hy? To draw your money. You see you should always draw a month in
advance. One never knows what may happen."

"But--I ask for nothing better."

"I will introduce you to the cashier. He will make no difficulty about
it. They pay up well here."

Duroy went and drew his two hundred francs, with twenty-eight more for
his article of the day before, which, added to what remained of his
salary from the railway company, gave him three hundred and forty
francs in his pocket. He had never owned such a sum, and thought himself
possessed of wealth for an indefinite period.

Saint-Potin then took him to have a gossip in the offices of four or
five rival papers, hoping that the news he was entrusted to obtain had
already been gleaned by others, and that he should be able to draw it
out of them--thanks to the flow and artfulness of his conversation.

When evening had come, Duroy, who had nothing more to do, thought of
going again to the Folies Bergeres, and putting a bold face on, he went
up to the box office.

"I am George Duroy, on the staff of the _Vie Francaise_. I came here the
other day with Monsieur Forestier, who promised me to see about my being
put on the free list; I do not know whether he has thought of it."

The list was referred to. His name was not entered.

However, the box office-keeper, a very affable man, at once said: "Pray,
go in all the same, sir, and write yourself to the manager, who, I am
sure, will pay attention to your letter."

He went in and almost immediately met Rachel, the woman he had gone off
with the first evening. She came up to him, saying: "Good evening,
ducky. Are you quite well?"

"Very well, thanks--and you?"

"I am all right. Do you know, I have dreamed of you twice since last
time?"

Duroy smiled, feeling flattered. "Ah! and what does that mean?"

"It means that you pleased me, you old dear, and that we will begin
again whenever you please."

"To-day, if you like."

"Yes, I am quite willing."

"Good, but--" He hesitated, a little ashamed of what he was going to do.
"The fact is that this time I have not a penny; I have just come from
the club, where I have dropped everything."

She looked him full in the eyes, scenting a lie with the instinct and
habit of a girl accustomed to the tricks and bargainings of men, and
remarked: "Bosh! That is not a nice sort of thing to try on me."

He smiled in an embarrassed way. "If you will take ten francs, it is all
I have left."

Sh