At this Beauchene flew into a tantrum, quite beside himself, and gasped:  “I a bad patriot!  I, who kill myself with hard work!  I, who even export French machinery! . . .  Yes, certainly I see families, acquaintances around me who may well allow themselves four children; and I grant that they deserve censure when they have no families.  But as for me, my dear doctor, it is impossible.  You know very well that in my position I absolutely can’t.”

Then, for the hundredth time, he gave his reasons, relating how the works had narrowly escaped being cut into pieces, annihilated, simply because he had unfortunately been burdened with a sister.  Seraphine had behaved abominably.  There had been first her dowry; next her demands for the division of the property on their father’s death; and the works had been saved only by means of a large pecuniary sacrifice which had long crippled their prosperity.  And people imagined that he would be as imprudent as his father!  Why, if Maurice should have a brother or a sister, he might hereafter find himself in the same dire embarrassment, in which the family property might already have been destroyed.  No, no!  He would not expose the boy to the necessity of dividing the inheritance in accordance with badly framed laws.  He was resolved that Maurice should be the sole master of the fortune which he himself had derived from his father, and which he would transmit to his heir increased tenfold.  For his son he dreamt of supreme wealth, a colossal fortune, such as nowadays alone ensures power.

Mathieu, refraining from any intervention, listened and remained grave; for this question of the birth-rate seemed to him a frightful one, the foremost of all questions, deciding the destiny of mankind and the world.  There has never been any progress but such as has been determined by increase of births.  If nations have accomplished evolutions, if civilization has advanced, it is because the nations have multiplied and subsequently spread through all the countries of the earth.  And will not to-morrow’s evolution, the advent of truth and justice, be brought about by the constant onslaught of the greater number, the revolutionary fruitfulness of the toilers and the poor?

It is quite true that Mathieu did not plainly say all these things to himself; indeed, he felt slightly ashamed of the four children that he already had, and was disturbed by the counsels of prudence addressed to him by the Beauchenes.  But within him there struggled his faith in life, his belief that the greatest possible sum of life must bring about the greatest sum of happiness.

At last, wishing to change the subject, he bethought himself of Marianne’s commission, and at the first favorable opportunity exclaimed:  “Well, we shall rely on you, Marianne and I, for Sunday after next, at Janville.”

But there was still no answer, for just then a servant came to say that a woman with an infant in her arms desired to see Madame.  And Beauchene, having recognized the wife of Moineaud, the fitter, bade her come in.  Boutan, who had now risen, was prompted by curiosity to remain a little longer.