drew from under his blouse an empty bottle, which he had
stolen in the tavern:

"Here's your measure! Count carefully fourteen litres and a half--that
done, wait quietly till Casimir turns up: your part in the story will be
forty sous, and not to rouse his suspicions; then, while he goes up the
avenue de Valois to take up the Princess, you and Ernestine have to
gallop off to the corner of the rue de Monceau and the rue de Teheran,
then ... wait!"

* * * * *

Mimile, with the agility of a monkey and the ability of a first-rate
chauffeur--for there was nothing he did not know in the way of applied
mechanics, as became an aviator--executed to the letter his accomplice's
orders.

The Beard meanwhile had returned to the tavern and Casimir.

* * * * *

Suddenly, all was activity in the world of carriages and coachmen! The
great ball was drawing to its end. Casimir was once more in possession
of his motor, and had generously tipped his understudy: thereupon the
hooligan had made off as fast as his legs could carry him. Ernestine
joined him at the appointed spot: there the two rogues waited.
"Listen!" cried big Ernestine some fifteen minutes later.

She stared in the direction of the boulevard Malesherbes, with neck
outstretched and straining eyeballs. At last, after an agonising wait,
she and Mimile saw the carriages driving by. "Attention!" cried big
Ernestine in a sharp whisper ... "everybody's on the move at last!"

* * * * *

The Beadle and the Beard, hidden in the crowd which thronged the
approaches to the Thomery mansion, awaited the departure of Princess
Sonia Danidoff: the idea of this rich prey excited them. Then as they
stared at the first outflow of departing guests, the two bandits could
not but notice that far from looking gay and animated as people do who
have danced and supped well, these guests of Thomery showed pale,
dejected faces: in fact, they had all the appearance of people under the
influence of some tragic emotion.

"They look pretty down in the mouth, don't they?" whispered the Beard in
the Beadle's ear.

"That's a fact! You'd think they were returning from a funeral!"

Then a vague rumour began to circulate; confirmation followed, spread
insensibly within the Thomery mansion, was passed on by the lackeys,
spread from the pavements to the avenue. People whispered of
incomprehensible things incre