ears than
he came out with? Lord bless you! he'll put his wife under a glass case,
and worship her from this day forward. Poor, dear gentleman! I really
could not help feeling sorry for him. Oh! but about your furniture, M.
Rodolph; it has not come yet."

"I am now going to see about it. By the by, you had better go and inform
the commandant that he may venture out."

"True; I'll go and let the caged bird out. But what stuff and nonsense
for him to hire apartments of no more use to him than they are to the
King of Prussia! He is a fine fellow, he is, with his paltry twelve
francs a month. This is the fourth time he has been made a fool of."

Rodolph quitted the house, and Madame Pipelet, turning to her husband,
said, with a chuckling laugh, "Now, Alfred, the commandant's turn has
come; now for it! I mean to have a jolly good laugh at my gentleman,--up
and dressed for nothing."

Arrived at the apartments of M. Charles Robert, the porteress rang the
bell; the door was opened by the commandant himself.

"Commandant," said Anastasie, giving him a military salute, by placing
the back of her little fat hand against the front of her wig, "I have
come to set you free. Your friends have gone away arm in arm, happy as
doves, under your very nose. Well, you are out of a nice mess, thanks to
M. Rodolph. You ought to stand something very handsome to him for all he
has done upon the present occasion."

"Then this slim individual with the moustachios is called M. Rodolph, is
he?"

"Exactly so; neither more nor less."

"And who and what is the fellow?"

"Fellow, indeed!" cried Madame Pipelet, in a wrathful voice; "he is as
good as other men,--better than some I could mention. Why, he is a
travelling clerk, but the very king of lodgers; for, though he has only
one room, he does not haggle and beat folks down,--not he. Why, he gave
me six francs for doing for him,--six francs, mind, I say, without a
word. Think of that!--without ever offering me a sou less. Oh, he is a
lodger! I wish other people were at all like him!"

"There, there, that's enough; take the key."

"Shall I light the fire to-morrow, commandant?"

"No!"

"Next day?"

"No, no! Don't bother me."

"I say, commandant, if you recollect, I warned you that you would have
your trouble for your pains."

M. Charles Robert threw a glance at his grinning tormentor that spoke of
annihilation at least, and, dashing furiously by her, quitted the house,
wondering mu