When she heard her eldest son make
one of his brothers decline _Rosa, a rose_, it sounded like delicious
music to her. It is only fair to add that her delight was not tarnished
by any sordid calculations. Even Rougon felt the satisfaction which an
illiterate man experiences on perceiving his sons grow more learned than
himself. Then the fellowship which grew up between their sons and
those of the local big-wigs completed the parents' gratification. The
youngsters were soon on familiar terms with the sons of the Mayor and
the Sub-Prefect, and even with two or three young noblemen whom the
Saint-Marc quarter had deigned to send to the Plassans College. Felicite
was at a loss how to repay such an honour. The education of the three
lads weighed seriously on the budget of the Rougon household.
Until the boys had taken their degrees, their parents, who kept them at
college at enormous sacrifices, lived in hopes of their success. When
they had obtained their diplomas Felicite wished to continue her work,
and even persuaded her husband to send the three to Paris. Two of them
devoted themselves to the study of law, and the third passed through
the School of Medicine. Then, when they were men, and had exhausted the
resources of the Rougon family and were obliged to return and establish
themselves in the provinces, their parents' disenchantment began. They
idled about and grew fat. And Felicite again felt all the bitterness of
her ill-luck.
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