ve seen Cranajour at this moment would have been struck by the marked
change produced in his physiognomy. This was not the Cranajour of the
wandering eye, the silly smile, the stupid face, known to Mother
Toulouche and her cronies; it was a transformed Cranajour, mobile of
feature, lively of movement, a sharp, keen-witted Cranajour! Veritably
another man!

Puzzled by the vagaries of the promenader on the Palais roofs, Cranajour
followed his movements intently for a few minutes longer. He would have
remained at the window the whole night long had the unknown persisted in
his peregrinations; but Cranajour saw him climb to the top of a chimney,
a wide one, lower himself slowly into the opening of it, and then vanish
from view!

Cranajour waited a while in hopes that the unknown would not be long in
coming out of his mysterious hiding-place again. He waited and expected
in vain: the roofs of the Palais resumed their ordinary aspect: solitude
reigned there.

* * * * *

Not long afterwards Cranajour re-entered the back store.

"What a time you have been!" cried Mother Toulouche: "You've brought the
newspaper, haven't you?"

Cranajour looked at the little company with his most stupid expression
and then lowered his eyes:

"My goodness, I've forgotten to buy one!" he cried.

Nibet, who had paid but scant attention to the new arrival, continued
his conversation with big Ernestine: they were talking about her lover,
nicknamed the Beadle.

He was a terrible individual this Beadle! Though his nickname suggested
a peaceful occupation, he really owed it to the frightful reputation he
had won as a "_bell-ringer_"; but the bells big Ernestine's lover was in
the habit of ringing were unfortunate pedestrians whom he would rob and
half murder, beating them unmercifully about the head and body.
Sometimes he would beat them to within an ace of their last gasp:
occasionally he would beat the life out of them altogether if they tried
to resist his brutal attacks. The Beadle was an Apache[6] of the first
order of brutality.

[Footnote 6: Hooligan.]

Big Ernestine finished explaining to Nibet that he must not count on the
Beadle that evening, for things were so queer and uncertain, the outlook
was so gloomy that no one knew what bad business they might be in for.

Mother Toulouche asked if he had got mixed up in the Dollon affair.

Cranajour cocked his ear at that, whilst pretending to put a great