wered Le Doyen, entering
almost forcibly into the little courtyard. Then observing the savage
conduct of the monkey, he ran towards him, seized him by the scruff of
the neck, and sought to fling him to the other end of the yard; but
perceiving that the boy and the animal were chained together, Le Doyen
cast a stern and fearful glance on Cut-in-Half, as he called out in a
severe tone, 'Let this unfortunate child loose directly!' Only conceive
the joyful surprise experienced by Gringalet, who, nearly dead with
terror, found himself so unexpectedly preserved, and by means which
seemed to him so miraculous that he could not help turning his eyes on
his preserver, with a recollection of the golden-winged fly he had seen
in his dream, though he saw merely a stout, square-built, elderly
gentleman, looking more like a creature of earth than air."

"Well, now then," said the officer on duty, "now that Gringalet is safe,
I will go and take my soup."

"Safe!" exclaimed Pique-Vinaigre, "not a bit of it! Bless you, poor
little Gringalet has not got to the worst of his troubles yet."

"No?" cried several prisoners, with the deepest interest. "No; hasn't
he, though?"

"But what else happened to him then?" inquired the officer.

"Wait a bit and you'll hear," answered the story-teller.

"What a fellow that Pique-Vinaigre is!" cried the officer; "he makes you
do just as he pleases! Well, I'll stay a little longer, at any rate!"

The Skeleton spoke not, but he actually foamed with rage, as
Pique-Vinaigre thus continued his recital:

"Cut-in-Half, who feared Le Doyen as the devil fears holy water, had, in
a grumbling manner, unfastened the chain from Gringalet's waist, which
done, Le Doyen tossed Gargousse up in the air, and when he fell to the
ground he gave him so desperate a kick in his ribs that he sent him
rolling ten feet off. The monkey screamed with passion, chattered, and
ground his teeth with rage; then, fearing a repetition of the rough
usage he had experienced, scampered away, and, climbing to the roof of a
small shed, manifested his hatred of Le Doyen by a variety of
threatening gestures. 'What do you mean by ill-using my monkey?'
inquired Cut-in-Half of Le Doyen. 'You ought rather to ask me why I do
not beat you instead of your spiteful beast there; for shame! Thus to
torture and ill-use a poor helpless boy! Is it possible you can be drunk
at this early hour of the morning?' 'I am no more drunk than you are! I
was te