r; folks nudged each
other and went into hysterics almost; there was always a grinning group
in front of it. Each canvas thus had its particular kind of success;
people hailed each other from a distance to point out something funny,
and witticisms flew from mouth to mouth; to such a degree indeed that,
as Claude entered the fourth gallery, lashed into fury by the tempest of
laughter that was raging there as well, he all but slapped the face of
an old lady whose chuckles exasperated him.

'What idiots!' he said, turning towards his friends. 'One feels inclined
to throw a lot of masterpieces at their heads.'

Sandoz had become fiery also, and Fagerolles continued praising the
most dreadful daubs, which only tended to increase the laughter, while
Gagniere, at sea amid the hubbub, dragged on the delighted Irma, whose
skirts somehow wound round the legs of all the men.

But of a sudden Jory stood before them. His fair handsome face
absolutely beamed. He cut his way through the crowd, gesticulated, and
exulted, as if over a personal victory. And the moment he perceived
Claude, he shouted:

'Here you are at last! I have been looking for you this hour. A success,
old fellow, oh! a success--'

'What success?'

'Why, the success of your picture. Come, I must show it you. You'll see,
it's stunning.'

Claude grew pale. A great joy choked him, while he pretended to receive
the news with composure. Bongrand's words came back to him. He began to
believe that he possessed genius.

'Hallo, how are you?' continued Jory, shaking hands with the others.

And, without more ado, he, Fagerolles and Gagniere surrounded Irma, who
smiled on them in a good-natured way.

'Perhaps you'll tell us where the picture is,' said Sandoz, impatiently.
'Take us to it.'

Jory assumed the lead, followed by the band. They had to fight their way
into the last gallery. But Claude, who brought up the rear, still heard
the laughter that rose on the air, a swelling clamour, the roll of a
tide near its full. And as he finally entered the room, he beheld a
vast, swarming, closely packed crowd pressing eagerly in front of his
picture. All the laughter arose, spread, and ended there. And it was his
picture that was being laughed at.

'Eh!' repeated Jory, triumphantly, 'there's a success for you.'

Gagniere, intimidated, as ashamed as if he himself had been slapped,
muttered: 'Too much of a success--I should prefer something different.'

'What a fool yo