their hearts glad, and the sensation was reflected upon
the spirits of Florian. He seemed to have expended his stock of French;
for "Snuff the _chandelle_" is not pure Parisian.

The point of the joke was lost, nevertheless; for the geometer, who put
up at the Eagle, was not there.

"Are you going to stay with us, Florian?" asked Babbett.

"_Nous verrons_: we shall see."

"Tell us something of your travels," said Caspar, the host, who felt it
incumbent on him to promote the conversation. "Have you been to Paris?"

"Of course," answered Florian, in a tone of voice in which a shrewd
observer would have detected the ring of false metal; "but I didn't
like it there. Nancy's the finest place yet. Go into a tavern there,
and the walls are all looking-glasses, the tables are marble, and you
eat and drink out of nothing but silver. You ought to go there once:
you'd open your eyes and ears."

These signs of absorbing attention now showed themselves in Florian's
own features; for the geometer, with his two colleagues, entered the
room. They passed through to the little back parlor, where a table was
set for them.

Florian seized his glass, made it clink against those of his friends,
and said, "_A votre sante._"

Caspar had lost his interest in Florian's narration, and hastened to
meet the new-comers and light them to their supportable, which was set
in the back room. Florian, twirling his mustache, asked Constantine,
very softly, "Which is it?"

"The lobsided one, with long hair, that came in first."

For a time all were silent, and nothing was heard but the clatter of
knives and forks behind the screen.

But suddenly Constantine began to sing:--

"Oh, man of geometry,
Pull up your pegs:
How can you see straight with such
Shocking round legs?"

A burst of laughter filled the room, instantly succeeded by another
silence. The knives and forks behind the screen were breathless also.

Florian got up and said to Josey, "_Comment vous portez-vous, Monsieur
Geometre?_"

"_Quadulta loing_," replied Josey, who continued to talk gibberish,
amid renewed peals of laughter.

"'Wish you joy of your berth," said Constantine, taking the mop from
the slop-bucket. "Here: just survey this table for me: you can do it
very well, you know, for there's no need of brains."

Amid constant and increasing merriment, Josey entered upon his labors,
and proceede