oum, poum go gannon. Prusse, Austrian, Rousse all disturb. I,
too, much disturb. Go on my ways with master mein, with my havresac on
mein horse--poor teufel was I--but there was gelt in it. Master mein
say, 'Galop, Fritz.' I called Fritz in home mein. Fritz galop to
Pondi--there halt Fritz--place havresac not visible; and if I get
again to Yarmany with havresac, me rich becomen, mistress mein rich,
father mein rich, you too rich."

Although the narrative was not the cleverest in the world, father
Moiselet swallowed it all as gospel; he saw well that during the
battle of Montereau, I had fled with my master's portmanteau, and
hidden it in the forest of Bondy. The confidence did not astonish him,
and had the effect of acquiring for me an increase of his affection.
This augmentation of friendship, after a confession which exposed me
as a thief, proved to me that he had an accommodating conscience. I
thenceforth remained convinced that he knew better than any other
person what had become of the diamonds of M. Senard, and that it only
depended on him to give me full and accurate information.

One evening, after a good dinner, I was boasting to him of the
delicacies of the Rhine: he heaved a deep sigh, and then asked me if
there was good wine in that country.

"Yes, yes," I answered, "goot vine and charming girl."

"Charming girl too!"

"Ya, ya."

"Landsman, shall I go with you."

"Ya, ya, me grat content."

"Ah, you content, well! I quit France, yield the old woman, (he showed
me by his fingers that Madame Moiselet was three-and-thirty,) and in
your land I take little girl no more as fifteen years."

"Ya, bien, a girl no infant: a! you is a brave lad."

Moiselet returned more than once to his project of emigration; he
thought seriously of it, but to emigrate liberty was requisite, and
they were not inclined to let us go out. I suggested to him that he
should escape with me on the first opportunity--and when he had
promised me that we would not separate, not even to take a last adieu
of his wife, I was certain that I should soon have him in my toils.
This certainly was the result of very simple reasoning. Moiselet, said
I to myself, will follow me to Germany: people do not travel or live
on air: he relies on living well there: he is old, and, like king
Solomon, proposes to tickle his fancy with some little Abishag of
Sunem. Oh, father Moiselet has found the _black hen_; here he has no
money, therefore his black h