making a sign to Colline and Schaunard, the poet took them
off with him.

"Where are you going?" asked Marcel.

"To buy some tobacco," they replied.

"At Havana," added Schaunard, with a sign of intelligence to Marcel, who
thanked him with a look.

"Why did you not come sooner?" he asked Musette when they were alone
together.

"It is true, I am rather behindhand."

"Five days to cross the Pont Neuf. You must have gone round by the
Pyrenees?"

Musette bowed her head and was silent.

"Ah, naughty girl," said the artist, sadly tapping his hand lightly on
his mistress' breast, "what have you got inside here?"

"You know very well," she retorted quickly.

"But what have you been doing since I wrote to you?"

"Do not question me," said Musette, kissing him several times. "Do not
ask me anything, but let me warm myself beside you. You see I put on my
best dress to come. Poor Maurice, he could not understand it when I set
off to come here, but it was stronger than myself, so I started. The
fire is nice," she added, holding out her little hand to the flames, "I
will stay with you till tomorrow if you like."

"It will be very cold here," said Marcel, "and we have nothing for
dinner. You have come too late," he repeated.

"Ah, bah!" said Musette. "It will be all the more like old times."

* * * * *

Rodolphe, Colline, and Schaunard, took twenty-four hours to get their
tobacco. When they returned to the house Marcel was alone.

After an absence of six days Vicomte Maurice saw Musette return.

He did not in any way reproach her, and only asked her why she seemed
sad.

"I quarreled with Marcel," said she. "We parted badly."

"And yet, who knows," said Maurice. "But you will again return to him."

"What would you?" asked Musette. "I need to breathe the air of that life
from time to time. My life is like a song, each of my loves is a verse,
but Marcel is the refrain."

CHAPTER XX

Mimi In Fine Feather

"No, no, no, you are no longer Lisette! No, no, no, you are no longer
Mimi. You are today, my lady the viscomtess, the day after tomorrow you
may, perhaps, be your grace the duchess; the doorway of your dreams has
at length been thrown wide open before you, and you have passed through
it victorious and triumphant. I felt certain you would end up by doing
so, some night or other. It was bound to be; besides, your white hands
were made for idleness, and for a long time pa