and the clerks enjoyed the sight
of his countenance as he studied its facetious pages. Inter pocula
each candidate had learned the secret of the farce, and the revelation
inspired him with the desire to hoax his successor.

We see now why Oscar, become in his turn participator in the hoax,
called out to the little clerk, "Forward, the book!"

Ten minutes later a handsome young man, with a fine figure and pleasant
face, presented himself, asked for Monsieur Desroches, and gave his name
without hesitation to Godeschal.

"I am Frederic Marest," he said, "and I come to take the place of third
clerk."

"Monsieur Husson," said Godeschal to Oscar, "show monsieur his seat and
tell him about the customs of the office."

The next day the new clerk found the register lying on his desk. He took
it up, but after reading a few pages he began to laugh, said nothing to
the assembled clerks, and laid the book down again.

"Messieurs," he said, when the hour of departure came at five o'clock,
"I have a cousin who is head clerk of the notary Maitre Leopold
Hannequin; I will ask his advice as to what I ought to do for my
welcome."

"That looks ill," cried Godeschal, when Frederic had gone, "he hasn't
the cut of a novice, that fellow!"

"We'll get some fun out of him yet," said Oscar.

CHAPTER IX, LA MARQUISE DE LAS FLORENTINAS Y CABIROLOS

The following day, at two o'clock, a young man entered the office,
whom Oscar recognized as Georges Marest, now head-clerk of the notary
Hannequin.

"Ha! here's the friend of Ali pacha!" he exclaimed in a flippant way.

"Hey! you here, Monsieur l'ambassadeur!" returned Georges, recollecting
Oscar.

"So you know each other?" said Godeschal, addressing Georges.

"I should think so! We got into a scrape together," replied Georges,
"about two years ago. Yes, I had to leave Crottat and go to Hannequin in
consequence of that affair."

"What was it?" asked Godeschal.

"Oh, nothing!" replied Georges, at a sign from Oscar. "We tried to hoax
a peer of France, and he bowled us over. Ah ca! so you want to jockey my
cousin, do you?"

"We jockey no one," replied Oscar, with dignity; "there's our charter."

And he presented the famous register, pointing to a place where sentence
of banishment was passed on a refractory who was stated to have been
forced, for acts of dishonesty, to leave the office in 1788.

Georges laughed as he looked through the archives.

"Well, well," he said, "my