The Christening (Maupassant)
An old naval doctor recounted a story from his past when he was living in a small village in Brittany, near Pont l'Abbé. One day, his gardener, Kérandec, asked him to be the godfather of his newborn child.
The doctor agreed and even lent the gardener some money for the christening ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the doctor was horrified to see the baby being stripped naked in the freezing cold, as it was a local custom. Despite his protests, the baby remained naked throughout the entire ceremony.
Oh, the divine poison! Or rather, the seductive assassin, the adorable destroying angel!
After the ceremony, the doctor advised the family to quickly warm the baby and left to settle a dispute with the priest over the fees. When the doctor returned home, he found that the family had not yet returned. He later learned that they had gone off to celebrate the occasion, leaving the mother and baby alone.
It was the custom. Then I remembered my ten francs which ought to have paid for the christening and which was doubtless now paying for drink.
Worried, the doctor sent some soup and ordered a fire to be made in the mother's room.
Late that night, the family returned, drunk and unaware that the baby had died from the cold. The doctor was furious and planned to confront them the next morning. However, he discovered that the family had consumed lamp oil in their drunken state, and the mother was now gravely ill. Despite his efforts, the mother died later that day.