I raised my head, and there, beyond doubt, was the house. I then understood the driver's astonishment at seeing a great bumpkin of twenty, who seemed in no way unsound of limb, wanting to take a cab from the place du Palais-Royal to go to the rue des Vieux-Augustins. But as it would have been too absurd to avow that I did not know the distance between the two places, I said in a stout voice-- "All right--what is the fare?" "Oh, you know the fare well enough, young fellow." "If I knew it, I should not ask you." "It is fifty sous, then." "Fifty sous?" I exclaimed, horrified at having incurred such useless expense. "Certainly, young chap, that is the tariff." "Fifty sous to come from the Palais-Royal here!" "I warned monsieur it was past midnight." "There you are," I said; "take your fifty sous." "Aren't you going to give me a _pourboire_, young fellow?" I made a movement to strangle the wretch; but he was strong and vigorous. I reflected that perhaps he would strangle me, so I stayed my hand. I rang the bell, the door was opened, and I went inside. I felt dreadfully stricken with remorse for having squandered my money, especially when I considered that even had Paillet spent nothing on his side, we only had twenty francs fifty centimes left. Paillet had been to the Opera, and had spent eight francs ten sous. Only a dozen francs were left us. We looked at each other with some anxiety. "Listen," he said: "you have seen Talma, I have heard _la Lampe mervilleuse_; this was all you wanted to see, all I wanted to hear: if you agree, let us leave to-morrow, instead of the next day." "That is exactly what I was going to suggest to you." "All right; do not let us lose any time. It is now one o'clock; let us get to bed as quickly as possible and sleep until six; then let us start at seven, and sleep, if we can manage it, at Manteuil." "Good-night" "Good-night...." A quarter of an hour later, we were rivalling one another who could go to sleep the soundest.