"Be sure, monsieur," he said, "that we shall be on hand promptly at the rendezvous; we shall not keep you waiting. By the way! it will be very kind of you to bring swords for both, for I broke mine recently and have not yet replaced it." "Very good, monsieur; we will do so." The younger man bowed with much affability; his older associate bent his head almost imperceptibly, retaining his ill-humored expression; then they left the house and returned to their carriage. LIV TWO! "Sapristi!" cried Cherami, when the count's witnesses had gone; "I thought that we weren't going to get out of that hole; they had difficulty in swallowing my seconds, and I don't wonder." "Ain't you satisfied with us?" inquired the water-carrier; "I should say that I said just what you told me to." "That is to say, you said it when you shouldn't have, and held your tongue when you should have answered." "I didn't say a single word," observed the Piedmontese. "It's lucky you didn't! That would have been the last straw! Well, that's all for to-day; you may go back to your cask; but be here to-morrow at half-past seven sharp, dressed just the same; don't forget it!" "For five francs more apiece?" "Of course, as that's what we agreed." "We won't fail." The next day, the two water-carriers appeared at seven o'clock, each in his costume of the preceding day: the Piedmontese in the late Louchard's green sack-coat and gray hat, which he was obliged to push up from his face every minute, so that he could see where he was going. Cherami dressed in haste; he paid particular attention to his toilet, which presented a striking contrast to that of his two seconds; then he requested his landlady to send for a cab. Madame Louchard was much disturbed when she recognized the coat and hat of her deceased husband on the water-carrier. "Why have you rigged that fellow up like that?" she asked her tenant. "He'll just ruin my husband's things. I wouldn't have lent 'em to you, if I'd known you wanted 'em for him. Are you going to a wedding so early in the morning?" "Widow Louchard, I will be responsible for your chattels--don't bother us! Your man's cast-off clothes are more fortunate than they deserve, to be present at such a festivity.--Get in, messieurs." Cherami pushed the water-carrier and his man into the cab, and shouted to the driver to take them to Porte Saint-Mande; then, taking a seat beside his seconds, he said to them: "Listen carefully to my instructions for this morning, and, ten thousand cigars! try not to make any mistakes; I am going to fight with a third gentleman, whom you didn't see yesterday." "Ah! you ought to fight with your fists; that's our way; we're good hands at it; eh, Piedmontese?" "Yes, just let me get a crack at 'em! I'd like that better than to stand and say nothing, like a stuffed goose!"