"As concierge, you should know."

"You'd petter ask mein vife."

The sound of Dalville's carriage wheels put an end to the conversation.

Schtrack went down to his quarters, and Bertrand tried to a.s.sume a sedate air with which to receive his master.

"Here I am, my dear Bertrand," said Auguste, as he entered his apartment; "I pa.s.sed a delightful day yesterday. Oh! don't scold me; I was virtuous--that is, so far as circ.u.mstances allowed me to be. Has anybody been here during my absence?"

"Yes, monsieur: in the first place, Mademoiselle Virginie."

"Poor Virginie! she must be angry with me for neglecting her for more than three weeks."

"She says that she shall die of grief."

"Oh! she has said that to me so often!"

"She breakfasted here; she ate cold fowl and pie."

"Very good; evidently her grief isn't dangerous as yet."

"While she was breakfasting, your neighbor, Madame Saint-Edmond, came to ask me if I'd seen her poodle; she wanted also to speak to monsieur about a matter that she said was important. She came in, and the two of them waited a long while for you."

"What! were they here together?"

"Yes, monsieur."

"Gad! that must have been amusing!"

"Amusing, if you choose to call it so! I was afraid for a minute that it was going to be serious."

"Oh! you see the dark side of everything."

"I a.s.sure you, monsieur, that those ladies didn't look at the bright side, either of 'em. They went away at last. Mademoiselle Virginie went to see an Englishman, who is to buy a linen-draper's shop for her."

"Bertrand, you're a slanderer."

"I am simply repeating what she said, monsieur."

"I will go up to-night and see Leonie. What next?"

"Monsieur Destival came to see you; he seemed full of business."

"Oh, yes! he has spoken to me very often lately about an excellent investment in which I can get ten per cent for my money."

"I advise you to get as large a per cent as you can, monsieur; for we are running through the funds pretty fast."

"That is true; I must put my affairs in a better condition."

"Yes, that wouldn't be a bad idea."

"I have been obliged to sell a farm already."

"Poor farm! When I think of it, it makes me feel sad."

"Don't be alarmed, Bertrand, I propose to cut down my expenses after this. I will see Destival, and if he can still find a profitable investment for my money, I shall recover what I have thrown away. Come, my old comrade, no moping; it does no good. I am young and rich. You must agree that I have no reason to despair as yet."

"That is so, lieutenant; that's what I said to myself when Schtrack and I were inspecting the cellar, to make sure that everything was all right."

"You did very well, Bertrand; inspect, superintend, manage everything to suit yourself. I am going to change my clothes; then I will go up to see my neighbor; and to-morrow I will attend to more serious affairs."

"Excellent young man!" said Bertrand, following Auguste with his eyes.

"He leaves me in control here. But tasting his wines isn't the whole thing; that isn't enough; I propose to make myself useful to him in spite of him, and I will go down and have a talk with Madame Schtrack about the little man who goes up to our neighbor's room."

Madame Saint-Edmond greeted Auguste with an offended air; she was melancholy, her eyes were red, she still held her handkerchief in her hand. It is true that, as she had learned of Auguste's return, she was expecting a call from him. Dalville inquired sympathetically what the cause of her depression might be; she refused to confide in him; but she let drop a word or two concerning the woman she had met in his rooms; these words were followed by stifled sighs and sarcastic laughter, and Madame Saint-Edmond added to each of her comments:

"You are entirely at liberty, monsieur, to receive whomever you choose."

Auguste, touched by Leonie's apparent suffering, succeeded in tranquillizing the pretty blonde, who consented at last to make peace with her neighbor on condition that she should never again meet in his rooms that woman who had made impertinent speeches to her, and the mere sight of whom would throw her into hysterics. Auguste promised; in love, as in politics, one always makes more promises than one intends to keep.

But Leonie was still pensive and preoccupied.

"Something is troubling you," said Auguste.

"No; oh, no! nothing, I a.s.sure you," replied the pretty blonde, in a tone which meant the exact opposite.

"But it is perfectly evident to me that you are concealing something from me."

"Why, no, you are mistaken; at all events it doesn't concern you at all."

As we are always anxious to know what does not concern us, Auguste became more insistent; he demanded that she should tell him all, whereupon Madame Saint-Edmond confessed in a low, silvery voice that a milliner, to whom she had owed two thousand francs for a long time, had forced her to give him a note; that that note would come due in two days, and that she was sorely embarra.s.sed about paying it.

Auguste regretted that he had been so inquisitive; but it was too late to retreat; besides, he was too fond of obliging his friends not to come to his neighbor's a.s.sistance.

"Send the holder of the note to my apartment," he said; "Bertrand will pay it."

Leonie refused; she was afraid of inconveniencing Auguste; she would be terribly distressed to have him think that her selfish interests had any influence upon the sentiment he aroused in her. But Auguste insisted, he did not choose that she should have recourse to others; and Leonie consented at last to allow herself to be accommodated, on condition that it should be considered a loan, which she would repay to her friend.

Bertrand leaped backward when Auguste said to him next day:

"You will pay Madame Saint-Edmond's note for two thousand francs which the holder will present here."

"Two thousand francs for that little minx!" cried the ex-corporal, beating his brow in desperation. "Ah! lieutenant, if this is the way you put your affairs in order!"

"No comments, Bertrand; I am only lending Leonie the money, and if I ever find myself in difficulties, I am sure that there is no sacrifice of which that woman would not be capable, to oblige me."

"You may believe that, monsieur, but I----"

"You will pay the note, Bertrand."