eedy,
vagabond players, gaining a precarious livelihood in their wanderings
through the provinces, but a company of comedians of good standing,
whose talents brought them in a handsome revenue.

Upon their arrival at this imposing hostelry, they were first shown into
an immense kitchen, which presented an animated, busy scene--a whole
army of cooks bustling about the great roaring fire, and around the
various tables, where all sorts of culinary rites were in active
progress; while the mingling of savoury odours that pervaded the whole
place so tickled the olfactory organs of Blazius, Herode, and Scapin,
the gourmands of the troupe, that their mouths expanded into the
broadest of grins, as they edged as near as possible to the numerous
saucepans, etc., from which they issued. In a few moments a servant came
to conduct them to the rooms that had been prepared for them, and
just as they turned away from the blazing fire, round which they had
gathered, to follow him, a traveller entered and approached it, whose
face seemed strangely familiar to de Sigognac. He was a tall, powerful
man, wearing large spurs, which rang against the stone floor at every
step, and the great spots of mud--some of them not yet dry--with which
he was bespattered from head to foot, showed that he must have been
riding far and fast. He was a fierce-looking fellow, with an insolent,
devil-may-care, arrogant sort of expression, and bold, swaggering gait,
yet he started at sight of the young baron, and plainly shrunk from his
eye; hastening on to the fire and bending over it, with his back turned
to de Sigognac, under pretence of warming his hands. In vain did our
hero try to recall when and where he had seen the man before, but he
was positive that he had come in contact with him somewhere, and that
recently; and he was conscious of a vague feeling of uneasiness with
regard to him, that he could not account for. However, there was nothing
for him to do but follow his companions, and they all went to their
respective chambers, there to make themselves presentable for the meal
to which they were shortly summoned, and which they thoroughly enjoyed,
as only hungry travellers can. The fare was excellent, the wine capital,
the dining-room well lighted, warm, and comfortable, and all were in
high spirits; congratulating each other upon having happily reached
the end of their long journey at last, and drinking to their own future
success in this great city of