“Well! what’s the harm if I should wake him? The deuce! You’re terribly careful of him to-night! But I propose to laugh, to laugh and drink; and I don’t propose to go to bed, do you understand? I feel in the mood for raising the deuce! I’m sorry I let our girls go; I’m just the man to deal with ’em.--Tra la la la.” “Do you mean that you don’t propose to go to bed at all to-night?” “I will go to bed when I please, you fox. Oh! I see that you’re in an ugly mood, I tell you. You are keeping something from us; Véronique’s story dried you up altogether, my poor Dufresne!” “You villain, will you hold your tongue?” cried Dufresne, seizing Lampin by the throat; he struggled, stepped back and almost fell upon Edouard, who had fallen asleep in a corner of the room, and who, being awakened with a start, glanced about him in terror, crying: “Here they are! here they are! they have come to arrest me!” “To arrest you,” said Dufresne; “who, for God’s sake?” “Ha! ha! what fools you are!” cried Lampin, rising and trying to maintain his equilibrium; “one of them is dreaming and the other one doesn’t see it!” “Ah! it was only a dream,” said Edouard, passing his hand across his brow. “Why, yes! you are a couple of babies; but, my boy, don’t take it into your head to grasp my windpipe again, or I shall lose my temper for good and all.” “It’s getting late, messieurs,” said Dufresne; “I’m tired and I’m going to lie down!” “Well, go! Our friend here will keep me company and finish up this bottle of rum.” “No, I’m going to bed too; my head is in a whirl already.” “Go to the devil! I will drink all by myself.” “Once more, Lampin, don’t make so much noise; it may annoy the neighbors.” “Let the neighbors go to grass! I don’t care a hang, and I’ll make more noise than ever.--Tra la la.” Lampin sang at the top of his voice, as he drank a large glass of rum. Edouard and Dufresne had taken candles, to go to their bedroom, when there came three very loud knocks at the street door. Dufresne started back in dismay, Edouard listened, trembling from head to foot, and Lampin threw himself on a couch. “Somebody’s knocking,” said Edouard, looking at Dufresne. “Yes, I heard it.” “Well! so did I; I ain’t deaf, and they knocked loud enough anyway, but what difference does it make to us? We don’t expect anybody, for it’s nearly three o’clock in the morning; unless it’s our lady friends come back to rock us to sleep.” “Hush! somebody is opening the door, I think.” “Somebody must open the door to let them in! In a furnished lodging house, especially one of this kind, don’t people come in at all hours of the night? However, come what may, I snap my fingers at it, and I propose to keep on drinking.” “I don’t hear anything more,” said Dufresne; “it evidently wasn’t for us.”