.

"And, further on, at the Painters' Gate, there were other personages,
very richly clad."

"And at the fountain of Saint-Innocent, that huntsman, who was chasing a
hind with great clamor of dogs and hunting-horns."

"And, at the Paris slaughter-houses, stages, representing the fortress
of Dieppe!"

"And when the legate passed, you remember, Gisquette? they made the
assault, and the English all had their throats cut."

"And against the gate of the Chatelet, there were very fine personages!"

"And on the Port au Change, which was all draped above!"

"And when the legate passed, they let fly on the bridge more than two
hundred sorts of birds; wasn't it beautiful, Lienarde?"

"It will be better to-day," finally resumed their interlocutor, who
seemed to listen to them with impatience.

"Do you promise us that this mystery will be fine?" said Gisquette.

"Without doubt," he replied; then he added, with a certain emphasis,--"I
am the author of it, damsels."

"Truly?" said the young girls, quite taken aback.

"Truly!" replied the poet, bridling a little; "that is, to say, there
are two of us; Jehan Marchand, who has sawed the planks and erected
the framework of the theatre and the woodwork; and I, who have made the
piece. My name is Pierre Gringoire."

The author of the "Cid" could not have said "Pierre Corneille" with more
pride.

Our readers have been able to observe, that a certain amount of time
must have already elapsed from the moment when Jupiter had retired
beneath the tapestry to the instant when the author of the new morality
had thus abruptly revealed himself to the innocent admiration of
Gisquette and Lienarde. Remarkable fact: that whole crowd, so tumultuous
but a few moments before, now waited amiably on the word of the
comedian; which proves the eternal truth, still experienced every day in
our theatres, that the best means of making the public wait patiently is
to assure them that one is about to begin instantly.

However, scholar Johannes had not fallen asleep.

"Hola he!" he shouted suddenly, in the midst of the peaceable waiting
which had followed the tumult. "Jupiter, Madame the Virgin, buffoons of
the devil! are you jeering at us? The piece! the piece! commence or we
will commence again!"

This was all that was needed.

The music of high and low instruments immediately became audible from
the interior of the stage; the tapestry was raised; four personages,
in motley attire and paint