Enchanted by his jest, Monsieur Rocambolle turned, with a laugh, to the young man; who laughed with him, showing two or three discolored teeth, his only remaining ones. Amid the general clatter, as I did not wish to seem bored in the agreeable company of these gentry, I said at random whatever came into my head; and sometimes, without any effort to that end, I had the pleasure of making the merry fellows laugh. "Didn't I tell you that he was a wag, a delightful fellow?" cried Raymond. I was a delightful fellow! I swear that I had taken no pains to be delightful, but I fancy that my companions were not exacting. Supper was announced, and Grandmaison looked at his watch. "Three-quarters of an hour," he said; "she must be ready; I will fetch her. Go into the supper room, and I will bring her to you there." He left the room, and Raymond, who was familiar with the locality, led us into a round, elegantly decorated room, in the centre of which was a table laden with everything calculated to flatter the sight, the smell, and the taste. A handsome clock on a low white marble mantel marked within a few minutes of midnight. "The devil!" exclaimed Monsieur Rocambolle; "almost twelve o'clock! We shall have mighty little time to enjoy ourselves." "Or to eat," said Zamorin. "Wait, wait, messieurs," said Raymond, who always insisted upon finding a way to provide for everything; "I'll set it back an hour." "Well said! well said!" cried all the others. "That devil of a Raymond is never at a loss! he's as inventive as a girl." Overjoyed to display the resources of his imagination, Raymond ran to the clock, raised with startling rapidity the globe that covered it, moved back the hands, and set the regulator so far toward _slow_ that, from the way in which he went about it, I concluded it would not be midnight for two hours. Our attention was diverted by Monsieur de Grandmaison's voice, which announced the arrival of her whom all the guests awaited, but how much less impatiently than myself! All eyes were turned toward the door by which she was to enter; I alone stood aside, in such a position that she would not see me at once. We heard the rustling of her gown, but at that moment there was a loud report in the room; Raymond had broken the mainspring of the clock; and to cover up his stupidity, he hurried away from the fireplace and ran to meet the beauty who was to be presented to us. She appeared at last, escorted by Monsieur de Grandmaison and by Raymond, who had taken possession of her other hand and was already pouring forth all the pretty things he was capable of saying. I saw her, and my heart beat more violently, my chest swelled. That was the last time that her presence ever produced any effect on me.