the piano and executed, with immense spirit, his new symphony, "The
Death of the Damsel." To this succeeded the characteristic piece of "The
Creditor's March," which was twice encored, and two chords of the piano
were broken.

Marcel was still morose, and replied to the complaints and
expostulations of Carolus:

"My dear sir, we shall never be intimate friends, and for this reason:
Physical differences are almost always the certain sign of a moral
difference; on this point philosophy and medicine agree."

"Well?" said Carolus.

"Well," continued Marcel, showing his feet, "your boots, infinitely too
small for me, indicate a radical difference of temper and character; in
other respects, your little party has been charming."

At one in the morning the guests took leave, and zig-zagged homeward.
Barbemuche felt very ill, and made incoherent harangues to his pupil,
who, for his part, was dreaming of Mademoiselle Mimi's blue eyes.

CHAPTER XIII

THE HOUSE WARMING

This took place some time after the union of the poet Rodolphe and
Mademoiselle Mimi. For a week the whole of the Bohemian brotherhood
were grievously perturbed by the disappearance of Rodolphe, who had
suddenly become invisible. They had sought for him in all his customary
haunts, and had everywhere been met by the same reply--

"We have not seen him for a week."

Gustave Colline above all was very uneasy, and for the following reason.
A few days previously he had handed to Rodolphe a highly philosophical
article, which the latter was to insert in the columns of "The Beaver,"
the organ of the hat trade, of which he was editor. Had this
philosophical article burst upon the gaze of astonished Europe? Such
was the query put to himself by the astonished Colline, and this anxiety
will be understood when it is explained that the philosopher had never
yet had the honor of appearing in print, and that he was consumed by the
desire of seeing what effect would be produced by his prose in pica. To
procure himself this gratification he had already expended six francs in
visiting all the reading rooms of Paris without being able to find "The
Beaver" in any one of them. Not being able to stand it any longer,
Colline swore to himself that he would not take a moment's rest until he
had laid hands on the undiscoverable editor of this paper.

Aided by chances which it would take too long to tell in detail, the
philosopher was able to keep his word. Within two d