Answer:
Initially, the children were overcome with grief at the death of their mother, but after they discovered the letters, they became shocked due to the realization of the fact that their mother was not whom they thought her to be.
Step-by-step explanation:
The children in this story were traumatized by the death of their mother and this was exemplified in the way they grieved and mourned over her. They adored her and even the Priest who came visiting thought her to be a saint. However, after they read the letter exchanges between their mother and a certain Henry who was not their father Rene, they became shocked.
They no longer wailed like before and slowly, dejectedly, they left the room. Apparently, it seemed that they were not so happy with their late mother for concealing the identity of Henry from them.