He married her.

This was in 1855, and the following year brought to Dr.Reynaud a great sorrow and a great joy--the death of his old mother and the birth of his son Jean.
At an interval of six weeks, the Abby Constantin recited the prayers for the dead over the grave of the grandmother, and was present in the position of godfather at the baptism of the grandson.
In consequence of constantly meeting at the bedside of the suffering and dying, the priest and the doctor had been strongly attracted to each other.

They instinctively felt that they belonged to the same family, the same race--the race of the tender, the just, and the benevolent.
Year followed year--calm, peaceful, fully occupied in labor and duty.
Jean was no longer an infant.

His father gave him his first lessons in reading and writing, the priest his first lessons in Latin.

Jean was intelligent and industrious.