his being let loose, and
how am I to stop the judicial interrogation?... What a dog's life a
journalist's is!"

Madame Bourrat reappeared.

"Monsieur Nanteuil is not there," she said. "But I got into
communication with Monsieur Barbey.... He advised me to wait till
to-morrow: he said it was too late in the day to do anything...."

"But, will he not intervene to-morrow?"

"I don't know. To tell the truth, I am sure Monsieur Barbey thought it
very inconsiderate of me to disturb him about a matter in which he takes
not the slightest interest."

"That's a fact. What possible interest can the bankers take in such a
matter?... My advice was absurd!"

Fandor rose. As he was seeing his visitor out, he said:

"In any case, dear madame, count on me to-morrow morning. I shall call
at your house about eleven. If there is anything fresh, we can talk it
over!..."

* * * * *

"Oh, here's Janson-de-Sailly College!... Oh, what detestable
remembrances you conjure up!... But--this won't do!... Go it, my boy!...
I must play the part!"

The plumber, who had just given utterance to these remarks, glanced
sharply about him. When he had made sure that there was no one close on
his heels, he stepped into the roadway, and started on a zigzag course
which seemed likely to upset his balance. Crossing the avenue
Henri-Martin, going straight, towards the town hall at the corner of the
rue de la Pompe, the good plumber, who was staggering more than a
little, began to stutter and stammer in a drunken voice:

"_It is the final struggle!_"

The passers-by looked round.

"They sing the _Internationale_ in the streets now, it seems!" remarked
a severe-looking gentleman.

The workman turned to this correct personage.

"What of it?... Don't you think it a jolly fine thing then?"

In a thick voice he continued to sing:

"_Let us gather, and on the morrow..._"

The severe and correct personage spoke.

"My friend, you would do better to hold your tongue!... You forget that
there is a police station close by!..."

But the incorrigible plumber caught the correct personage by his coat
tails.

"If I sing the _Internationale_, it's because I'm a free man--ain't
I?... A free man can sing if he likes, can't he? Eh!... Why don't you
sing then?... Eh!..."

The correct personage drew himself up stiffly: tried to push the
obnoxious plumber away.... The workman had now reached that stage of
drunkenness when di