e he went to see. But he almost
directly came back to fetch me. We crossed the courtyard, and entered an
apartment on the ground floor, where a single miserable candle was
twinkling its best to light it, but without success. The notary was
sitting beside the fireplace, and on the hearth a few smouldering ashes
still sent out a small degree of warmth. But such a wretched hole I
never saw! It was my first view of M. Ferrand. Oh, my stars, what a
downright ugly fellow he is! Such a man as he might have offered to make
me Queen of Arabia before I would have played Alfred false."

"And tell me, did the notary appear much struck with Cecily when she
entered?"

"Why, how can any one tell what he thinks while he keeps those great
green spectacles on? Besides, a godly saint such as he passes for has no
business to know whether a woman is handsome or ugly. However, when we
both walked into the room and stood before him, he gave quite a spring
up from his seat. Most likely, he was astonished at Cecily's dress, for
she looked for all the world (only a hundred thousand times better) like
one of those 'buy-a-broom' girls with her short petticoats and her
handsome legs set off by her blue stockings with red clocks. My
conscience, what a leg she has! Such a slender ankle!--and then, oh,
such a calf! With a foot as small and delicate as an opera dancer's. I
can tell you that the notary seemed almost speechless with surprise,
after he had looked at her through his green specs from head to toe."

"Doubtless, as you say, he was struck by the whimsicality of Cecily's
costume."

"Well, maybe so; however, I felt that the critical moment had arrived,
and began to feel rather queer; fortunately, just as my courage began to
fail me, M. Rodolph, I recollected a maxim I learned from you, and that
got me safe through my difficulty."

"What maxim do you mean,--I don't remember teaching you any?"

"Don't you know?--'It is always enough for one to wish, for the other to
refuse; or, for one to desire, for the other to be unwilling.' 'So,'
said I to myself, 'here goes to rid my king of lodgers of his German
niece, and to burthen the hard-hearted master of poor Louise with her.
Now, then, for a good piece of shamming;' and, without giving the notary
breathing time, I began by saying, in a polite and insinuating tone, 'I
hope, sir, you'll excuse my niece being dressed as she is, but she has
only just arrived, and has brought nothing with her but the