When Babet came to the schoolroom, she opened her bag with triumph, displayed her treasure, and offered to divide it with her companions.

"Here, Victoire," said she, "here is the largest chestnut for you." But Victoire would not take it; for she staid that Babet had no money, and that she could not have come honestly by these chestnuts.

She spoke so forcibly upon this point that even those who had the tempting morsel actually at their lips forbore to bite; those who had bitten laid down their half-eaten prize; and those who had their hands full of chestnuts rolled them back again towards the bag.

Babet cried with vexation.
"I burned my fingers in getting them for you, and now you won't eat them!--And I must not eat them!" said she: then curbing her passion, she added, "But at any rate, I won't be a thief.

I am sure I did not think it was being a thief just to take a few chestnuts from an old woman who had such heaps and heaps; but Victoire says it is wrong, and I would not be a thief for all the chestnuts in the world--I'll throw them all into the fire this minute!" "No; give them back again to the old woman," said Victoire.
"But, may be, she would scold me for having taken them," said Babet; "or who knows but she might whip me ?" "And if she did, could you not bear it ?" said Victoire.