"This is not the baby!" she exclaimed in startled tones. French was the language spoken at Valmondé in those days.
"I knew you would be astonished," laughed Désirée, "at the way he has grown. Look at his legs, mamma, and his hands and finger-nails, real finger-nails. Zandrine had to cut them this morning, isn't it true, Zandrine?"
The woman bowed her turbaned head majestically, "of course, Madame."
"And the way he cries," went on Désirée, "is deafening. Armand heard him the other day as far away as La Blanche's cabin."
Madame Valmondé had never removed her eyes from the child. She lifted it and walked with it over to the window that was lightest. She scanned the baby narrowly, then looked as searchingly at Zandrine, whose face was turned to gaze across the fields.
"Yes, the child has grown, has changed;" said Madame Valmondé, slowly, as she replaced it beside its mother. "What does Armand say?"
Désirée's face became suffused with a glow that was happiness itself.
“Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish, I believe, chiefly because it is a boy, to bear his name; though he says not;-that he would have loved a girl as well. But I know it isn't true I know he says that to please me. And mamma," she added, drawing Madame Valmondé's head down to her, and speaking in a whisper, "he hasn't punished one of them - not one of them-since baby is born. Even Négrillon, who pretended to have burnt his leg that he might rest from work-he only laughed, and said Négrillon was a great scamp. Oh, mamma, I'm so happy; it frightens me."
Question 1: What language was spoken at Valmondé in those days?
Answer: French was the language spoken at Valmondé in those days.
Question 2: Why was Madame Valmondé astonished when she saw the baby?
Answer: Madame Valmondé was astonished when she saw the baby because she believed it was not the same baby due to its growth.
Question 3: How did Désirée reassure her mother about the baby's identity?
Answer: Désirée reassured her mother about the baby's identity by pointing out physical features such as his legs, hands, and finger-nails, and by mentioning how loudly he cried, even heard from a distance.
Question 4: What did Madame Valmondé do after examining the baby?
Answer: After examining the baby, Madame Valmondé lifted it and walked with it over to the window to scrutinize it more closely, then looked searchingly at Zandrine.
Question 5: How did Désirée describe Armand's reaction to the baby?
Answer: Désirée described Armand as the proudest father in the parish, particularly because the baby was a boy who would bear his name. She mentioned that although Armand claimed he would have loved a girl just as much, she knew it wasn't true.
Question 6: Why was Désirée frightened despite being happy?
Answer: Désirée was frightened despite being happy because of her overwhelming happiness, which frightened her. She felt scared by the intensity of her emotions.