Doctor Desprez was present at his last passage, and declared the farce over.

Then he took Jean-Marie by the shoulder and led him out into the inn garden where there was a convenient bench beside the river.

Here he sat him down and made the boy place himself on his left.
'Jean-Marie,' he said very gravely, 'this world is exceedingly vast; and even France, which is only a small corner of it, is a great place for a little lad like you.

Unfortunately it is full of eager, shouldering people moving on; and there are very few bakers' shops for so many eaters.

Your master is dead; you are not fit to gain a living by yourself; you do not wish to steal?
No.