is only one of you I cannot lodge you at all,
then."

"By Heaven!" cried Coconnas, "here's a witty animal! Just now you could
not lodge us because we were two, and now you have not room for one. You
will not lodge us at all, then?"

"Since you take this high tone, gentlemen, I will answer you frankly."

"Answer, then; only answer quickly."

"Well, then, I should prefer not to have the honor of lodging you at
all."

"For what reason?" asked Coconnas, growing white with rage.

"Because you have no servants, and for one master's room full, I should
have two servants' rooms empty; so that, if I let you have the master's
room, I run the risk of not letting the others."

"Monsieur de la Mole," said Coconnas, "do you not think we ought to
massacre this fellow?"

"Decidedly," said La Mole, preparing himself, together with Coconnas, to
lay his whip over the landlord's back.

But the landlord contented himself with retreating a step or two,
despite this two-fold demonstration, which was not particularly
reassuring, considering that the two gentlemen appeared so full of
determination.

"It is easy to see," said he, in a tone of raillery, "that these
gentlemen are just from the provinces. At Paris it is no longer the
fashion to massacre innkeepers who refuse to let them rooms--only great
men are massacred nowadays and not the common people; and if you make
any disturbance, I will call my neighbors, and you shall be beaten
yourselves, and that would be an indignity for two such gentlemen."

"Why! he is laughing at us," cried Coconnas, in a rage.

"Gregoire, my arquebuse," said the host, with the same voice with which
he would have said, "Give these gentleman a chair."

"_Trippe del papa!_" cried Coconnas, drawing his sword; "warm up,
Monsieur de la Mole."

"No, no; for while we warm up, our supper will get cold."

"What, you think"--cried Coconnas.

"That Monsieur de la Belle Etoile is right; only he does not know how to
treat his guests, especially when they are gentlemen, for instead of
brutally saying, 'Gentlemen, I do not want you,' it would have been
better if he had said, 'Enter, gentlemen'--at the same time reserving to
himself the right to charge in his bill, master's room, so much;
servants' room, so much."

With these words, La Mole gently pushed by the landlord, who was just on
the point of taking his arquebuse, and entered with Coconnas.

"Well," said Coconnas, "I am sorry to sheathe my sword befor