n the scenes: he asked if he might be left in
charge of the car. It was Mimile. The young hooligan, who had followed
the conversation of the three men, and of Casimir in particular, whilst
keeping in the background, now intervened at the right moment. He made
his offer just as the chauffeur was looking about him in hopes of
finding some poverty-stricken creatures into whose charge he could give
his car. Casimir gave him twenty sous as an earnest of what was to
follow in the way of coin, saying:

"Take great care of my little shanty! Don't let anyone come mouching
around it, and when I return you shall have double what you've just
had!"

"Thank you, master!" cried Mimile, bowing low before the chauffeur: "You
may rest assured I shall keep a good look out!"

Mimile exchanged signs of understanding with his two accomplices, whilst
they, talking as they went, drew the innocent Casimir towards the
nearest tavern, which was crowded with wine-bibbers.

Mimile, as faithful guardian of the limousine, soon got bored, although
big Ernestine was prowling around, and came to have a minute's talk with
him now and again: they dared not be seen together too much for fear of
attracting attention. As time went on, Mimile was surprised that neither
the Beadle nor the Beard came to report progress. But at long last the
majestic outline of the Beard was seen at the corner of the rue Monceau.
The pretended seller of india-rubber was coming out of the tavern.

He hastened to Mimile and, in a low, distinct voice, he gave him some
hurried instructions, for now there was no time to lose:

"That idiot would never get done with his stories about motor-cars, and
all that stuff and rubbish--what's that to us? But--keep your ears open
now, Mimile--it seems there are still fifteen litres of petrol in the
tank, and that would take it a long way, for the motor consumes very
little.... But this shanty has got to stop about five hundred yards from
here, at the corner of the rue de Monceau and the rue de Teheran ...
it's by this way Casimir will take his Baroness back from the ball....
Well, what you have to do is to take fourteen litres and a half from
that tank and pitch them in the gutter!... When Casimir finds that his
petrol has given out, he will have to go in search of more ... it's
during his absence that we will work the trick on the pretty
Princess--we'll perform an operation on her, and amputate
her--jewellery--the whole lot!"

The Beard