I
trust Jacques as I trust myself, and as I have no property of my own, as
everything that can possibly come to me, comes to me as your daughter's
husband and belongs to our children, I can be easy in my mind and so can
you; Jacques would never try to defraud his sister's children for his
own, as he loves them almost equally."
"You are right in that, Germain. Jacques is a good son, a good brother,
and a man who loves the truth. But Jacques may die before you, before
your children are grown up, and one must always have a care not to leave
minors without a head to give them good advice and arrange their
differences. Otherwise the lawyers interfere, set them at odds with each
other, and make them eat everything up in lawsuits. So we ought not to
think of bringing another person into our house, man or woman, without
saying to ourselves that that person may some day have to direct the
conduct and manage the business of thirty or more children,
grandchildren, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law. No one knows how much
a family may grow, and when the hive is too full and the time has come
to swarm, every one thinks about carrying off his honey. When I took
you for my son-in-law, although my daughter was rich and you poor, I
never reproached her for choosing you. I saw you were a good worker, and
I knew well that the best sort of riches for country people like us is a
good pair of arms and a heart like yours.
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