rrible. Cries of "More air," "Something to drink," were heard.
The same joker kept on yelping in a shrill tone that rose above the
murmur of conversation, "Orgeat, lemonade, beer." Rival made his
appearance, very flushed, and still in his fencing costume. "I will have
some refreshments brought," said he, and made his way to the staircase.
But all communication with the ground floor was cut off. It would have
been as easy to have pierced the ceiling as to have traversed the human
wall piled up on the stairs.

Rival called out: "Send down some ices for the ladies." Fifty voices
called out: "Some ices!" A tray at length made its appearance. But it
only bore empty glasses, the refreshments having been snatched on the
way.

A loud voice shouted: "We are suffocating down here. Get it over and let
us be off." Another cried out: "The collection." And the whole of the
public, gasping, but good-humored all the same, repeated: "The
collection, the collection."

Six ladies began to pass along between the seats, and the sound of money
falling into the collecting-bags could be heard.

Du Roy pointed out the celebrities to Madame Walter. There were men of
fashion and journalists, those attached to the great newspapers, the
old-established newspapers, which looked down upon the _Vie Francaise_
with a certain reserve, the fruit of their experience. They had
witnessed the death of so many of these politico-financial sheets,
offspring of a suspicious partnership, and crushed by the fall of a
ministry. There were also painters and sculptors, who are generally men
with a taste for sport; a poet who was also a member of the Academy, and
who was pointed out generally, and a number of distinguished foreigners.

Someone called out: "Good-day, my dear fellow." It was the Count de
Vaudrec. Making his excuses to the ladies, Du Roy hastened to shake
hands with him. On returning, he remarked: "What a charming fellow
Vaudrec is! How thoroughly blood tells in him."

Madame Walter did not reply. She was somewhat fatigued, and her bosom
rose with an effort every time she drew breath, which caught the eye of
Du Roy. From time to time he caught her glance, a troubled, hesitating
glance, which lighted upon him, and was at once averted, and he said to
himself: "Eh! what! Have I caught her, too?"

The ladies who had been collecting passed to their seats, their bags
full of gold and silver, and a fresh placard was hung in front of the
platform, announ