given the same explanation, one of the National Guards
asked in return:

"Is it for a nine months' ailment, ducky?"

"Oh, damn it!" exclaimed the captain, "no blackguardisms in the ranks!
Pass on, ladies!"

In spite of the captain's orders, they still kept cracking jokes.

"I wish you much joy!"

"My respects to the doctor!"

"Mind the wolf!"

"They like laughing," Catherine remarked in a loud tone. "That's the way
it is to be young."

At length they reached Frederick's abode.

Louise gave the bell a vigorous pull, which she repeated several times.
The door opened a little, and, in answer to her inquiry, the porter
said:

"No!"

"But he must be in bed!"

"I tell you he's not. Why, for nearly three months he has not slept at
home!"

And the little pane of the lodge fell down sharply, like the blade of a
guillotine.

They remained in the darkness under the archway.

An angry voice cried out to them:

"Be off!"

The door was again opened; they went away.

Louise had to sit down on a boundary-stone; and clasping her face with
her hands, she wept copious tears welling up from her full heart. The
day was breaking, and carts were making their way into the city.

Catherine led her back home, holding her up, kissing her, and offering
her every sort of consolation that she could extract from her own
experience. She need not give herself so much trouble about a lover. If
this one failed her, she could find others.

CHAPTER XVI.

UNPLEASANT NEWS FROM ROSANETTE.

When Rosanette's enthusiasm for the Gardes Mobiles had calmed down, she
became more charming than ever, and Frederick insensibly glided into the
habit of living with her.

The best portion of the day was the morning on the terrace. In a light
cambric dress, and with her stockingless feet thrust into slippers, she
kept moving about him--went and cleaned her canaries' cage, gave her
gold-fishes some water, and with a fire-shovel did a little amateur
gardening in the box filled with clay, from which arose a trellis of
nasturtiums, giving an attractive look to the wall. Then, resting, with
their elbows on the balcony, they stood side by side, gazing at the
vehicles and the passers-by; and they warmed themselves in the sunlight,
and made plans for spending the evening. He absented himself only for
two hours at most, and, after that, they would go to some theatre, where
they would get seats in front of the stage; and Rosanette, with a larg