condition in life, she may have dropped a word of regret as to her past
one. At any rate, at the end of the quadrille Musette made a mistake,
and instead of giving her hand to Marcel, who was her partner, give it
to her _vis-a-vis_, who led her off, and disappeared with her in the
crowd.

Marcel looked for her, feeling somewhat uneasy. In an hour's time he
found her on the young man's arm; she was coming out of the Cafe de
l'Opera, humming a tune. On catching sight of Marcel, who had stationed
himself in a corner with folded arms, she made him a sign of farewell,
saying--"I shall be back."

"That is to say, 'Do not expect me,'" translated Marcel.

He was jealous but logical, and knew Musette, hence he did not wait for
her, but went home with a full heart and an empty stomach. He looked
into the cupboard to see whether there were not a few scraps to eat, and
perceived a bit of stale bread as hard as granite and a skeleton-like
red herring.

"I cannot fight against truffles," he thought. "At any rate, Musette
will have some supper."

And after passing his handkerchief over his eyes under pretext of wiping
his nose, he went to bed.

Two days later Musette woke up in a boudoir with rose-covered hangings.
A blue brougham was at her door, and all the fairies of fashion had been
summoned to lay their wonders at her feet. Musette was charming, and her
youth seemed yet further rejuvenated in this elegant setting. Then she
began her old life again, was present at every festivity, and
re-conquered her celebrity. She was spoken of everywhere--in the lobbies
of the Bourse, and even at the parliamentary refreshment bars. As to her
new lover, Monsieur Alexis, he was a charming young fellow. He often
complained to Musette of her being somewhat frivolous and inattentive
when he spoke to her of his love. Then Musette would look at him
laughingly, and say--

"What would you have, my dear fellow? I stayed six months with a man who
fed me on salad and soup without butter, who dressed me in a cotton
gown, and usually took me to the Odeon because he was not well off. As
love costs nothing, and as I was wildly in love with this monster, we
expended a great deal of it together. I have scarcely anything but its
crumbs left. Pick them up, I do no hinder you. Besides, I have not
deceived you about it; if ribbons were not so dear I should still be
with my painter. As to my heart, since I have worn an eighty franc
corset I do not hear it,