ougas were in a condition to
breakfast with him; he feared, just the least bit, that he would find
him under a shower bath. Far from it! The madman of yesterday was as
calm as a picture and as fresh as a rosebud. He shaved with Leon's
razors, while humming an air of Nicolo. With his hosts, he was charming,
and he promised to settle a pension on Gothon out of Herr Meiser's
legacy.

As soon as he had set off for the breakfast, Leon ran to the dwelling of
his sweetheart.

"Everything is going better," said he. "The Colonel is much more
reasonable. He has promised to leave for Paris this very day; so we can
get married to-morrow."

Mlle. Virginie Sambucco praised this plan of proceeding highly, not only
because she had made great preparations for the wedding, but because the
postponement of the marriage would be the talk of the town. The cards
were already out, the mayor notified, and the Virgin's chapel, in the
parish church, engaged. To revoke all this at the caprice of a ghost
and a fool, would be to sin against custom, common sense, and Heaven
itself.

Clementine only replied with tears. She could not be happy without
marrying Leon, but she would rather die, she said, than give her hand
without the sanction of M. Fougas. She promised to implore him, on her
knees if necessary, and wring from him his consent.

"But if he refuses? And it's too likely that he will!"

"I will beseech him again and again, until he says yes."

Everybody conspired to convince her that she was unreasonable--her aunt,
Leon, M. and Mme. Renault, M. Martout, M. Bonnivet, and all the friends
of the two families. At length she yielded, but, at almost the same
instant, the door flew open, and M. Audret rushed into the parlor,
crying out,

"Well, well! here _is_ a piece of news! Colonel Fougas is going to fight
M. du Marnet to-morrow."

The young girl fell, thunderstruck, into the arms of Leon Renault.

"God punishes me!" cried she; "and the chastisement for my impiety is
not delayed. Will you still force me to obey you? Shall I be dragged to
the altar, in spite of myself, at the very hour he's risking his life?"

No one dared to insist longer, on seeing her in so pitiable a state. But
Leon offered up earnest prayers that victory might side with the colonel
of cuirassiers. He was wrong, I confess; but what lover would have been
sinless enough to cast the first stone at him?

And here is an account of how the precious Fougas had spent his