Madame Gilet, pregnant with Maxence in 1788, had long desired that blessing, which the town attributed to the gallantries of the two friends,--probably in the hope of setting them against each other.

Gilet, an old drunkard with a triple throat, treated his wife's misconduct with a collusion that is not uncommon among the lower classes.

To make sure of protectors for her son, Madame Gilet was careful not to enlighten his reputed fathers as to his parentage.

In Paris, she would have turned out a millionaire; at Issoudun she lived sometimes at her ease, more often miserably, and, in the long run, despised.

Madame Hochon, Lousteau's sister, paid sixty francs a year for the lad's schooling.