under the influence of
wine, but not enough so to make it imprudent to trust them with
horses; and it was even probable that the fresh air would sober them
completely. They had then started; but, they had not gone very far,
for one of their comrades had seen them stop the carriage in front
of a wine-shop, and join there the same individual with whom they
had been drinking all the morning."

"And who was no other than the man who was killed?"

"Wait. Having obtained this information, I get some one to take me
to the wine-shop; and I ask for the coachman and the footman from
Brion's. They were there still; and they are shown to me in a
private room, lying on the floor, fast asleep. I try to wake them
up, but in vain. I order to water them freely; but a pitcher of
water thrown on their faces has no effect, save to make them utter
an inarticulate groan. I guess at once what they have taken. I
send for a physician, and I call on the wine-merchant for
explanations. It is his wife and his barkeeper who answer me.
They tell me, that, at about two o'clock, a man came in the shop,
who stated that he was employed at Brion's, and who ordered three
glasses for himself and two comrades, whom he was expecting.

"A few moments later, a carriage stops at the door; and the driver
and the footman leave it to come in. They were in a great hurry,
they said, and only wished to take one glass. They do take three,
one after another; then they order a bottle. They were evidently
forgetting their horses, which they had given to hold to a
commissionaire. Soon the man proposes a game. The others accept;
and here they are, settled in the back-room, knocking on the table
for sealed wine. The game must have lasted at least twenty minutes.
At the end of that time, the man who had come in first appeared,
looking very much annoyed, saying that it was very unpleasant, that
his comrades were dead drunk, that they will miss their work, and
that the boss, who is anxious to please his customers, will
certainly dismiss them. Although he had taken as much, and more
than the rest, he was perfectly steady; and, after reflecting for
a moment,--'I have an idea,' he says. 'Friends should help each
other, shouldn't they? I am going to take the coachman's livery,
and drive in his stead. I happen to know the customer they were
going after. She is a very kind old lady, and I'll tell her a
story to explain the absence of the footman.'

"Convinc