ot, and what he had already
done to come to terms with the actress.

"But milord," said Schaunard, "there is a sure way to rid yourself of
this creature--parsley. The chemists are unanimous in declaring that
this culinary plant is prussic acid to such birds. Chop up a little
parsley, and shake it out of the window on Coco's cage, and the creature
will die as certainly as if Pope Alexander VI had invited it to dinner."

"I thought of that myself," said the Englishman, "but the beast is taken
good care of. The piano is surer."

Schaunard looked at the other without catching his meaning at once.

"See here," resumed the Englishman, "the actress and her animal always
sleep till twelve. Follow my reasoning--"

"Go on. I am at the heels of it."

"I intend to disturb their sleep. The law of the country authorizes me
to make music from morning to night. Do you understand?"

"But that will not be so disagreeable to her, if she hears me play the
piano all day--for nothing, too. I am a first-rate hand, if I only had a
lung gone--."

"Exactly, but I don't want you to make good music. You must only strike
on your instrument thus," trying a scale, "and always the same thing
without pity, only one scale. I understand medicine a little; that
drives people mad. They will both go mad; that is what I look for. Come,
Mr. Musician, to work at once. You shall be well paid."

"And so," said Schaunard, who had recounted the above details to his
friends, "this is what I have been doing for the last fortnight. One
scale continually from seven in the morning till dark. It is not exactly
serious art. But then the Englishman pays me two hundred francs a month
for my noise; it would be cutting one's throat to refuse such a
windfall. I accepted, and in two or three days I take my first month's
money."

It was after those mutual confidences that the three friends agreed
amongst themselves to profit by the general accession of wealth to give
their mistresses the spring outfit that the coquetry of each of them had
been wishing for so long. It was further agreed that whoever pocketed
his money first should wait for the others, so that the purchases should
be made at the same time, and that Mademoiselle Mimi, Musette, and
Phemie should enjoy the pleasure of casting their old skins, as
Schaunard put it, together.

Well, two or three days after this council Rodolphe came in first; his
dental poem had been paid for; it weighed in eighty francs.