Chapter 4 Summary

The priest reports that he is feeling better. He now sugars his wine. Sulpice Mitonnet has been helping with some work that needs to be done around the presbytery, an act that has brought on disdain from his fellow villagers. The priest suggests the boy try to go out and find some gainful employment.

Mme Dumouchel pays a visit to the priest. She is unhappy that her daughter did not do well on the catechism exam. The girl, Seraphita, has concerned the priest for some time with her flirtatious ways. The priest feels she is too intelligent to have done badly on the exam and decides to speak to her mother regarding the girl's behavior. The priest hesitantly suggests that Seraphita is far advanced for her age and that her mother might consider keeping her under observation for a couple of weeks. The...