worried along the street; but instead of turning to
the right, into the Rue de la Monnaie, they went straight ahead, and
were soon lost in a maze of narrow streets. They were conscious that
they had gone astray, and looked in vain for the square in front of the
Theatre Royal, which they had marked as an objective point. At last they
came across a solitary policeman, who paused on his walk to observe
their unsteady tramp.

"Hotel Royal?" said Grossbeck, addressing the officer.

"_Oui_," replied the man, pointing in the direction from which they had
come, and leading the way himself.

In a few moments they reached the square they had missed, and Grossbeck
recognized the flaming signs of a large clothing store, on the corner
of the street in which the hotel was located.

"Thank you. I am very much obliged to you," said he to the policeman, as
he pointed to the street.

"_Oui_," replied the officer, solemnly, though the grateful
acknowledgments of the juvenile tippler were lost upon him, except so
far as he could interpret them by the motions of the speaker.

"I feel meaner than Napoleon did after the battle of Waterloo," groaned
Lynch.

"Stiffen up, now. Here's the hotel," added Grossbeck.

"Well, what shall we do? I can't walk straight, and my head spins round
like a top," pleaded Lynch.

"Dry up. Starch your back-bone. Here comes a lot of the fellows."

"Who are they?" asked Lynch, trying to stiffen his back, and get the
bearings of his head.

The party approaching proved to be half a dozen of "our fellows," who
stopped, and immediately discovered the condition of the two hopefuls.

"I say, McKeon, can't you help us out?" said Grossbeck.

"Ay, ay; certainly we can," replied "our fellows," in concert, as they
gathered closely around the inebriates, and, thus encircling them,
marched into the hotel.

"Keep still, Lynch; don't say a word," whispered Grossbeck, as they
entered the hall, effectually concealed from the observation of the
officers by their companions.

Mr. Fluxion stood at the door, and checked off the names of the party as
they entered, on the list he held, so as to be sure that all had come
in. It was not an easy thing for Lynch to ascend three flights of
stairs; but his companions supported him, and contrived to screen him
from the officers, till they reached the room where they were to sleep.
The door was closed and fastened, and Grossbeck gratefully acknowledged
the kindness of his frien