to their lips, five or six
people in plain clothes, and several police officers in uniform, pushed
into the room, with a commissary of police at their head.

"Gentlemen," said the commissary, "by order of the authorities, this
dinner cannot take place. I call upon you to withdraw."

"Oh!" said Rodolphe, retiring with everyone else. "Oh! what a fatality
has spoiled my dinner."

He sadly resumed the road to his dwelling, and reached it at about
eleven at night.

Monsieur Benoit was awaiting him.

"Ah! it is you," said the landlord. "Have you thought of what I told you
this morning? Have you brought me any money?"

"I am to receive some tonight. I will give you some of it tomorrow
morning," replied Rodolphe, looking for his key and his candlestick in
their accustomed place. He did not find them.

"Monsieur Rodolphe," said the landlord, "I am very sorry, but I have let
your room, and I have no other vacant now--you must go somewhere else."

Rodolphe had a lofty soul, and a night in the open air did not alarm
him. Besides, in the event of bad weather, he could sleep in a box at
the Odeon Theater, as he had already done before. Only he claimed "his
property" from Monsieur Benoit, the said property consisting of a
bundle of papers.

"That is so," said the landlord. "I have no right to detain those
things. They are in the bureau. Come up with me; if the person who has
taken your room has not gone to bed, we can go in."

The room had been let during the day to a girl named Mimi, with whom
Rodolphe had formerly begun a love duet. They recognized one another at
once. Rodolphe began to whisper to Mimi and tenderly squeezed her hand.

"See how it rains," said he, calling attention to the noise of the storm
that had just broken overhead.

"Sir," said she, pointing to Rodolphe, "this is the gentleman I was
expecting this evening."

"Oh!" said Monsieur Benoit, grinning on the wrong end of his face.

Whilst Mademoiselle Mimi was hurriedly getting ready an improvised
supper, midnight struck.

"Ah!" said Rodolphe to himself, "the 15th of April is over. I have at
length weathered my Cape of Storms. My dear Mimi," said the young man,
taking the pretty girl in his arms and kissing her on the back of the
neck, "it would have been impossible for you to have allowed me to be
turned out of doors. You have the bump of hospitality."

CHAPTER XI

A BOHEMIAN CAFE

You shall hear how it came to pass that Carolus Barbemu