of his betrothed was dried up; the nails alone had retained their
natural freshness. He was frightened and fled across the church, which
he found filled with colonels of every age and variety. The crowd was
so dense that the most unheard-of efforts failed to penetrate it. He
escapes at last, but hears behind him the hurried steps of a man who
tries to catch him. He doubles his speed, he throws himself on
all-fours, he gallops, he neighs, the trees on the way seem to fly
behind him, he no longer touches the earth. But the enemy comes up
faster than the wind; Leon hears the sound of his steps, his spurs
jingle; he catches up with Leon, seizes him by the mane, flings himself
with a bound upon his back, and goads him with the spur. Leon rears; the
rider bends over toward his ear and says, stroking him with his whip: "I
am not heavy to carry:--thirty pounds of colonel." The unhappy lover of
Mlle. Clementine makes a violent effort and springs sideways; the
Colonel falls and draws his sword. Leon loses no time; he puts himself
on guard and fights, but almost instantly feels the Colonel's sword
enter his heart to the hilt. The chill of the blade spreads further and
further, and ends by freezing Leon from head to foot. The Colonel draws
nearer and says, smiling: "The main-spring is broken; the little animal
is dead." He puts the body in the walnut box, which is too short and too
narrow. Cramped on every side, Leon struggles, strains and wakes himself
up, worn out with fatigue and half smothered between the bed and the
wall.

He quickly jumped into his slippers and eagerly raised the windows and
pushed open the shutters. "He made light, and saw that it was good," as
is elsewhere written. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Brrroum! He shook off
the recollections of his dream as a wet dog shakes off drops of water.
The famous London chronometer told him that it was nine o'clock. A cup
of chocolate, served by Gothon, helped not a little to untangle his
ideas. On proceeding with his toilet, in a very bright, cheerful and
convenient dressing-room, he reconciled himself to the realities of
life. "Everything considered," he said to himself, combing out his
yellow beard, "nothing but happiness has come to me. Here I am in my
native country, with my family and in a pretty house which is our own.
My father and mother are both well, and, for myself, I revel in the most
luxuriant health. Our fortune is moderate, but so are our tastes, and we
shall