en she was again able to speak. "It's
getting exciting. You know, he won't go to her place; he takes her to
his. And it seems that he has to pay for it too!"

"Egad! It's a case of when one 'has to go out,'" muttered Prulliere
wickedly, and he got up to have a last look at the mirror as became a
handsome fellow whom the boxes adored.

"They've knocked! They've knocked!" the callboy kept repeating in
tones that died gradually away in the distance as he passed through the
various stories and corridors.

Fontan thereupon, knowing how it had all gone off on the first occasion
the prince and Nana met, told the two women the whole story while they
in their turn crowded against him and laughed at the tops of their
voices whenever he stooped to whisper certain details in their ears. Old
Bosc had never budged an inch--he was totally indifferent. That sort
of thing no longer interested him now. He was stroking a great
tortoise-shell cat which was lying curled up on the bench. He did so
quite beautifully and ended by taking her in his arms with the tender
good nature becoming a worn-out monarch. The cat arched its back and
then, after a prolonged sniff at the big white beard, the gluey odor of
which doubtless disgusted her, she turned and, curling herself up,
went to sleep again on the bench beside him. Bosc remained grave and
absorbed.

"That's all right, but if I were you I should drink the champagne at the
restaurant--its better there," he said, suddenly addressing Fontan when
he had finished his recital.

"The curtain's up!" cried the callboy in cracked and long-drawn accents
"The curtain's up! The curtain's up!"

The shout sounded for some moments, during which there had been a noise
of rapid footsteps. Through the suddenly opened door of the passage came
a burst of music and a far-off murmur of voices, and then the door
shut to again and you could hear its dull thud as it wedged itself into
position once more.

A heavy, peaceful, atmosphere again pervaded the greenroom, as though
the place were situated a hundred leagues from the house where crowds
were applauding. Simonne and Clarisse were still on the topic of Nana.
There was a girl who never hurried herself! Why, yesterday she had again
come on too late! But there was a silence, for a tall damsel had just
craned her head in at the door and, seeing that she had made a mistake,
had departed to the other end of the passage. It was Satin. Wearing a
hat and a small ve