Human Follies (La Bêtise Humaine.)

"Human Follies (La Bêtise Humaine.)" by Jules Noriac is a French novel. Jules Noriac, real name Claude, Antoine, Jules Cairon, (1827-1882), was a French journalist, playwright, writer, librettist, and theatre director. He also wrote plays, operetta libretti, and novels under the pseudonym Jules Noriac.
Excerpt:
"When Eusebe Martin had attained his twenty-first year, his father, who was a man of sense, thus addressed him:—
"Eusebe, you are no longer a child: it is time to begin your education. You were but eight years old when you lost your mother, my beloved wife. This was a great misfortune, no doubt; for her heart would have been to you a treasure of affection. However, if we were permitted to believe in compensations in this world, I should think that you had been recompensed for this loss, great as it was. Your mother, had she lived, would have spoiled you, and to-day you would not have been half the man you are."