{"product_id":"2940013769120","title":"A Child of the Revolution","description":"\"In Heaven's name, what has happened to the child?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis exclaimed Marianne Vallon when, turning from her wash-tub, she\u003cbr\u003esuddenly caught sight of André at the narrow garden gate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In Heaven's name!\" she reiterated, but only to herself, for Marianne\u003cbr\u003ewas not one to give vent to her feelings before anyone, not even\u003cbr\u003ebefore her own son.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe raised her apron and wiped her large, ruddy face first and then\u003cbr\u003eher big, capable hands, all dripping with soapsuds; after which she\u003cbr\u003estumped across the yard to the gate: her sabots clacked loudly against\u003cbr\u003ethe stones, for Marianne Vallon was a good weight and a fair bulk; her\u003cbr\u003efootsteps were heavy, and her movements slow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo wonder that the good soul was, inwardly, invoking the name of\u003cbr\u003eHeaven, for never in all his turbulent life had André come home\u003cbr\u003elooking such a terrible object. His shirt and his breeches were\u003cbr\u003ehanging in strips; his feet, his legs, the whole of his body, and even\u003cbr\u003ehis face, were plastered with mud and blood. Yes, blood! Right across\u003cbr\u003ehis forehead, just missing his right eye, fortunately, there was a\u003cbr\u003edeep gash from which the blood was still oozing and dripping down his\u003cbr\u003enose. His lip was cut and his mouth swollen out of all recognition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In Heaven's name!\" she reiterated once more, and aloud this time,\u003cbr\u003e\"thou little good-for-nothing, what mischief hast thou been in in\u003cbr\u003enow?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarianne waited for no explanation; obviously the boy was not in a fit\u003cbr\u003estate to give her any. She just seized him by the wrist and dragged\u003cbr\u003ehim to her washtub. It was not much Marianne Vallon knew of nursing or\u003cbr\u003edressing of wounds, but her instinct of cleanliness probably saved\u003cbr\u003eAndré life this day, as it had done many a time before. Despite his\u003cbr\u003eprotests, she stripped him to the skin; then she started scrubbing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoap and water stung horribly, and André yelled as much with\u003cbr\u003eimpatience as with pain; he fought like a young demon, but his mother,\u003cbr\u003epuffing like a fat pug dog, imperturbable and energetic, scrubbed away\u003cbr\u003euntil she was satisfied that no mud or dirt threatened the festering\u003cbr\u003eof wounds. She ended by holding the tousled young head under the pump,\u003cbr\u003eswilling it and the lithe, muscular body down with plenty of cold\u003cbr\u003ewater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Now dry thyself over there in the sun,\" she commanded finally,\u003cbr\u003esatisfied that in his present state of dripping nudity he couldn't\u003cbr\u003every well get into mischief again. Then, apparently quite unruffled by\u003cbr\u003ethe incident, she went back to her washtub. This sort of thing\u003cbr\u003ehappened often enough; sometimes with less, once or twice with even\u003cbr\u003emore disastrous results. Marianne Vallon never asked questions,\u003cbr\u003eknowing well enough that the boy would blurt out the whole story all\u003cbr\u003ein good time: she didn't even glance round at him as he law stretched\u003cbr\u003eout full length, arms and legs outspread, as perfect a specimen of the\u003cbr\u003eyoung male as had ever stirred a mother's pride, the warm July sun\u003cbr\u003ebaking his skin to a deeper shade of brown and glinting on the ruddy","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070249058544,"sku":"2940013769120","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013769120_p0.jpg?v=1763590050","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013769120","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}