"but he certainly has one eye larger than
the other, and of quite a different color."

"_Tiens_, Caroline--it seems to me that you look very closely into the
eyes of young men," exclaims Adele, turning sharply upon this new
assailant.

"At all events you admit that Caroline is right," cries Lolotte,
triumphantly.

"I admit nothing of the kind. I say that you are both very ill-natured,
and that you say what is not true. As for you, Lolotte, I don't believe
you ever had the chance of seeing a young man's eyes turned upon you, or
you would not be so pleased with the attentions of an old one."

"An _old_ one!" shrieked Mam'selle Lolotte. "Ah, _mon Dieu_! Is a man
old at forty-seven? Monsieur Durand is in the prime of life, and there
isn't a girl in the Quartier who would not be proud of his attentions!"

"He's sixty, if an hour," said the injured Adele. "And as for you,
Caroline, who have never had a beau in your life...."

"_Ciel_! what a calumny!--I--never had a ... Holy Saint Genevieve! why,
it was only last Thursday week...."

Here the train stopped at the Asnieres station, and two privates of the
Garde Imperiale got into the carriage. The horizon cleared as if by
magic. The grisettes suddenly forgot their differences, and began to
chat quite amicably. The soldiers twirled their mustachios, listened,
smiled, and essayed to join in the conversation. In a few minutes all
was mirth and flirtation.

Meanwhile Mueller was casting admiring glances on the young girl in the
corner, whilst the fat countrywoman, pursing up her mouth, and watching
the grisettes and soldiers, looked the image of offended virtue.

"Dame! Madame," she said, addressing herself to the old lady in the
bonnet, "girls usen't to be so forward in the days when you and I
were young!"

To which the old lady in the bonnet, blandly smiling, replied:--

"Beautiful, for the time of year."

"Eh? For the time of year? Dame! I don't see that the time of year has
anything to do with it," exclaimed the fat countrywoman.

Here the young girl in the corner, blushing and smiling very sweetly,
interposed with--"Pardon, Madame--my aunt is somewhat deaf. Pray,
excuse her."

Whereupon the old lady, watching the motion of her niece's lips, added--

"Ah, yes--yes! I am a poor, deaf old woman--I don't understand what you
say. Talk to my little Marie, here--she can answer you."

"I, for one, desire nothing better than permission to talk to
Mademoiselle," sai