"
"Poor babby, I think I see him," said the prisoner in the blue cap; "there
are so many like him on the streets of Paris, little starved-to-deaths."
"They ought to begin to learn that trade young," replied Pique-Vinaigre,
bitterly; "so that they can become used to it."
"Come, go on then, make haste," said Skeleton, gruffly; "the keeper is
impatient, his soup is growing cold."
"Oh, bah! never mind," answered the keeper; "I wish to make a little more
acquaintance with Gringalet. It is amusing."
"Really, it is very interesting," added Germain, attentive to the story.
"Oh, thank you for what you say, my capitalist; that gives me more pleasure
than your ten sous."
"Thunder! you sluggard!" cried the Skeleton. "Will you have done keeping us
waiting?"
"Here goes!" answered Pique-Vinaigre.
"One day Cut-in-half had picked up Gringalet in the street, dying with cold
and hunger; he would have done just as well to let him alone to die. As
Gringalet was feeble, he was afraid; and as he was cowardly, he became the
laughing-stock and scapegoat of his companions, who beat him, and caused
him so much misery, that he would have been very wicked if strength and
courage had not failed him. But no; when they beat him, he cried, saying,
'I have done no harm to any one, yet every one harms me--it is unjust. Oh!
if I were strong and bold!' You think, perhaps, that Gringalet was going to
add, 'I would return to others the evil they did me.
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