ion such a variety of steel and silver instruments, knives,
pincers, scissors, and files. "One might think oneself in a
chiropodist's, or a dentist's establishment," remarked Chupin to the
servant. "Does your master use all these every day?"

"Certainly, or rather twice a day--morning and evening--at his
toilette."

Chupin expressed his feelings with a grimace and an exclamation of
mocking wonder. "Ah, well! he must have a clean skin," he said.

His listeners laughed heartily; and the concierge, after exchanging a
significant glance with the valet, said sotto voce, "Zounds! it's his
business to be a handsome fellow!" The mystery was solved.

While Chupin changed the contents of the jardinieres, and remained
upstairs in the intervals between the nine or ten journeys he made
to the porte-cochere for more flowers, he listened attentively to the
conversation between the concierge and the valet, and heard snatches
of sentences that enlightened him wonderfully. Moreover, whenever a
question arose as to placing a plant in one place rather than another,
the valet stated as a conclusive argument that the baroness liked it in
such or such a place, or that she would be better pleased with this or
that arrangement, or that he must comply with the instructions she had
given him. Chupin was therefore obliged to conclude that the flowers
had been sent here by a baroness who possessed certain rights in the
establishment. But who was she?

He was manoeuvering cleverly in the hope of ascertaining this point,
when a carriage was heard driving into the courtyard below. "Monsieur
must have returned!" exclaimed the valet, darting to the window.

Chupin also ran to look out, and saw a very elegant blue-lined brougham,
drawn by a superb horse, but he did not perceive the viscount. In point
of fact, M. de Coralth was already climbing the stairs, four at a time,
and, a moment later, he entered the room, angrily exclaiming, "Florent,
what does this mean? Why have you left all the doors open?"

Florent was the servant in the red waistcoat. He slightly shrugged his
shoulders like a servant who knows too many of his master's secrets to
have anything to fear, and in the calmest possible tone replied, "If
the doors are open, it is only because the baroness has just sent some
flowers. On Sunday, too, what a funny idea! And I have been treating
Father Moulinet and this worthy fellow" (pointing to Chupin) "to a glass
of wine, to acknowledge their