irections given him by the
Skeleton, directly Nicholas, from the corner of his eye, descried the
approach of Maitre Boulard, he feigned entire ignorance of his vicinity,
but made for the place where Frank and his companions were seated.

"How are you, my ticket?" inquired the bailiff of Nicholas.

"Bless me!" answered he; "I declare I didn't see you. I suppose you're
like me, come out to take a sniff of fresh air and have your daily
walk?"

"Why, that's about it. But I happen to have more reasons than one
to-day; and I tell you how it is. But, first of all, catch hold of one
of these cigars; they're deuced good ones. Come, don't be so missy and
shy about it; take as many as you like. Hang it all, when men are shut
up together in a place like this, they oughtn't to be stingy."

"You are very good, and so are your cigars. But you were saying you had
several reasons for walking out to-day?"

"Well, and so I have. First and foremost, I don't feel as hungry as
usual; so, thinks I, I'll go and look on while those chaps eat their
dinner. Who knows but the sight of their jaws all working away together
may screw me up a bit, and give me a relish against feeding-time?"

"A famous idea!" said Nicholas. "But if you really do want to see a
couple of feeders, just draw this way. There!" added he, pointing to the
bench on which Frank was sitting; "what do you think of a pair of
grubbers like those? I should say we were better behind than before
them, or they might even swallow us instead of those huge lumps of bread
and cheese and onions so rapidly stowed away in their capacious jaws."

"Let's have a look at them!" said Maitre Boulard.

"Well, to be sure!" cried Nicholas, with feigned surprise; "I declare
one of them is Gros-Boiteux!"

Gros-Boiteux and Frank both turned around at these words. Stupefied and
speechless, the bailiff continued to gaze in utter amazement at the man
he had so wronged, while, starting up with a sudden spring, Frank threw
down the morsel he had been eating, and darting on Maitre Boulard, he
seized him by the throat, exclaiming, "My money--my money; give me my
money!"

"Hallo! Who are you? What do you mean? Hands off, or you'll strangle me!
I--"

"My money, I say!"

"My good man, only calm yourself and listen to reason!"

"No, not till you give me back my money. What, aren't you satisfied with
having brought me here? Can you not restore me what you stole from me?"

"But I--I--I--never--"

"I