She filled our glasses, then threw herself back in her chair, laughing till the tears came, because the baron gazed at her with such a tender expression, that his eyes were invisible and his face resembled an egg-plant. "Come, baron; we're waiting for you." "Ach! I must sing te first; und so vill I. Vait, till I remember me some bretty song; I know many--vait. Trum, trum, trum, trideri, tram, tram, tram. _Sapremann!_ So many I know! Vait! Troum, troum, troum, tradera, tradera. Id is sehr--how you say?--astonish! Ich kann nicht te peginning remember. Vait--trim, trim, turlulu, traderi----" "I'm afraid you are stuck fast, my poor Brunzbrack. While we are waiting for your memory to come back, Rochebrune will sing us something." "I?" "To be sure. Well! has this one lost his memory, too? Why, what sort of men are these two, that a glass of champagne puts their wits to flight?" "I am perfectly willing to sing; but I know nothing but nonsensical things." "Sing us a nonsensical thing! I will allow anything that isn't downright bad. Moreover, I am sure that my friend will not sing me anything unseemly." "On the contrary, I am very unseemly, sometimes." "In that case, monsieur, keep quiet." She assumed a pouting expression, and I hastened to hum a tune, saying: "This is only a little free." "Go on, then; I'll let it pass. Vadé, Gallet, Favart. Clever things are never indecent, because if they were they would not be clever." "I am trying to remember the tune." "Mon Dieu! how insufferable they are with their tunes! Here, how is this: Tra la la la--tra la la; you can sing any song to that." "You are right; it's from the _Famille de l'Apothicaire_." "I don't know what family it's from, but if it's all right---- Begin, monsieur." "Here I go! I am going to sing _Le Vent_. Have I your permission?" "_Le Vent_ it is!" "I beg you to believe that it is not the _Vent_ which is the key to the riddle in _Le Mercure Galant_." "I trust not; it's the _vent_ [wind] that _blows through the mountains_; the _vent de Gastibelza_." "Just so. I am going to begin: "'Quand on te propose----' Ah! that won't go to the tune of the _Famille de l'Apothicaire_." "That's strange; it ought to. Try some other tune." "I think the _Baiser au Porteur_ will do the business." "Oh! how long it takes you to get started, my dear fellow!" "I begin: "'Quand on t'offre une promenade----'" "Trum, trum, trum, traderi dera, troum, troum, troum." "Oh! please be kind enough to hold your tongue, baron, with your troum troum!" "I dry yet to find mein tune." "You can find it later; listen now to Rochebrune, who is going to sing us a _risqué_ little chansonnette." "Ach! gut, gut! _risqué!_ tat must pe sehr amusing! _Risqué!_ Vat is a _risqué_ chanson?" "That means lively; but we may as well speak out, as we are all men: it means naughty."