Chicot, accordingly, began to think, that it was strange to see Ernanton
in the very house where he bad seen Remy.

He considered it was strange for two reasons; the first, because of the
perfect ignorance in which the two men lived with respect to each other,
which led to the supposition that there must have been an intermediary
between them unknown to Chicot; and the second reason, because the house
must have been sold to Ernanton, who possessed no means of purchasing
it.

"It is true," said Chicot, as he installed himself as comfortably as he
could on his gutter, which was his usual place of observation; "it is
true that the young man pretends he is expecting a visit, and that the
visit is from a lady; in these days, ladies are wealthy, and allow
themselves an indulgence in fancies of all kinds. Ernanton is handsome,
young, and graceful; Ernanton has taken some one's fancy, a rendezvous
has been arranged, and he has been directed to purchase this house; he
has bought the house, and she has accepted the rendezvous.

"Ernanton," continued Chicot, "lives at court; it must be some lady
belonging to the court, then, with whom he has this affair. Poor fellow,
will he love her? Heaven preserve him from such a thing! he is going to
fall headlong into that gulf of perdition. Very good! ought I not to
read him a moral lecture thereupon?

"A moral lecture, which would be both useless and absurd, doubly so the
former, and tenfold the latter.

"Useless, because he won't understand it, and, even if he did understand
it, would refuse to listen to it.

"Absurd, because I should be doing far better to go to bed, and to think
a little about that poor Borromee.

"On this latter subject," continued Chicot, who had suddenly become
thoughtful, "I perceive one thing; namely, that remorse does not exist,
and is only a relative feeling; the fact is, I do not feel any remorse
at all for having killed Borromee, since the manner in which Monsieur de
Carmainges' affair occupies my mind makes me forget that I have killed
the man; and if he, on his side, had nailed me to the table as I nailed
him to the wainscot, he would certainly have had no more remorse than I
have about it myself, at the present moment."

Chicot had reached so far in his reasonings, his inductions, and his
philosophy, which had consumed a good hour and a half altogether, when
he was drawn from his train of thought by the arrival of a litter
proceeding from the dir