ght him up tisane
when he happened to catch cold. She was a severe-looking woman, between
fifty and sixty years of age, and spoke slowly, but at endless length.
Mademoiselle Saget, who went to drink coffee with her every Wednesday
evening, had cultivated her friendship more closely than ever since the
poultry dealer had gone to lodge in the house. They would talk about
the worthy man for hours at a time. They both professed the greatest
affection for him, and a keen desire to ensure his comfort and
happiness.

"Yes, I have seen Madame Leonce," repeated the old maid. "We had a cup
of coffee together last night. She was greatly worried. It seems that
Monsieur Gavard never comes home now before one o'clock in the morning.
Last Sunday she took him up some broth, as she thought he looked quite
ill."

"Oh, she knows very well what she's about," exclaimed Madame Lecoeur,
whom these attentions to Gavard somewhat alarmed.

Mademoiselle Saget felt bound to defend her friend. "Oh, really, you are
quite mistaken," said she. "Madame Leonce is much above her position;
she is quite a lady. If she wanted to enrich herself at Monsieur
Gavard's expense, she might easily have done so long ago. It seems that
he leaves everything lying about in the most careless fashion. It's
about that, indeed, that I want to speak to you. But you'll not repeat
anything I say, will you? I am telling it you in strict confidence."

Both the others swore that they would never breathe a word of what they
might hear; and they craned out their necks with eager curiosity, whilst
the old maid solemnly resumed: "Well, then, Monsieur Gavard has been
behaving very strangely of late. He has been buying firearms--a great
big pistol--one of those which revolve, you know. Madame Leonce says
that things are awful, for this pistol is always lying about on the
table or the mantelpiece; and she daren't dust anywhere near it. But
that isn't all. His money--"

"His money!" echoed Madame Lecoeur, with blazing cheeks.

"Well, he's disposed of all his stocks and shares. He's sold everything,
and keeps a great heap of gold in a cupboard."

"A heap of gold!" exclaimed La Sarriette in ecstasy.

"Yes, a great heap of gold. It covers a whole shelf, and is quite
dazzling. Madame Leonce told me that one morning Gavard opened the
cupboard in her presence, and that the money quite blinded her, it shone
so."

There was another pause. The eyes of the three women were blinking as