a place," answered Rose-Pompon, pressing her
elbows to her sides, and screwing up her lips to prove that she was no
stranger to polite manners and fine language. And the two rivals quitted
the garret together, leaving Agricola alone with Mother Bunch.

Luckily, the disfigured remains of the Bacchanal Queen had been carried
into Mother Arsene's subterraneous shop, so that the crowd of spectators,
always attracted by any fatal event, had assembled in front of the house;
and Rose-Pompon, meeting no one in the little court she had to traverse
with Adrienne, continued in ignorance of the tragical death of her old
friend Cephyse. In a few moments the grisette and Mdlle. de Cardoville
had reached Philemon's apartment. This singular abode remained in the
same state of picturesque disorder in which Rose-Pompon had left it, when
Ninny Moulin came to fetch her to act the heroine of a mysterious
adventure.

Adrienne, completely ignorant of the eccentric modes of life of students
and their companions, could not, in spite of the thoughts which occupied
her mind, forebear examining, with a mixture of surprise and curiosity,
this strange and grotesque chaos, composed of the most dissimilar
objects--disguises for masked balls, skulls with pipes in their mouths,
odd boots standing on book shelves, monstrous bottles, women's clothes,
ends of tobacco pipes, etc., etc. To the first astonishment of Adrienne
succeeded an impression of painful repugnance. The young lady felt
herself uneasy and out of place in this abode, not of poverty, but
disorder; whilst, on the contrary, the sewing-girl's miserable garret had
caused her no such feeling.

Rose-Pompon, notwithstanding all her airs, was considerably troubled when
she found herself alone with Mdlle, de Cardoville; the rare beauty of the
young patrician, her fashionable look, the elegance of her manners, the
style, both dignified and affable, with which she had answered the
impertinent address of the grisette, began to have their effect upon the
latter, who, being moreover a good-natured girl, had been touched at
hearing Mdlle. de Cardoville call the hunchback "friend and sister."
Without knowing exactly who Adrienne was, Rose-Pompon was not ignorant
that she belonged to the richest and highest class of society; she felt
already some remorse at having attacked her so cavalierly; and her
intentions, at first very hostile with regard to Mdlle. de Cardoville,
were gradually much modified. Yet,