"Poor thing! She's gone quite mad," they would say.
"If she had any relatives she would have been placed in confinement long ago." And as they never knew anything of the history of those strange amours, they accused that rogue Macquart of having taken advantage of Adelaide's weak mind to rob her of her money.
The legitimate son, little Pierre Rougon, grew up with his mother's other offspring.

The latter, Antoine and Ursule, the young wolves as they were called in the district, were kept at home by Adelaide, who treated them as affectionately as her first child.

She did not appear to entertain a very clear idea of the position in life reserved for these two poor creatures.

To her they were the same in every respect as her first-born.

She would sometimes go out holding Pierre with one hand and Antoine with the other, never noticing how differently the two little fellows were already regarded.
It was a strange home.