“Good heavens!” said some one whom everybody called familiarly Father Coupé. Then automatically he adjusted his _képi_ on his head, and stepped towards the door. “Where are you going?” asked Professor Proby in a voice that was arrogant yet without much self-assurance. “I’m going to receive him at the entrance,” replied the old fellow. “What! There are other people for that. We can wait for him here while we work.” “You mustn’t think of it,” said M. Coupé. “The custom----” “Why, I used to call that fellow Dufrêne, without the Mr., in civil life,” muttered Professor Proby. “And I contend that ... ha! the idea!” “It’s a question of courtesy,” commented M. Briavoine. “Let’s go to the door. Give me my tunic.” “Don’t you wish to keep on your overalls, my dear master?” said the young man with the sharp look. “Of course. But I’m afraid of catching cold. Give me my _képi_ as well; I can’t walk across the garden with nothing on my head.” M. Briavoine turned towards me. “My friend,” he said, “look for the registers, and be so good as to come along with me.” Then he repeated, putting on his hat: “There is no point in catching cold.” A warm ray of sunlight entered by the open window! I thought M. Briavoine had no reason to fear colds, and I took the registers. The group of officers were now going down the wide stairs, in a tumult of voices and footsteps. A feeling of uneasiness, it seemed to me, gave a slight chill to the conversation. As we arrived under the arches, I heard M. Briavoine saying to M. Coupé: “It’s the first time, since the war, that I meet the Chief of the Medical Staff, General Dufrêne.” He added, not without a certain gravity of tone: “Vernier, go back and see if they have swept the subalterns’ room. Some cotton was lying about there just now.” “Hang it!” mumbled Proby; “he must not come and interfere with us. And he’s going to be received like this! We’ll tell him--what!--we’ll tell him a thing or two.” “We will tell him, right enough,” said M. Briavoine with decision. “We’ll tell him that the hospital is badly lighted; the gas-pipes and water-pipes are innumerable; that the food is not as it should be----” “I shall not stick at anything,” interrupted Father Coupé: “I shall insist on the important improvements I want for my work.” As we got to the steps of the entrance, Professor Proby became suddenly irascible, and, taking on one side one of the attendants who was wearing a white coat, said to him: “You, there! Get yourself into uniform. It looks better.” The motor-car of the Chief of the Medical Staff was coming to a stop in front of the door. It opened like a dry fruit, and shot out its contents on the pavement.