t, and if I had
not the resource of burning it--"

"He is the devil in person," thought Brigitte; "not a word of excuse
about all that glass, but he must needs fall foul of my brandy
too!--Monsieur," she resumed, in the same raised diapason, "as Monsieur
Felix is not coming, don't you think your family will be uneasy at your
absence?"

"Family? I haven't any, madame, owing to the fact that they want to make
me out a lunatic. But I have a housekeeper, Madame Lambert, and I dare
say she will be surprised not to see me home by this time. I think I had
better go now; if I stay later, the scene might be more violent. But
I must own that in this strange quarter I am not sure if I can find my
way."

"Then take a carriage."

"Carriage here, carriage there, indeed! my spiteful relations wouldn't
lose the chance of calling me a spendthrift."

"I have an important message to send into your quarter," said Brigitte,
seeing she must resolve to make the sacrifice, "and I have just told
my porter to take a cab and attend to it. If you would like to take
advantage of that convenience--"

"I accept it, madame," said the old professor, rising; "and, if it
comes to the worst, I hope you will testify before the judge that I was
niggardly about a cab."

"Henri," said Brigitte to the man-servant, "take monsieur down to the
porter and tell him to do the errand I told him about just now, and to
take monsieur to his own door, and be very careful of him."

"Careful of him!" echoed the old man. "Do you take me for a trunk,
madame, or a bit of cracked china?"

Seeing that she had got her man fairly to the door, Brigitte allowed
herself to turn upon him.

"What I say, monsieur, is for your good. You must allow me to observe
that you have not an agreeable nature."

"Careful of him! careful of him!" repeated the old man. "Don't you
know, madame, that by the use of such words you may get people put
into lunatic asylums? However, I will not reply rudely to the polite
hospitality I have received,--all the more because, I think, I have put
Monsieur Felix, who missed me intentionally, in his right place."

"Go, go, go, you old brute!" cried Brigitte, slamming the door behind
him.

Before returning to the salon she was obliged to drink a whole glassful
of water, the restraint she had been forced to put upon herself in order
to get rid of this troublesome guest having, to use her own expression,
"put her all about."

CHAPTER XIII. T