nd feared that somebody might be robbing their stalls
during their long absence. So Mademoiselle Saget began to give them some
further interesting information to keep them from going off. Florent
could not have taken to flight, said she; he was certain to return, and
it would be very interesting to see him arrested. Then she went on to
describe the trap that had been laid for him, while Madame Lecoeur
and La Sarriette continued scrutinising the house from top to bottom,
keeping watch upon every opening, and at each moment expecting to see
the hats of the detectives appear at one of the doors or windows.

"Who would ever imagine, now, that the place was full of police?"
observed the butter dealer.

"Oh! they're in the garret at the top," said the old maid. "They've left
the window open, you see, just as they found it. Look! I think I can see
one of them hiding behind the pomegranate on the balcony."

The others excitedly craned out their necks, but could see nothing.

"Ah, no, it's only a shadow," continued Mademoiselle Saget. "The little
curtains even are perfectly still. The detectives must be sitting down
in the room, and keeping quiet."

Just at that moment the women caught sight of Gavard coming out of the
fish market with a thoughtful air. They looked at him with glistening
eyes, without speaking. They had drawn close to one another, and stood
there rigid in their drooping skirts. The poultry dealer came up to
them.

"Have you seen Florent go by?" he asked.

They replied that they had not.

"I want to speak to him at once," continued Gavard. "He isn't in the
fish market. He must have gone up to his room. But you would have seen
him, though, if he had."

The women had turned rather pale. They still kept looking at each other
with a knowing expression, their lips twitching slightly every now and
then. "We have only been here some five minutes, said Madame Lecoeur
unblushingly, as her brother-in-law still stood hesitating.

"Well, then, I'll go upstairs and see. I'll risk the five flights,"
rejoined Gavard with a laugh.

La Sarriette stepped forward as though she wished to detain him, but her
aunt took hold of her arm and drew her back.

"Let him alone, you big simpleton!" she whispered. "It's the best thing
that can happen to him. It'll teach him to treat us with respect in
future."

"He won't say again that I ate tainted meat," muttered Mademoiselle
Saget in a low tone.

They said nothing more. La