give the child more than fifteen
+      minutes per day of his precious time&mdash;and, as on the day mentioned,
+      it was always during "cheese"&mdash;and for the rest of the day the father
+      abandoned the child to the care of the servants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good morning, Raoul."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Good morning, papa."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the company director, having put his serviette away, sat young Raoul
+      on his left knee, took the child's head between his big paws, and in
+      stroking and kissing it actually forgot all his money matters and even his
+      note of the afternoon, which was of great importance to him, as by it he
+      could gain quite an important amount of patronage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Papa," said little Raoul suddenly, "will Father Christmas put anything in
+      my shoe tonight?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The father answered with "Yes, if you are a good child." This was very
+      striking from a man who was a pronounced freethinker, who always applauded
+      every anti-clerical attack in the Chamber with a vigorous "Hear, hear." He
+      made a mental note that he must buy some toys for his child that very
+      afternoon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he turned to the nursery governess with:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Are you quite satisfied with Raoul, Mademoiselle Bertha?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mademoiselle Bertha became as red as a peony at being addressed, as if the
+      question were scarcely <i>comme il faut</i>, and replied by a little
+      imbecile snigger, which seemed fully to satisfy M. Godefroy's curiosity
+      about his son's conduct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It's fine to-day," said the financier, "but cold. If you take Raoul to
+      Monceau Park, mademoiselle, please be careful to wrap him up well."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mademoiselle, by a second fit of idiotic smiling, having set at rest M.
+      Godefroy's doubts and fears on that essential point, he kissed his child,
+      left the room hastily, and in the hall was enveloped in his fur coat by
+      Charles, who also closed the carriage door. Then the faithful fellow went
+      off to the café which he frequented, Rue de Miromesnil, where he had
+      promised to meet the coachman of the baroness who lived opposite, to play
+      a game of billiards, thirty up&mdash;and spot-barred, of course.
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      Thanks to the brown bay&mdash;for which a thousand francs over and above
+      its value was paid by M. Godefroy as a result of a sumptuous snail supper
+      given to that gentleman's coachman by the horse-dealer&mdash;thanks to the
+      expensive brown bay which certainly went well, the financier was able to
+      get through his many engagements satisfactorily. He appeared punctually at
+      the Bourse, sat at several committee tables, and at a quarter to five, by
+      voting with the ministry, he helped to reassure France and Europe that the
+      rumors of a ministerial crisis had been totally unfounded. He voted with
+      the ministry because he had succeeded in obtaining the favors which he
+      demanded as the price of his vote.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After he had thus nobly fulfilled his duty to himself and his country, M.
+      Godefroy remembered what he had said to his child on the subject of Father
+      Christmas, and gave his coachman the address of a dealer in toys. There he
+      bought, and had put in his carriage, a fantastic rocking-horse, mounted on
+      casters&mdash;a whip in each ear; a box of leaden soldiers&mdash;all as
+      exactly alike as those grenadiers of the Russian regiment of the time of
+      Paul I, who all had black hair and snub noses; and a score of other toys,
+      all equally striking and costly. Then, as he returned home, softly
+      reposing in his well-swung carriage, the rich banker, who, after all, was
+      a father, began to think with pride of his little boy and to form plans
+      for his future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the child grew up he should have an education worthy of a prince, and
+      he would be one, too, for there was no longer any aristocracy except that
+      of money, and his boy would have a capital of about 80,000,000 francs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If his father, a pettifogging provincial lawyer, who had formerly dined in
+      the Latin Quarter when in Paris, who had remarked every evening when
+      putting on a white tie that he looked as fine as if he were going to a
+      wedding&mdash;if he had been able to accumulate an enormous fortune, and
+      to become thereby a power in the republic; if he had been able to obtain
+      in marriage a young lady, one of whose ancestors had fallen at Marignano,
+      what an important personage little Raoul might become. M. Godefroy built
+      all sorts of air-castles for his boy, forgetting that Christmas is the
+      birthday of a very poor little child, son of a couple of vagrants, born in
+      a stable, where the parents only found lodging through charity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the banker's dreams the coachman cried: "Door, please,"
+      and drove into the yard. As he went up the steps M. Godefroy was thinking
+      that he had barely time to dress for dinner; but on entering the vestibule
+      he found all the domestics crowded in front of him in a state of alarm and
+      confusion. In a corner, crouching on a seat, was the German
+      nursery-governess, crying. When she saw the banker she buried her face in
+      her hands and wept still more copiously than before. M. Godefroy felt that
+      some misfortune had happened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What's the meaning of all this? What's amiss? What has happened?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Charles, the <i>valet de chambre</i>, a sneaking rascal of the worst type,
+      looked at his master with eyes full of pity and stammered: "Mr. Raoul&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My boy?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Lost, sir. The stupid German did it. Since four o'clock this afternoon he
+      has not been seen."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The father staggered back like one who had been hit by a ball. The German
+      threw herself at his feet, screaming: "Mercy, mercy!" and the domestics
+      all spoke at the same time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Bertha didn't go to <i>parc Monceau</i>. She lost the child over there on
+      the fortifications. We have sought him all over, sir. We went to the
+      office for you, sir, and then to the Chamber, but you had just left. Just
+      imagine, the German had a rendezvous with her lover every day, beyond the
+      ramparts, near the gate of Asnières. What a shame! It is a place full of
+      low gipsies and strolling players. Perhaps the child has been stolen. Yes,
+      sir, we informed the police at once. How could we imagine such a thing? A
+      hypocrite, that German! She had a rendezvous, doubtless, with a countryman&mdash;a
+      Prussian spy, sure enough!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His son lost! M. Godefroy seemed to have a torrent of blood rushing
+      through his head. He sprang at Mademoiselle, seized her by the arms and
+      shook her furiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Where did you lose him, you miserable girl? Tell me the truth before I
+      shake you to pieces. Do you hear? Do you hear?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the unfortunate girl could only cry and beg for mercy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The banker tried to be calm. No, it was impossible. Nobody would dare to
+      steal <i>his</i> boy. Somebody would find him and bring him back. Of that
+      there could be no doubt. He could scatter money about right and left, and
+      could have the entire police force at his orders. And he would set to work
+      at once, for not an instant should be lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Charles, don't let the horses be taken out. You others, see that this
+      girl doesn't escape. I'm going to the Prefecture."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And M. Godefroy, with his heart thumping against his sides as if it would
+      break them, his hair wild with fright, darted into his carriage, which at
+      once rolled off as fast as the horses could take it. What irony! The
+      carriage was full of glittering playthings, which sparkled every time a
+      gaslight shone on them. For the next day was the birthday of the divine
+      Infant at whose cradle wise men and simple shepherds alike adored.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My poor little Raoul! Poor darling! Where is my boy?" repeated the father
+      as in his anguish he dug his nails into the cushions of the carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At that moment all his titles and decorations, his honors, his millions,
+      were valueless to him. He had one single idea burning in his brain. "My
+      poor child! Where is my child?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last he reached the Prefecture of Police. But no one was there&mdash;the
+      office had been deserted for some time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I am M. Godefroy, deputy from L'Eure&mdash;My little boy is lost in
+      Paris; a child of four years. I must see the Prefect." He slipped a louis
+      into the hand of the <i>concierge</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The good old soul, a veteran with a gray mustache, less for the sake of
+      the money than out of compassion for the poor father, led him to the
+      Prefect's private apartments. M. Godefroy was finally ushered into the
+      room of the man in whom were centred all his hopes. He was in evening
+      dress, and wore a monocle; his manner was frigid and rather pretentious.
+      The distressed father, whose knees trembled through emotion, sank into an
+      armchair, and, bursting into tears, told of the loss of his boy&mdash;told
+      the story stammeringly and with many breaks, for his voice was choked by
+      sobs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prefect, who was also father of a family, was inwardly moved at the
+      sight of his visitor's grief, but he repressed his emotion and assumed a
+      cold and self-important air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You say, sir, that your child has been missing since four o'clock?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Just when night was falling, confound it. He isn't at all precocious,
+      speaks very little, doesn't know where he lives, and can't even pronounce
+      his own name?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Unfortunately that is so."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Not far from Asnières gate? A suspected quarter. But cheer up. We have a
+      very intelligent <i>Commissaire de Police</i> there. I'll telephone to
+      him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The distressed father was left alone for five minutes. How his temples
+      throbbed and his heartbeat!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, suddenly, the Prefect reappeared, smiling with satisfaction.
+      "Found!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon M. Godefroy rushed to the Prefect, whose hand he pressed till
+      that functionary winced with the pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "I must acknowledge that we were exceedingly fortunate. The little chap is
+      blond, isn't he? Rather pale? In blue velvet? Black felt hat, with a white
+      feather in it?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Yes, yes; that's he. That's my little Raoul."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, he's at the house of a poor fellow down in that quarter who had
+      just been at the police office to make his declaration to the Commissaire.
+      Here's his address, which I took down: '<i>Pierron, rue des Cailloux,
+      Levaïlois-Perret</i>.' With good horses you may reach your boy in less
+      than an hour. Certainly, you won't find him in an aristocratic quarter;
+      his surroundings won't be of the highest. The man who found him is only a
+      small dealer in vegetables."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But that was of no importance to M. Godefroy, who, having expressed his
+      gratitude to the Prefect, leaped down the stairs four at a time, and
+      sprang into his carriage. At that moment he realized how devotedly he
+      loved his child. As he drove away he no longer thought of little Raoul's
+      princely education and magnificent inheritance. He was decided never again
+      to hand over the child entirely to the hands of servants, and he also made
+      up his mind to devote less time to monetary matters and the glory of
+      France and attend more to his own. The thought also occurred to him that
+      France wouldn't be likely to suffer from the neglect. He had hitherto been
+      ashamed to recognize the existence of an old-maid sister of his father,
+      but he decided to send for her to his house. She would certainly shock his
+      lackeys by her primitive manners and ideas. But what of that? She would
+      take care of his boy, which to him was of much more importance than the
+      good opinion of his servants. The financier, who was always in a hurry,
+      never felt so eager to arrive punctually at a committee meeting as he was
+      to reach the lost little one. For the first time in his life he was
+      longing through pure affection to take the child in his arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The carriage rolled rapidly along in the clear, crisp night air down
+      boulevard Malesherbes; and, having crossed the ramparts and passed the
+      large houses, plunged into the quiet solitude of suburban streets. When
+      the carriage stopped M. Godefroy saw a wretched hovel, on which was the
+      number he was seeking; it was the house where Pierron lived. The door of
+      the house opened immediately, and a big, rough-looking fellow with red
+      mustache appeared. One of his sleeves was empty. Seeing the gentleman in
+      the carriage, Pierron said cheerily: "So you are the little one's father.
+      Don't be afraid. The little darling is quite safe," and, stepping aside in
+      order to allow M. Godefroy to pass, he placed his finger on his lips with:
+      "Hush! The little one is asleep!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, it was a real hovel. By the dim light of a little oil lamp M.
+      Godefroy could just distinguish a dresser from which a drawer was missing,
+      some broken chairs, a round table on which stood a beer-mug which was half
+      empty, three glasses, some cold meat on a plate, and on the bare plaster
+      of the wall two gaudy pictures&mdash;a bird's-eye view of the Exposition
+      of 1889, with the Eiffel Tower in bright blue, and the portrait of General
+      Boulanger when a handsome young lieutenant. This last evidence of weakness
+      of the tenant of the house may well be excused, since it was shared by
+      nearly everybody in France. The man took the lamp and went on tiptoe to
+      the corner of the room where, on a clean bed, two little fellows were fast
+      asleep. In the little one, around whom the other had thrown a protecting
+      arm, M. Godefroy recognized his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "The youngsters were tired to death, and so sleepy," said Pierron, trying
+      to soften his rough voice. "I had no idea when you would come, so gave
+      them some supper and put them to bed, and then I went to make a
+      declaration at the police office. Zidore generally sleeps up in the
+      garret, but I thought they would be better here, and that I should be
+      better able to watch them."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Godefroy, however, scarcely heard the explanation. Strangely moved, he
+      looked at the two sleeping infants on an iron bedstead and covered with an
+      old blanket which had once been used either in barracks or hospital.
+      Little Raoul, who was still in his velvet suit, looked so frail and
+      delicate compared with his companion that the banker almost envied the
+      latter his brown complexion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Is he your boy?" he asked Pierron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No," answered he. "I am a bachelor, and don't suppose I shall ever marry,
+      because of my accident. You see, a dray passed over my arm&mdash;that was
+      all. Two years ago a neighbor of mine died, when that child was only five
+      years old. The poor mother really died of starvation. She wove wreaths for
+      the cemeteries, but could make nothing worth mentioning at that trade&mdash;not
+      enough to live. However, she worked for the child for five years, and then
+      the neighbors had to buy wreaths for her. So I took care of the youngster.
+      Oh, it was nothing much, and I was soon repaid. He is seven years old, and
+      is a sharp little fellow, so he helps me a great deal. On Sundays and
+      Thursdays, and the other days after school, he helps me push my handcart.
+      Zidore is a smart little chap. It was he who found your boy."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "What!" exclaimed M. Godefroy&mdash;"that child!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh, he's quite a little man, I assure you. When he left school he found
+      your child, who was walking on ahead, crying like a fountain. He spoke to
+      him and comforted him, like an old grandfather. The difficulty is, that
+      one can't easily understand what your little one says&mdash;English words
+      are mixed up with German and French. So we couldn't get much out of him,
+      nor could we learn his address. Zidore brought him to me&mdash;I wasn't
+      far away; and then all the old women in the place came round chattering
+      and croaking like so many frogs, and all full of advice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "'Take him to the police,'" said some.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Zidore protested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That would scare him," said he, for like all Parisians, he has no
+      particular liking for the police&mdash; "and besides, your little one
+      didn't wish to leave him. So I came back here with the child as soon as I
+      could. They had supper, and then off to bed. Don't they look sweet?"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he was in his carriage, M. Godefroy had decided to reward the finder
+      of his child handsomely&mdash;to give him a handful of that gold so easily
+      gained. Since entering the house he had seen a side of human nature with
+      which he was formerly unacquainted&mdash;the brave charity of the poor in
+      their misery. The courage of the poor girl who had worked herself to death
+      weaving wreaths to keep her child; the generosity of the poor cripple in
+      adopting the orphan, and above all, the intelligent goodness of the little
+      street Arab in protecting the child who was still smaller than himself&mdash;all
+      this touched M. Godefroy deeply and set him reflecting. For the thought
+      had occurred to him that there were other cripples who needed to be looked
+      after as well as Pierron, and other orphans as well as Zidore. He also
+      debated whether it would not be better to employ his time looking after
+      them, and whether money might not be put to a better use than merely
+      gaining money. Such was his reverie as he stood looking at the two
+      sleeping children. Finally, he turned round to study the features of the
+      greengrocer, and was charmed by the loyal expression in the face of the
+      man, and his clear, truthful eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My friend," said M. Godefroy, "you and your adopted son have rendered me
+      an immense service. I shall soon prove to you that I am not ungrateful.
+      But, for to-day&mdash;I see that you are not in comfortable circumstances,
+      and I should like to leave a small proof of my thankfulness."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the hand of the cripple arrested that of the banker, which was diving
+      into his coat-pocket where he kept bank-notes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "No, sir; no! Anybody else should have done just as we have done. I will
+      not accept any recompense; but pray don't take offense. Certainly, I am
+      not rolling in wealth, but please excuse my pride&mdash;that of an old
+      soldier; I have the Tonquin medal&mdash;and I don't wish to eat food which
+      I haven't earned."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "As you like," said the financier; "but an old soldier like you is capable
+      of something better. You are too good to push a handcart. I will make some
+      arrangement for you, never fear."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cripple responded by a quiet smile, and said coldly: "Well, sir, if
+      you really wish to do something for me&mdash;"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You'll let me care for Zidore, won't you?" cried M. Godefroy, eagerly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That I will, with the greatest of pleasure," responded Pierron, joyfully.
+      "I have often, thought about the child's future. He is a sharp little
+      fellow. His teachers are delighted with him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then Pierron suddenly stopped, and an expression came over his face which
+      M. Godefroy at once interpreted as one of distrust. The thought evidently
+      was: "Oh, when he has once left us he'll forget us entirely."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "You can safely pick the child up in your arms and take him to the
+      carriage. He'll be better at home than here, of course. Oh, you needn't be
+      afraid of disturbing him. He is fast asleep, and you can just pick him up.
+      He must have his shoes on first, though."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Following Pierron's glance M. Godefroy perceived on the hearth, where a
+      scanty coke fire was dying out, two pairs of children's shoes;&mdash;the
+      elegant ones of Raoul, and the rough ones of Zidore. Each pair contained a
+      little toy and a package of bonbons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Don't think about that," said Pierron in an abashed tone. "Zidore put the
+      shoes there. You know children still believe in Christmas and the child
+      Jesus, whatever scholars may say about fables; so, as I came back from the
+      <i>commissaire</i>, as I didn't know whether your boy would have to stay
+      here to-night, I got those things for them both."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At which the eyes of M. Godefroy, the freethinker, the hardened
+      capitalist, and <i>blasé</i> man of the world, filled with tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He rushed out of the house, but returned in a minute with his arms full of
+      the superb mechanical horse, the box of leaden soldiers, and the rest of
+      the costly playthings bought by him in the afternoon, and which had not
+      even been taken out of the carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "My friend, my dear friend," said he to the greengrocer, "see, these are
+      the presents which Christmas has brought to my little Raoul. I want him to
+      find them here, when he awakens, and to share them with Zidore, who will
+      henceforth be his playmate and friend. You'll trust me now, won't you?
+      I'll take care both of Zidore and of you, and then I shall ever remain in
+      your debt, for not only have you found my boy, but you have also reminded
+      me, who am rich and lived only for myself, that there are other poor who
+      need to be looked after. I swear by these two sleeping children, I won't
+      forget them any longer."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such is the miracle which happened on the 24th of December of last year,
+      ladies and gentlemen, at Paris, in the full flow of modern egotism. It
+      doesn't sound likely&mdash;that I own; and I am compelled to attribute
+      this miraculous event to the influence of the Divine Child who came down
+      to earth nearly nineteen centuries ago to command men to love one another.
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 6em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by François Edouard Joachim Coppée
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+***** This file should be named 23063-h.htm or 23063-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/0/6/23063/
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+  </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/23063.txt b/23063.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..319c8a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,990 @@
+Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by Francois Edouard Joachim Coppee
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lost Child
+       1894
+
+Author: Francois Edouard Joachim Coppee
+
+Translator: J. Matthewman
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23063]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+THE LOST CHILD
+
+By Francois Edouard Joachim Coppee
+
+Translated by J. Matthewman
+
+Copyright, 1894, by The Current Literature Publishing Company.
+
+
+On that morning, which was the morning before Christmas, two
+important events happened simultaneously--the sun rose, and so did M.
+Jean-Baptiste Godefroy.
+
+Unquestionably the sun, illuminating suddenly the whole of Paris with
+its morning rays, is an old friend regarded with affection by everybody,
+It is particularly welcome after a fortnight of misty atmosphere and
+gray skies, when the wind has cleared the air and allowed the sun's rays
+to reach the earth again. Besides all of which the sun is a person of
+importance. Formerly, he was regarded as a god, and was called Osiris,
+Apollyon, and I don't know what else. But do not imagine that because
+the sun is so important he is of greater influence than M. Jean-Baptiste
+Godefroy, millionaire banker, director of the _Comptoir General de
+Credit_, administrator of several big companies, deputy and member of
+the General Counsel of the Eure, officer of the Legion of Honor, etc.,
+etc. And whatever opinion the sun may have about himself, he certainly
+has not a higher opinion than M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy has of
+_him_self. So we are authorized to state, and we consider ourselves
+justified in stating, that on the morning in question, at about a
+quarter to eight, the sun and M. Jean-Baptiste Godefroy rose.
+
+Certainly the manner of rising of these two great powers mentioned
+was not the same. The good old sun began by doing a great many pretty
+actions. As the sleet had, during the night, covered the bare branches
+of the trees in the boulevard Malesherbes, where the _hotel_ Godefroy is
+situated, with a powdered coating, the great magician sun amused himself
+by transforming the branches into great bouquets of red coral. At the
+same time he scattered his rays impartially on those poor passers-by
+whom necessity sent out, so early in the morning, to gain their daily
+bread, He even had a smile for the poor clerk, who, in a thin overcoat,
+was hurrying to his office, as well as for the _grisette_, shivering
+under her thin, insufficient clothing; for the workman carrying half a
+loaf under his arm, for the car-conductor as he punched the tickets, and
+for the dealer in roast chestnuts, who was roasting his first panful. In
+short, the sun gave pleasure to everybody in the world. M. Jean-Baptiste
+Godefroy, on the contrary, rose in quite a different frame of mind. On
+the previous evening he had dined with the Minister for Agriculture.
+The dinner, from the removal of the _potage_ to the salad, bristled with
+truffles, and the banker's stomach, aged forty-seven years, experienced
+the burning and biting of pyrosis. So the manner in which M.
+Jean-Baptiste Godefroy rang for his valet-de-chambre was so expressive
+that, as he got some warm water for his master's shaving, Charles said
+to the kitchen-maid:
+
+"There he goes! The monkey is barbarously ill-tempered again this
+morning. My poor Gertrude, we're going to have a miserable day."
+
+Whereupon, walking on tiptoe, with eyes modestly cast down, he entered
+the chamber of his master, opened the curtains, lit the fire, and made
+all the necessary preparations for the toilet with the discreet demeanor
+and respectful gestures of a sacristan placing the sacred vessels on the
+altar for the priest.
+
+"What sort of weather this morning?" demanded M. Godefroy curtly, as he
+buttoned his undervest of gray swandown upon a stomach that was already
+a little too prominent.
+
+"Very cold, sir," replied Charles meekly. "At six o'clock the
+thermometer marked seven degrees above zero. But, as you will see,
+sir, the sky is quite clear, and I think we are going to have a fine
+morning."
+
+In stropping his razor, M. Godefroy approached the window, drew aside
+one of the hangings, looked on the boulevard, which was bathed in
+brightness, and made a slight grimace which bore some resemblance to a
+smile.
+
+It is all very well to be perfectly stiff and correct, and to know
+that it is bad taste to show feeling of any kind in the presence of
+domestics, but the appearance of the roguish sun in the middle of
+December sends such a glow of warmth to the heart that it is impossible
+to disguise the fact. So M. Godefroy deigned, as before observed, to
+smile. If some one had whispered to the opulent banker that his smile
+had anything in common with that of the printer's boy, who was enjoying
+himself by making a slide on the pavement, M. Godefroy would have been
+highly incensed. But it really was so all the same; and during the space
+of one minute this man who was so occupied by business matters, this
+leading light in the financial and political worlds, indulged in the
+childish pastime of watching the passers-by, and following with his eyes
+the files of conveyances as they gaily rolled in the sunshine.
+
+But pray do not be alarmed. Such a weakness could not last long. People
+of no account, and those who have nothing to do, may be able to
+let their time slip by in doing nothing. It is very well for women,
+children, poets, and riffraff. M. Godefroy had other fish to fry; and
+the work of the day which was commencing promised to be exceptionally
+heavy. From half-past eight to ten o'clock he had a meeting at his
+office with a certain number of gentlemen, all of whom bore a striking
+resemblance to M. Godefroy. Like him, they were very nervous; they had
+risen with the sun, they were all _blases_, and they all had the same
+object in view--to gain money. After breakfast (which he took after
+the meeting), M. Godefroy had to leap into his carriage and rush to the
+Bourse, to exchange a few words with other gentlemen who had also risen
+at dawn, but who had not the least spark of imagination among them.
+(The conversations were always on the same subject--money.) From there,
+without losing an instant, M. Godefroy went to preside over another
+meeting of acquaintances entirely void of compassion and tenderness.
+The meeting was held round a baize-covered table, which was strewn with
+heaps of papers and well provided with ink-wells. The conversation again
+turned on money, and various methods of gaining it. After the aforesaid
+meeting he, in his capacity of deputy, had to appear before several
+commissions (always held in rooms where there were baize-covered tables
+and ink-wells and heaps of papers). There he found men as devoid of
+sentiment as he was, all utterly incapable of neglecting any occasion
+of gaining money, but who, nevertheless, had the extreme goodness to
+sacrifice several hours of the afternoon to the glory of France.
+
+After having quickly shaved he donned a morning suit, the elegant cut
+and finish of which showed that the old beau of nearly fifty had not
+ceased trying to please. When he shaved he spared the narrow strip
+of pepper-and-salt beard round his chin, as it gave him the air of a
+trust-worthy family man in the eyes of the Arrogants and of fools in
+general. Then he descended to his cabinet, where he received the file of
+men who were entirely occupied by one thought--that of augmenting their
+capital. These gentlemen discussed several projected enterprises, all
+of them of considerable importance, notably that of a new railroad to
+be laid across a wild desert. Another scheme was for the founding of
+monster works in the environs of Paris, another of a mine to be worked
+in one of the South American republics. It goes without saying that no
+one asked if the railway would have passengers or goods to carry, or if
+the proposed works should manufacture cotton nightcaps or distil whisky;
+whether the mine was to be of virgin gold or of second-rate copper:
+certainly not. The conversation of M. Godefroy's morning callers turned
+exclusively upon the profits which it would be possible to realize
+during the week which should follow the issue of the shares. They
+discussed particularly the values of the shares, which they knew would
+be destined before long to be worth less than the paper on which they
+were printed in fine style.
+
+These conversations, bristling with figures, lasted till ten o'clock
+precisely, and then the director of the _Comptoir General de Credit_,
+who, by the way, was an honest man--at least, as honest as is to be
+found in business--courteously conducted his last visitor to the head of
+the stairway. The visitor named was an old villain, as rich as Croesus,
+who, by a not uncommon chance, enjoyed the general esteem of the public;
+whereas, had justice been done to him, he would have been lodging at the
+expense of the State in one of those large establishments provided by a
+thoughtful government for smaller delinquents; and there he would have
+pursued a useful and healthy calling for a lengthy period, the exact
+length having been fixed by the judges of the supreme court. But M.
+Godefroy showed him out relentlessly, notwithstanding his importance--it
+was absolutely necessary to be at the Bourse at 11 o'clock--and went
+into the dining-room.
+
+It was a luxuriously furnished room. The furniture and plate would
+have served to endow a cathedral. Nevertheless, notwithstanding that M.
+Godefroy took a gulp of bicarbonate of soda, his indigestion refused
+to subside, consequently the banker could only take the scantiest
+breakfast--that of a dyspeptic. In the midst of such luxury, and under
+the eye of a well-paid butler, M. Godefroy could only eat a couple of
+boiled eggs and nibble a little mutton chop. The man of money trifled
+with dessert--took only a crumb of Roquefort--not more than two cents'
+worth. Then the door opened and an overdressed but charming little
+child--young Raoul, four years old--the son of the company director,
+entered the room, accompanied by his German nursery governess.
+
+This event occurred every day at the same hour--a quarter to eleven,
+precisely, while the carriage which was to take the banker to the Bourse
+was awaiting the gentleman who had only a quarter of an hour to give to
+paternal sentiment. It was not that he did not love his son. He did love
+him--nay, he adored him, in his own particular way. But then, you know,
+business _is_ business.
+
+At the age of forty-two, when already worldly-wise and _blase_, he
+had fancied himself in love with the daughter of one of his club
+friends--Marquis de Neufontaine, an old rascal--a nobleman, but one
+whose card-playing was more than open to suspicion, and who would have
+been expelled from the club more than once but for the influence of M.
+Godefroy, The nobleman was only too happy to become the father-in-law of
+a man who would pay his debts, and without any scruples he handed over
+his daughter--a simple and ingenuous child of seventeen, who was taken
+from a convent to be married--to the worldly banker. The girl was
+certainly sweet and pretty, but she had no dowry except numerous
+aristocratic prejudices and romantic illusions, and her father thought
+he was fortunate in getting rid of her on such favorable terms. M.
+Godefroy, who was the son of an avowed old miser of Andelys, had always
+remained a man of the people, and intensely vulgar. In spite of his
+improved circumstances, he had not improved. His entire lack of tact and
+refinement was painful to his young wife, whose tenderest feelings
+he ruthlessly and thoughtlessly trampled upon. Things were looking
+unpromising, when, happily for her, Madame Godefroy died in giving birth
+to her firstborn. When he spoke of his deceased wife, the banker waxed
+poetical, although had she lived they would have been divorced in six
+months. His son he loved dearly for several reasons--first, because
+the child was an only son; secondly, because he was a scion of two such
+houses as Godefroy and Neufontaine; finally, because the man of money
+had naturally great respect for the heir to many millions. So the
+youngster had golden rattles and other similar toys, and was brought up
+like a young Dauphin. But his father, overwhelmed with business worries,
+could never give the child more than fifteen minutes per day of his
+precious time--and, as on the day mentioned, it was always during
+"cheese"--and for the rest of the day the father abandoned the child to
+the care of the servants.
+
+"Good morning, Raoul."
+
+"Good morning, papa."
+
+And the company director, having put his serviette away, sat young Raoul
+on his left knee, took the child's head between his big paws, and in
+stroking and kissing it actually forgot all his money matters and even
+his note of the afternoon, which was of great importance to him, as by
+it he could gain quite an important amount of patronage.
+
+"Papa," said little Raoul suddenly, "will Father Christmas put anything
+in my shoe tonight?"
+
+The father answered with "Yes, if you are a good child." This was
+very striking from a man who was a pronounced freethinker, who always
+applauded every anti-clerical attack in the Chamber with a vigorous
+"Hear, hear." He made a mental note that he must buy some toys for his
+child that very afternoon.
+
+Then he turned to the nursery governess with:
+
+"Are you quite satisfied with Raoul, Mademoiselle Bertha?"
+
+Mademoiselle Bertha became as red as a peony at being addressed, as
+if the question were scarcely _comme il faut_, and replied by a little
+imbecile snigger, which seemed fully to satisfy M. Godefroy's curiosity
+about his son's conduct.
+
+"It's fine to-day," said the financier, "but cold. If you take Raoul to
+Monceau Park, mademoiselle, please be careful to wrap him up well."
+
+Mademoiselle, by a second fit of idiotic smiling, having set at rest
+M. Godefroy's doubts and fears on that essential point, he kissed his
+child, left the room hastily, and in the hall was enveloped in his fur
+coat by Charles, who also closed the carriage door. Then the faithful
+fellow went off to the cafe which he frequented, Rue de Miromesnil,
+where he had promised to meet the coachman of the baroness who lived
+opposite, to play a game of billiards, thirty up--and spot-barred, of
+course.
+
+*****
+
+Thanks to the brown bay--for which a thousand francs over and above its
+value was paid by M. Godefroy as a result of a sumptuous snail supper
+given to that gentleman's coachman by the horse-dealer--thanks to the
+expensive brown bay which certainly went well, the financier was able to
+get through his many engagements satisfactorily. He appeared punctually
+at the Bourse, sat at several committee tables, and at a quarter to
+five, by voting with the ministry, he helped to reassure France
+and Europe that the rumors of a ministerial crisis had been totally
+unfounded. He voted with the ministry because he had succeeded in
+obtaining the favors which he demanded as the price of his vote.
+
+After he had thus nobly fulfilled his duty to himself and his country,
+M. Godefroy remembered what he had said to his child on the subject of
+Father Christmas, and gave his coachman the address of a dealer in toys.
+There he bought, and had put in his carriage, a fantastic rocking-horse,
+mounted on casters--a whip in each ear; a box of leaden soldiers--all as
+exactly alike as those grenadiers of the Russian regiment of the time
+of Paul I, who all had black hair and snub noses; and a score of other
+toys, all equally striking and costly. Then, as he returned home, softly
+reposing in his well-swung carriage, the rich banker, who, after all,
+was a father, began to think with pride of his little boy and to form
+plans for his future.
+
+When the child grew up he should have an education worthy of a prince,
+and he would be one, too, for there was no longer any aristocracy except
+that of money, and his boy would have a capital of about 80,000,000
+francs.
+
+If his father, a pettifogging provincial lawyer, who had formerly dined
+in the Latin Quarter when in Paris, who had remarked every evening when
+putting on a white tie that he looked as fine as if he were going to a
+wedding--if he had been able to accumulate an enormous fortune, and to
+become thereby a power in the republic; if he had been able to obtain in
+marriage a young lady, one of whose ancestors had fallen at Marignano,
+what an important personage little Raoul might become. M. Godefroy built
+all sorts of air-castles for his boy, forgetting that Christmas is the
+birthday of a very poor little child, son of a couple of vagrants, born
+in a stable, where the parents only found lodging through charity.
+
+In the midst of the banker's dreams the coachman cried: "Door, please,"
+and drove into the yard. As he went up the steps M. Godefroy was
+thinking that he had barely time to dress for dinner; but on entering
+the vestibule he found all the domestics crowded in front of him in a
+state of alarm and confusion. In a corner, crouching on a seat, was the
+German nursery-governess, crying. When she saw the banker she buried her
+face in her hands and wept still more copiously than before. M. Godefroy
+felt that some misfortune had happened.
+
+"What's the meaning of all this? What's amiss? What has happened?"
+
+Charles, the _valet de chambre_, a sneaking rascal of the worst type,
+looked at his master with eyes full of pity and stammered: "Mr. Raoul--"
+
+"My boy?"
+
+"Lost, sir. The stupid German did it. Since four o'clock this afternoon
+he has not been seen."
+
+The father staggered back like one who had been hit by a ball. The
+German threw herself at his feet, screaming: "Mercy, mercy!" and the
+domestics all spoke at the same time.
+
+"Bertha didn't go to _parc Monceau_. She lost the child over there on the
+fortifications. We have sought him all over, sir. We went to the office
+for you, sir, and then to the Chamber, but you had just left. Just
+imagine, the German had a rendezvous with her lover every day, beyond
+the ramparts, near the gate of Asnieres. What a shame! It is a place
+full of low gipsies and strolling players. Perhaps the child has been
+stolen. Yes, sir, we informed the police at once. How could we imagine
+such a thing? A hypocrite, that German! She had a rendezvous, doubtless,
+with a countryman--a Prussian spy, sure enough!"
+
+His son lost! M. Godefroy seemed to have a torrent of blood rushing
+through his head. He sprang at Mademoiselle, seized her by the arms and
+shook her furiously.
+
+"Where did you lose him, you miserable girl? Tell me the truth before I
+shake you to pieces. Do you hear? Do you hear?"
+
+But the unfortunate girl could only cry and beg for mercy.
+
+The banker tried to be calm. No, it was impossible. Nobody would dare
+to steal _his_ boy. Somebody would find him and bring him back. Of that
+there could be no doubt. He could scatter money about right and left,
+and could have the entire police force at his orders. And he would set
+to work at once, for not an instant should be lost.
+
+"Charles, don't let the horses be taken out. You others, see that this
+girl doesn't escape. I'm going to the Prefecture."
+
+And M. Godefroy, with his heart thumping against his sides as if it
+would break them, his hair wild with fright, darted into his carriage,
+which at once rolled off as fast as the horses could take it. What
+irony! The carriage was full of glittering playthings, which sparkled
+every time a gaslight shone on them. For the next day was the birthday
+of the divine Infant at whose cradle wise men and simple shepherds alike
+adored.
+
+"My poor little Raoul! Poor darling! Where is my boy?" repeated the
+father as in his anguish he dug his nails into the cushions of the
+carriage.
+
+At that moment all his titles and decorations, his honors, his millions,
+were valueless to him. He had one single idea burning in his brain. "My
+poor child! Where is my child?"
+
+At last he reached the Prefecture of Police. But no one was there--the
+office had been deserted for some time.
+
+"I am M. Godefroy, deputy from L'Eure--My little boy is lost in Paris;
+a child of four years. I must see the Prefect." He slipped a louis into
+the hand of the _concierge_.
+
+The good old soul, a veteran with a gray mustache, less for the sake
+of the money than out of compassion for the poor father, led him to the
+Prefect's private apartments. M. Godefroy was finally ushered into the
+room of the man in whom were centred all his hopes. He was in evening
+dress, and wore a monocle; his manner was frigid and rather pretentious.
+The distressed father, whose knees trembled through emotion, sank into
+an armchair, and, bursting into tears, told of the loss of his boy--told
+the story stammeringly and with many breaks, for his voice was choked by
+sobs.
+
+The Prefect, who was also father of a family, was inwardly moved at the
+sight of his visitor's grief, but he repressed his emotion and assumed a
+cold and self-important air.
+
+"You say, sir, that your child has been missing since four o'clock?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Just when night was falling, confound it. He isn't at all precocious,
+speaks very little, doesn't know where he lives, and can't even
+pronounce his own name?"
+
+"Unfortunately that is so."
+
+"Not far from Asnieres gate? A suspected quarter. But cheer up. We have
+a very intelligent _Commissaire de Police_ there. I'll telephone to
+him."
+
+The distressed father was left alone for five minutes. How his temples
+throbbed and his heartbeat!
+
+Then, suddenly, the Prefect reappeared, smiling with satisfaction.
+"Found!"
+
+Whereupon M. Godefroy rushed to the Prefect, whose hand he pressed till
+that functionary winced with the pain.
+
+"I must acknowledge that we were exceedingly fortunate. The little chap
+is blond, isn't he? Rather pale? In blue velvet? Black felt hat, with a
+white feather in it?"
+
+"Yes, yes; that's he. That's my little Raoul."
+
+"Well, he's at the house of a poor fellow down in that quarter who
+had just been at the police office to make his declaration to the
+Commissaire. Here's his address, which I took down: '_Pierron, rue des
+Cailloux, Levailois-Perret_.' With good horses you may reach your boy
+in less than an hour. Certainly, you won't find him in an aristocratic
+quarter; his surroundings won't be of the highest. The man who found him
+is only a small dealer in vegetables."
+
+But that was of no importance to M. Godefroy, who, having expressed his
+gratitude to the Prefect, leaped down the stairs four at a time, and
+sprang into his carriage. At that moment he realized how devotedly he
+loved his child. As he drove away he no longer thought of little Raoul's
+princely education and magnificent inheritance. He was decided never
+again to hand over the child entirely to the hands of servants, and he
+also made up his mind to devote less time to monetary matters and the
+glory of France and attend more to his own. The thought also occurred
+to him that France wouldn't be likely to suffer from the neglect. He had
+hitherto been ashamed to recognize the existence of an old-maid sister
+of his father, but he decided to send for her to his house. She would
+certainly shock his lackeys by her primitive manners and ideas. But what
+of that? She would take care of his boy, which to him was of much more
+importance than the good opinion of his servants. The financier, who
+was always in a hurry, never felt so eager to arrive punctually at a
+committee meeting as he was to reach the lost little one. For the first
+time in his life he was longing through pure affection to take the child
+in his arms.
+
+The carriage rolled rapidly along in the clear, crisp night air down
+boulevard Malesherbes; and, having crossed the ramparts and passed the
+large houses, plunged into the quiet solitude of suburban streets. When
+the carriage stopped M. Godefroy saw a wretched hovel, on which was the
+number he was seeking; it was the house where Pierron lived. The door of
+the house opened immediately, and a big, rough-looking fellow with red
+mustache appeared. One of his sleeves was empty. Seeing the gentleman
+in the carriage, Pierron said cheerily: "So you are the little one's
+father. Don't be afraid. The little darling is quite safe," and,
+stepping aside in order to allow M. Godefroy to pass, he placed his
+finger on his lips with: "Hush! The little one is asleep!"
+
+Yes, it was a real hovel. By the dim light of a little oil lamp M.
+Godefroy could just distinguish a dresser from which a drawer was
+missing, some broken chairs, a round table on which stood a beer-mug
+which was half empty, three glasses, some cold meat on a plate, and on
+the bare plaster of the wall two gaudy pictures--a bird's-eye view of
+the Exposition of 1889, with the Eiffel Tower in bright blue, and the
+portrait of General Boulanger when a handsome young lieutenant. This
+last evidence of weakness of the tenant of the house may well be
+excused, since it was shared by nearly everybody in France. The man took
+the lamp and went on tiptoe to the corner of the room where, on a clean
+bed, two little fellows were fast asleep. In the little one, around whom
+the other had thrown a protecting arm, M. Godefroy recognized his son.
+
+"The youngsters were tired to death, and so sleepy," said Pierron,
+trying to soften his rough voice. "I had no idea when you would come,
+so gave them some supper and put them to bed, and then I went to make
+a declaration at the police office. Zidore generally sleeps up in the
+garret, but I thought they would be better here, and that I should be
+better able to watch them."
+
+M. Godefroy, however, scarcely heard the explanation. Strangely moved,
+he looked at the two sleeping infants on an iron bedstead and covered
+with an old blanket which had once been used either in barracks or
+hospital. Little Raoul, who was still in his velvet suit, looked so
+frail and delicate compared with his companion that the banker almost
+envied the latter his brown complexion.
+
+"Is he your boy?" he asked Pierron.
+
+"No," answered he. "I am a bachelor, and don't suppose I shall ever
+marry, because of my accident. You see, a dray passed over my arm--that
+was all. Two years ago a neighbor of mine died, when that child was
+only five years old. The poor mother really died of starvation. She wove
+wreaths for the cemeteries, but could make nothing worth mentioning at
+that trade--not enough to live. However, she worked for the child for
+five years, and then the neighbors had to buy wreaths for her. So I took
+care of the youngster. Oh, it was nothing much, and I was soon repaid.
+He is seven years old, and is a sharp little fellow, so he helps me a
+great deal. On Sundays and Thursdays, and the other days after school,
+he helps me push my handcart. Zidore is a smart little chap. It was he
+who found your boy."
+
+"What!" exclaimed M. Godefroy--"that child!"
+
+"Oh, he's quite a little man, I assure you. When he left school he found
+your child, who was walking on ahead, crying like a fountain. He spoke
+to him and comforted him, like an old grandfather. The difficulty is,
+that one can't easily understand what your little one says--English
+words are mixed up with German and French. So we couldn't get much out
+of him, nor could we learn his address. Zidore brought him to me--I
+wasn't far away; and then all the old women in the place came round
+chattering and croaking like so many frogs, and all full of advice.
+
+"'Take him to the police,'" said some.
+
+But Zidore protested.
+
+"That would scare him," said he, for like all Parisians, he has no
+particular liking for the police-- "and besides, your little one didn't
+wish to leave him. So I came back here with the child as soon as I
+could. They had supper, and then off to bed. Don't they look sweet?"
+
+When he was in his carriage, M. Godefroy had decided to reward the
+finder of his child handsomely--to give him a handful of that gold so
+easily gained. Since entering the house he had seen a side of human
+nature with which he was formerly unacquainted--the brave charity of
+the poor in their misery. The courage of the poor girl who had worked
+herself to death weaving wreaths to keep her child; the generosity of
+the poor cripple in adopting the orphan, and above all, the intelligent
+goodness of the little street Arab in protecting the child who was still
+smaller than himself--all this touched M. Godefroy deeply and set him
+reflecting. For the thought had occurred to him that there were other
+cripples who needed to be looked after as well as Pierron, and other
+orphans as well as Zidore. He also debated whether it would not be
+better to employ his time looking after them, and whether money might
+not be put to a better use than merely gaining money. Such was his
+reverie as he stood looking at the two sleeping children. Finally, he
+turned round to study the features of the greengrocer, and was charmed
+by the loyal expression in the face of the man, and his clear, truthful
+eyes.
+
+"My friend," said M. Godefroy, "you and your adopted son have rendered
+me an immense service. I shall soon prove to you that I am not
+ungrateful. But, for to-day--I see that you are not in comfortable
+circumstances, and I should like to leave a small proof of my
+thankfulness."
+
+But the hand of the cripple arrested that of the banker, which was
+diving into his coat-pocket where he kept bank-notes.
+
+"No, sir; no! Anybody else should have done just as we have done. I will
+not accept any recompense; but pray don't take offense. Certainly, I
+am not rolling in wealth, but please excuse my pride--that of an old
+soldier; I have the Tonquin medal--and I don't wish to eat food which I
+haven't earned."
+
+"As you like," said the financier; "but an old soldier like you is
+capable of something better. You are too good to push a handcart. I will
+make some arrangement for you, never fear."
+
+The cripple responded by a quiet smile, and said coldly: "Well, sir, if
+you really wish to do something for me--"
+
+"You'll let me care for Zidore, won't you?" cried M. Godefroy, eagerly.
+
+"That I will, with the greatest of pleasure," responded Pierron,
+joyfully. "I have often, thought about the child's future. He is a sharp
+little fellow. His teachers are delighted with him."
+
+Then Pierron suddenly stopped, and an expression came over his face
+which M. Godefroy at once interpreted as one of distrust. The thought
+evidently was: "Oh, when he has once left us he'll forget us entirely."
+
+"You can safely pick the child up in your arms and take him to the
+carriage. He'll be better at home than here, of course. Oh, you needn't
+be afraid of disturbing him. He is fast asleep, and you can just pick
+him up. He must have his shoes on first, though."
+
+Following Pierron's glance M. Godefroy perceived on the hearth, where
+a scanty coke fire was dying out, two pairs of children's shoes;--the
+elegant ones of Raoul, and the rough ones of Zidore. Each pair contained
+a little toy and a package of bonbons.
+
+"Don't think about that," said Pierron in an abashed tone. "Zidore put
+the shoes there. You know children still believe in Christmas and the
+child Jesus, whatever scholars may say about fables; so, as I came back
+from the _commissaire_, as I didn't know whether your boy would have to
+stay here to-night, I got those things for them both."
+
+At which the eyes of M. Godefroy, the freethinker, the hardened
+capitalist, and _blase_ man of the world, filled with tears.
+
+He rushed out of the house, but returned in a minute with his arms full
+of the superb mechanical horse, the box of leaden soldiers, and the rest
+of the costly playthings bought by him in the afternoon, and which had
+not even been taken out of the carriage.
+
+"My friend, my dear friend," said he to the greengrocer, "see, these are
+the presents which Christmas has brought to my little Raoul. I want him
+to find them here, when he awakens, and to share them with Zidore, who
+will henceforth be his playmate and friend. You'll trust me now, won't
+you? I'll take care both of Zidore and of you, and then I shall ever
+remain in your debt, for not only have you found my boy, but you have
+also reminded me, who am rich and lived only for myself, that there are
+other poor who need to be looked after. I swear by these two sleeping
+children, I won't forget them any longer."
+
+Such is the miracle which happened on the 24th of December of last year,
+ladies and gentlemen, at Paris, in the full flow of modern egotism. It
+doesn't sound likely--that I own; and I am compelled to attribute this
+miraculous event to the influence of the Divine Child who came down to
+earth nearly nineteen centuries ago to command men to love one another.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Lost Child, by Francois Edouard Joachim Coppee
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOST CHILD ***
+
+***** This file should be named 23063.txt or 23063.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/0/6/23063/
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/23063.zip b/23063.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6b1812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/23063.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3344b4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #23063 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23063)