"Well, you have a headdress that does my heart good! If you knew how becoming it is to you!--Isn't it true, baron, that madame's headdress is fascinating?" The baron began by offering me his hand; I had no choice but to take it; and he began to shake mine, crying: "You not pe in loafe mit her, nicht wahr? you haf id to me pevore supper bromised." I could not help laughing at the baron's anxiety concerning the state of my heart. The seductive Frédérique shrugged her shoulders slightly, and said with some show of impatience: "Why, no, a thousand times no! he doesn't give me a thought! Can't a man tell a lady that her headdress becomes her, that he likes that style of headdress, without being in love with her? If you return to that subject, Monsieur le Prussien, I'll put an end to the session." "I am dumb." "Oh! talk, but talk about something else.--_Vivat!_ we are free at last!" The servant had left the room, after bringing the dessert. Frédérique filled our glasses, then rose, and rang a bell. "I forgot the best of all," she said. The servant returned. "Bring cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and tobacco, Jean. Hurry!" The baron uttered something very like an oath of admiration. "_Sapré tarteff!_" he cried; "are ve going to schmoke? Is id bermitted?" "I not only permit it, but set the example; not always, by the way, but to-night we are so snug and cozy, and I am like Rochebrune, I am satisfied with my supper." "Ah! do you smoke, madame?" "Does that surprise you?" "Nothing surprises me that you do?" "Really! I don't know whether I ought to take that as a compliment. But I must, must I not? one should take everything in good part." "Is it possible that I could dream of criticising you, who have been and still are so kind to me?" "Really! you think that I am kind?--Ah! here is what I sent for." The servant drew a small table near the supper table, and placed on it a large assortment of pipes, cigars, and several kinds of tobacco. Each of us chose what he liked best. I supposed that Frédérique would confine herself to cigarettes, but she took a very fine Turkish pipe and filled it with tobacco from the same country. Then she threw herself back in her chair, emptied a glass of malvoisie, and smoked with the abandon of a Mohammedan. The baron clapped his hands, murmuring: "Sehr gut! sehr gut! you haf all te qualidies to bleeze." "Because I smoke? Why, my dear Brunzbrack, many people would call that a vice." "Ach, ja! I say tat to you id pe most pecoming; you pe a she-pear----" "A she-bear! Ha! ha! that can't be what you mean." "Bardon--how do tey say?--an animal of te desert--te female of te king of animals." "A _lionne_ [lioness]; that is what you mean." "Ja! you be te _lionne à la mode_; id is all te same."