be
made by this discovery."

"The tall man and the little woman then are--"

"Work-people with whom I have been associated, and to whom I have
refused my secret."

This explanation appeared satisfactory to the Chourineur, whose
apprehension was not the clearest in the world, and he replied:

"Now I understand it all. The beggars! you see they have not the courage
to do their dirty tricks themselves. But to come to the end of my story.
I said to myself this morning, I know the rendezvous of the Chouette and
the tall man; I will go there and wait for them; I have good legs, and
my employer will wait for me. I came here and found this hole, and,
taking an armful of stuff from the dunghill yonder, I hid myself here up
to my nose, and waited for the Chouette. But, lo and behold! you came
into the field, and poor Goualeuse came and sat down on the very edge of
my park, and then I determined to have a bit of fun, and, jumping out of
my lair, I called out like a man on fire."

"And now what do you propose to do?"

"To wait for the Chouette, who is sure to come first; to try and
overhear what she and the tall man talk about, for that may be useful
for you to know. There is nothing in the field but this trunk of a tree,
and from here you may see all over the plain; it is as if it were made
on purpose to sit down upon. The rendezvous of the Chouette is only four
steps off at the cross-road, and I will lay a bet they come and sit here
when they arrive. If I cannot hear anything, then, as soon as they
separate, I will follow the Chouette, who is sure to stay last, and I'll
pay her the old grudge I owe her for the Goualeuse's tooth; and I'll
twist her neck until she tells me the name of the parents of the poor
girl, for she says she knows them. What do you think of my idea, Master
Rodolph?"

"I like it very well, my lad; but there is one part which you must
alter."

"Oh, Chourineur, do not get yourself into any quarrel on my account. If
you beat the Chouette, then the Schoolmaster--"

"Say no more, my lass. The Chouette shall not go scot free for me.
Confound it! why, for the very reason that the Schoolmaster will defend
her, I will double her dose."

"Listen, my man, to me; I have a better plan for avenging the Chouette's
brutalities to Goualeuse, which I will tell you hereafter. Now," said
Rodolph, moving a few paces from Goualeuse, and speaking low, "Now, will
you render me a real service?"

"Name it, Master Rodolp