The neighbor's face became amiable once more; he straightened himself up in his chair. "What makes you in such a hurry, Colinet?" "I have several places to stop at on my way back--to collect the price of cattle we've sold." "Monsieur is a cattle raiser?" Mardeille inquired. "Yes, monsieur; I deal in horned cattle mostly, because there's always a market for them." "Yes, yes, it's an excellent business," said Monsieur de Mardeille.--Then he leaned toward Georgette and said to her, almost timidly: "You're not wearing your brooch?" "Well, I should think not--with my jacket!" laughed Georgette. "Is it customary to put on a brooch so early in the morning?" "Have you got a chicken to roast?"[G] queried Colinet. "I'll help you, if you want; I know all about chickens." Georgette laughed aloud, and Monsieur de Mardeille tried to do the same; but his laughter was not sincere. "We're not talking about chickens, my dear Colinet, nor of the kind of _broche_ you have in mind," said the young shirtmaker, when her merriment had somewhat abated. "Oh! I don't live so magnificently as that; my repasts are more modest. Still, my friend, if you will breakfast with me to-morrow, before you go away, I will have a sausage and a meat pie; with those and a good appetite, one can breakfast perfectly--isn't that so?" "To be sure, mamzelle; I won't fail to be here." "If Monsieur de Mardeille would like to join us, and doesn't consider our breakfast unworthy of him, he would give us great pleasure by accepting my invitation." Our dandy's face became radiant. He bowed and said: "Unworthy of me! A repast over which you preside! Why, on the contrary, it will seem delicious to me, and I accept your kind invitation with all my heart. But I will ask your permission to bring a few bottles of wine from my cellar; that will do no harm." "Oh! bring whatever you choose; we are not proud; we accept whatever anyone offers us." "In that case, my charming neighbor, it's a bargain; I will breakfast with you to-morrow. Meanwhile, I will leave you, for you may have a thousand messages to give monsieur for your relations and friends, commissions to intrust to him, and I should be very sorry to incommode you. Au revoir, my dear neighbor!--Bonjour, monsieur, until to-morrow!--At what hour do you breakfast, neighbor?" "At ten o'clock, monsieur." "Very good; I will be on time." And the ex-beau retired, as well pleased as he had been furious when he arrived; a few words from Georgette had sufficed to effect this revolution in his humor; to be sure, she had a way of saying them which precluded the possibility of a reply. After Monsieur de Mardeille had gone, Colinet seemed to be reflecting profoundly, and Georgette asked him: "What are you thinking about, my friend?" "About that gentleman who was here just now. How he spoke to you when he came in!" "And you heard how I answered him." "Oh! that did my heart good! Is that old beau making love to you?"