hen their officer questioned them, they
told him what their quarrel had been about. They had fought on Madame
Bonderoi's account."
"Oh!"
"Yes, my dear fellow, about Madame Bonderoi."
"But I will let Trooper Siballe speak."
"This is how it was, Captain. About a year and a half ago, I was lounging
about the barrack-yard, between six and seven o'clock in the evening,
when a woman came up and spoke to me, and said, just as if she had been
asking her way: 'Soldier, would you like to earn ten francs a week,
honestly?' Of course, I told her that I decidedly should, and so she
said: 'Come and see me at twelve o'clock to-morrow morning. I am Madame
Bonderoi, and my address is No. 6, _Rue de la Tranchee_.' 'You may rely
upon my being there, Madame.' And then she went away, looking very
pleased, and she added: 'I am very much obliged to you, soldier.' 'I am
obliged to you, Madame,' I replied. But I plagued my head about the
matter, until the time came, all the same.
"At twelve o'clock, exactly, I rang the bell, and she let me in herself.
She had a lot of ribbons on her head.
"'We must make haste,' she said; 'as my servant might come in.'
"'I am quite willing to make haste,' I replied, 'but what am I to do?'
"But she only laughed, and replied: 'Don't you understand, you great
knowing fellow?'
"I was no nearer her meaning, I give you my word of honor, Captain, but
she came and sat down by me, and said:
"'If you mention this to anyone, I will have you put in prison, so swear
that you will never open your lips about it.'
"I swore whatever she liked, though I did not at all understand what she
meant, and my forehead was covered with perspiration, so I took my
pocket-handkerchief out of my helmet, and she took it and wiped my brow
with it; then she kissed me, and whispered: 'Then you will?' 'I will do
anything you like, Madame,' I replied, 'as that is what I came for.'
"Then she made herself clearly understood by her actions, and when I saw
what it was, I put my helmet onto a chair, and showed her that in the
dragoons a man never retires, Captain.
"Not that I cared much about it, for she was certainly not in her prime,
but it is no good being too particular in such a matter, as ten francs
are scarce, and then I have relations whom I like to help, and I said to
myself: 'There will be five francs for my father, out of that.'
"When I had done my allotted task, Captain, I got ready to go, though she
wanted me
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