of wine?" he asked mockingly. The glass that
he was about to put to his lips he offered in a joke to the donkey.
Palikare, taking the offer seriously, came a step nearer and pushing out
his lips to make them as thin and as long as possible, drank a good half
of the glass which had been filled to the brim.

"_Oh la la! la la!_" cried Grain-of-Salt, bursting with laughter.
"Baroness! Carp! Come here!"

At his calls, the Baroness and Carp, also a rag picker who came into the
field at that moment and a man with a push-cart who sold red and yellow
and blue sugar sticks, ran up.

"What's the matter?" demanded the Baroness.

He filled the glass again and held it out to the donkey, who, as before,
absorbed half of the contents amidst the laughter and shouts of those
who looked on.

"I heard that donkeys liked wine, but I never believed it," said the
candy man.

"You ought to buy him; he'd be a good companion for you," said the
Baroness.

"A fine pair," said another.

But Grain-of-Salt did not buy him, although he took a great liking to
him, and told Perrine that he would go with her on Wednesday to the
Horse Market. This was a great relief for Perrine, for she had wondered
how she would ever be able to find the place; neither did she know how
to discuss prices, and she was very much afraid that she would be
robbed. She had heard so many stories about Paris thieves, and what
could she have done to protect herself?...

Wednesday morning came. At an early hour she busied herself with
brushing Palikare and making his beautiful coat shine so that he would
look his best. How she kissed him! How she stroked him while her tears
fell!

When Palikare saw that instead of being hitched to the wagon, a rope was
put round his neck, his surprise was great; and still more surprised was
he when Grain-of-Salt, who did not want to walk all the way from
Charonne to the Horse Market, climbed up on a chair and from the chair
onto his back. But as Perrine held him and spoke to him, he offered no
resistance. Besides, was not Grain-of-Salt his friend?

They started thus. Palikare, still surprised, walked gravely along, led
by Perrine. On through the streets they went. At first they met but few
vehicles, and soon they arrived at a bridge which jutted into a large
garden.

"That's the Zoo," said Grain-of-Salt, "and I'm sure that they haven't
got a donkey there like yours."

"Then perhaps we can sell him to the Zoo," exclaimed Perrine, t