"Because the child would give her disease to the woman who gave her milk.""But, Doctor, if we put her on the bottle--our little one--she will die!"And suddenly George burst out into sobs. "Oh, my poor little daughter! My God, my God!"Said the doctor, "If the feeding is well attended to, with sterilized milk--""That can do very well for healthy infants," broke in Madame Dupont. "But at the age of three months one cannot take from the breast a baby like ours, frail and ill. More than any other such an infant has need of a nurse--is that not true?""Yes," the doctor admitted, "that is true. But--""In that case, between the life of the child, and the health of the nurse, you understand perfectly well that my choice is made."Between her words the doctor heard the sobbing of George, whose head was buried in his arms. "Madame," he said, "your love for that baby has just caused you to utter something ferocious! It is not for you to choose. It is not for you to choose. I forbid the nursing. The health of that woman does not belong to you.""No," cried the grandmother, wildly, "nor does the health of out child belong to you! If there is a hope of saving it, that hope is in giving it more care than any other child; and you would wish that I put it upon a mode of nourishment which the doctors condemn, even for vigorous infants! You expect that I will let myself be taken in like that? I answer you: she shall have the milk which she needs, my poor little one! If there was a single thing that one could do to save her--I should be a criminal to neglect it!" And Madame Dupont broke out, with furious scorn, "The nurse! The nurse! We shall know how to do our duty--we shall take care of her, repay her. But our child before all! No sir, no! Everything that can be done to save our baby I shall do, let it cost what it will. To do what you say--you don't realize it--it would be as if I should kill the child!" In the end the agonized woman burst into tears. "Oh, my poor little angel! My little savior!"George had never ceased sobbing while his mother spoke; at these last words his sobs became loud cries. He struck the floor with his foot, he tore his hair, as if he were suffering from violent physical pain. "Oh, oh, oh!" he cried. "My little child! My little child!" And then, in a horrified whisper to himself, "Iam a wretch! A criminal!"
"Madame," said the doctor, "you must calm yourself; you must both calm yourselves. You will not help out the situation by lamentations. You must learn to take it with calmness."Madame Dupont set her lips together, and with a painful effort recovered her self-control. "You are right, sir," she said, in a low voice. "I ask your pardon; but if you only knew what that child means to me! I lost one at that age. I am an old woman, Iam a widow--I had hardly hoped to live long enough to be a grandmother. But, as you say--we must be calm." She turned to the young man, "Calm yourself, my son. It is a poor way to show our love for the child, to abandon ourselves to tears. Let us talk, Doctor, and seriously--coldly. But I declare to you that nothing will ever induce me to put the child on the bottle, when I know that it might kill her. That is all I can say."The doctor replied: "This isn't the first time that I find myself in the present situation. Madame, I declare to you that always--ALWAYS, you understand--persons who have rejected my advice have had reason to repent it cruelly.""The only thing of which I should repent--" began the other.
"You simply do not know," interrupted the doctor, "what such a nurse is capable of. You cannot imagine what bitterness--legitimate bitterness, you understand--joined to the rapacity, the cupidity, the mischief-making impulse--might inspire these people to do. For them the BOURGEOIS is always somewhat of an enemy; and when they find themselves in position to avenge their inferiority, they are ferocious.""But what could the woman do?"
"What could she do? She could bring legal proceedings against you.""But she is much too stupid to have that idea.""Others will put it into her mind."
"She is too poor to pay the preliminary expenses.""And do you propose then to profit by her ignorance and stupidity? Besides, she could obtain judicial assistance.""Why, surely," exclaimed Madame Dupont, "such a thing was never heard of! Do you mean that?""I know a dozen prosecutions of that sort; and always when there has been certainty, the parents have lost their case.""But surely, Doctor, you must be mistaken! Not in a case like ours--not when it is a question of saving the life of a poor little innocent!""Oftentimes exactly such facts have been presented."Here George broke in. "I can give you the dates of the decisions." He rose from his chair, glad of an opportunity to be useful. "I have the books," he said, and took one from the case and brought it to the doctor.
"All of that is no use--" interposed the mother.
But the doctor said to George, "You will be able to convince yourself. The parents have been forced once or twice to pay the nurse a regular income, and at other times they have had to pay her an indemnity, of which the figure has varied between three and eight thousand francs."Madame Dupont was ready with a reply to this. "Never fear, sir!
If there should be a suit, we should have a good lawyer. We shall be able to pay and choose the best--and he would demand, without doubt, which of the two, the nurse or the child, has given the disease to the other."The doctor was staring at her in horror. "Do you not perceive that would be a monstrous thing to do?""Oh, I would not have to say it," was the reply. "The lawyer would see to it--is not that his profession? My point is this: by one means or another he would make us win our case.""And the scandal that would result," replied the other. "Have you thought of that?"Here George, who had been looking over his law-books, broke in.
"Doctor, permit me to give you a little information. In cases of this sort, the names are never printed.""Yes, but they are spoken at the hearings."
"That's true."