This is Volume II of Guy de Maupassant's Collective Short Stories, including The Dispenser of Holy Water, Duchoux, and Father. Children are gifts from God. It is especially right for the wheelwright and his wife, who, in spite of inconceivable obstacles, never stop searching for their lost son, even at the expense of consuming the rest of their life. The greatest, selfless love told in The Dispenser of Holy Water will bring you to tears. The story of Baron de Mordiane in Duchoux is amazingly similar to that of François Tessier in Father. Both protagonists immerse themselves in life of Libertinism, only to find that their lifestyle is the cause of later regrets. At first sight, readers are likely to treat both stories as conventional romances telling a playboy's seduction and abandonment of a fair young maiden. After a second thought, however, we will realize that Guy de Maupassant wants to expound the idea that everyone, be he a baron or a rakehell, will finally be in want of the domestic happiness. Flaunty way of life will never overwhelm, let alone replace, the peaceful family life.

儿子的失踪让本来幸福快乐的家庭沦入不幸的深渊，一对车匠夫妇从此踏上了艰难的寻子之路。阅读《洒圣水的人》，可怜天下父母心！与温馨感人的情节不同，《迪舒》和《父亲》塑造了两个不负责任的父亲形象。虽然来龙去脉不一，但两位男主人公都是始乱终弃的"典范"。然而总有一天，当他们厌倦了浮华虚荣，回首过去，面对现实，终于明白自己曾经错过的是什么，终于知道曾经遗失了怎样的美好......