Monsieur, Madame, and Bébé

At his first supper party, an eighteen-year-old narrator tries to look experienced while jealousy and drink unsettle his confidence. Gustave Droz builds this comic scene around the young man's wish to impress his sweetheart and the noisy confidence of his host. The collection extends from courtship to marriage and family life, with chapters devoted to husbands, wives, a young mother's letters and the small concerns of raising children.

A later encounter begins when two men climb into the same cab from opposite sides. Their irritation turns to laughter when they recognize each other as old friends. Oscar invites the narrator to Les Roches, where he describes a contented household beside a river and a mill. The narrator then visits the country house, noticing its roofs, windows, trees and climbing roses. These scenes offer readers French domestic humour through conversation, social awkwardness and detailed observation of people and their surroundings.