file, all five of us soaked like bread in soup.

"So there we all were, with only one little room to go round in and go
round again--the only room in the house, seeing that it isn't a palace.

"'Tell me, madame,' says one of our friends, 'isn't there a cellar
here?'

"'There's water in it,' says Mariette; 'you can't see the bottom step
and it's only got two.'

"'Damn,' says the man, 'for I see there's no loft, either.'

"After a minute or two he gets up: 'Good-night, old pal,' he says to
me, and they get their hats on.

"'What, are you going off in weather like this, boys?'

"'Do you think,' says the old sport, 'that we're going to spoil your
stay with your wife?'

"'But, my good man--'

"'But me no buts. It's nine o'clock, and you've got to take your hook
before day. So good-night. Coming, you others?'

"'Rather,' say the boys. 'Good-night all.'

"There they are at the door and opening it. Mariette and me, we look at
each other--but we don't move. Once more we look at each other, and
then we sprang at them. I grabbed the skirt of a coat and she a
belt--all wet enough to wring out.

"'Never! We won't let you go--it can't be done.'

"'But--'

"'But me no buts,' I reply, while she locks the door."

"Then what?" asked Lamuse.

"Then? Nothing at all," replied Eudore. "We just stayed like that, very
discreetly--all the night--sitting, propped up in the corners,
yawning--like the watchers over a dead man. We made a bit of talk at
first. From time to time some one said, 'Is it still raining?' and went
and had a look, and said, 'It's still raining'--we could hear it, by
the way. A big chap who had a mustache like a Bulgarian fought against
sleeping like a wild man. Sometimes one or two among the crowd slept,
but there was always one to yawn and keep an eye open for politeness,
who stretched himself or half got up so that he could settle more
comfortably.

"Mariette and me, we never slept. We looked at each other, but we
looked at the others as well, and they looked at us, and there you are.

"Morning came and cleaned the window. I got up to go and look outside.
The rain was hardly less. In the room I could see dark forms that began
to stir and breathe hard. Mariette's eyes were red with looking at me
all night. Between her and me a soldier was filling his pipe and
shivering.

"Some one beats a tattoo on the window, and I half open it. A
silhouette with a streaming hat appears, as though carried and dri