If at that moment some inquisitive mortal, escorted by the _Diable Boiteux_ or some other imp, had perched on the roof of my house and amused himself by watching me, he would have thought, no doubt, that I was temporarily insane. For my own part, I cannot see that it was any more extraordinary to laugh at those reminiscences than it would have been to weep at them; but we are never astonished to see a person shed tears; whereas, if you laugh all by yourself, you are looked upon as a madman or an idiot. Can it be that tears are more natural to man than laughter? My concierge, who, as I believe I have already told you, did my housework every morning, opened my door and ushered in my neighbor Raymond, who, seeing that I was in a hilarious mood, thought that his presence was responsible for it, and stood for a moment uncertain whether to be angry or to join in my laughter. He prudently adopted the latter course, and approached my bed chuckling. "Well, my dear fellow, it was a warm evening! Ha! ha! ha! You are still thinking about it, aren't you?" "Yes, but I look to you for the details of the catastrophe." "And I to you for an explanation." "Do you want it in the Bois de Boulogne again?" "No, no! Ah! you fox! the lovely Caroline had some reason for fainting when she saw you!" "A perfectly natural reason: I am the young man whom Monsieur de Grandmaison has replaced." "Is it possible? Gad! it was a unique situation! And to think that it was I who took you to the supper and introduced you to poor Grandmaison! Deuce take it! you never said a word, you did not give me your confidence, although I am devoted to you, heart and soul!" "I wanted to arrange a surprise." "You succeeded mighty well!" "Tell me how the evening ended?" "Very dismally. There wasn't any supper. The young woman insisted on retiring. Poor Grandmaison's face was cut by a bottle of wine that fell on him, heaven knows how, and we had to leave them at liberty to go to bed. But I fancy the night passed very differently from what they anticipated. We parted in an execrable humor. Rocambolle was angry about his cotton padding, Zamorin regretted the supper, and the other the youthful beauty whom he hoped to seduce. I am the only one of the party who takes everything philosophically, as you know. But I confess that I was impatient to see you, to learn the cause of the catastrophe which disturbed the festivities. I came near waking you up last night, in order to find out earlier." "You did very well to let me sleep." "Well, I must go, neighbor; but, I beg you, have a little more confidence in me another time! You know how close-mouthed I am; you can safely tell me anything! I always receive it under the seal of secrecy. I should have made an excellent inquisitor, or an _illuminé_! I love secrets. In the matter of secrets, I am absolutely impenetrable. For instance--I am a Freemason: have I ever divulged the secrets of the order?" "You have told me that there weren't any."