“My little woman, some anchovies, in the first drawing.” “Give me a _terne_ on artichokes.” “My child, I saw horses trotting round my room all night, just as if it was a stable.” “What color were they?” inquired the agent, with the most comical gravity. “Bless me! wait a minute--I believe they were dappled--no, they were black.” “That’s 24.--Were they harnessed?” “I should say so!” “That’s 23.--Did they run fast?” “Like the Circus!” “That’s 72.” “All right! arrange ’em right for me. With such a dream as that, I can’t fail to have a carriage to ride in.” “I had a funnier dream than that! I was in a country where there was cows that danced with shepherds and shepherdesses, and houses built of gingerbread.” “The deuce you say! You could get fat by licking the walls.” “Let her go on, saucebox.” “And I was rowing on a river where the water was boiling and bubbling like a soup-kettle.” “And you caught fish all cooked, eh?” “Hold your tongue, you magpie!--At last I saw a palace on the other side of the river, come up out of the ground the way they do at the Funambules; the roof was made of diamonds, the walls of gold, the windows of silver and the door of rubies.” “The devil! that must ‘a’ made your gingerbread houses look mean.” “When I sees that, I tells my boatman--and a fine young man he was--I tells him to take me to the palace; and would you believe that he asks me to let him make a fool of me as pay for my passage. I said no, sharp, but he didn’t listen to me; he just threw me into the bottom of his boat--and the rascal overpowered me, my dears!” “Well! so that’s your fine dream! All that just to come to the climax! It was your man, of course; while you was asleep, he----” “Oh, yes, indeed! Why, not since Saint-Fiacre’s Eve, six months ago----” “Oho! so you’ve had a row, have you?” “Why, once he made me swallow truffles for the King of Prussia, and since then, when he comes to me--not if I know it!” “Well, you’re wrong; yes, you’re wrong! refuse and you’re left to muse. He’ll just take your property somewhere else. Don’t be a fool; once those dogs have found another kennel, there’s no way to bring ’em back; it’s all over!” “I believe you’re right, Bérénice; I’ll rub a sponge over it next Sunday.” “And you’ll do well.” “You’re very good, mesdames,” said a cook, stuffing into her basket the fowl she had just bought, which, from its odor, might have been taken for game, “you’re very good, but my master’s waiting for his chocolate; he wants to go out early and I ain’t lighted my fire yet.--Quick, madame, my regular number; here’s thirty-six sous--please hurry up.”