"Shall I follow, or shall I not follow?"--Such was the question I asked myself as I descended the staircase. After what had happened to me so short a time before, I ought to have kept quiet the rest of the evening; but I was twenty-four years old, I loved the fair sex passionately; moreover, my last mistress had just proved unfaithful to me,--indeed, it was that fact which was responsible for my melancholy meditations,--and a young man who has a strong flavor of sentiment in his makeup cannot exist without a passion. Unquestionably I was---- We were no sooner on the boulevard than they crossed the sidewalk to the curbstone. "Aha!" I said to myself; "they are going to take a carriage; I'll just listen to what they tell the driver, and in that way I can learn the address without putting myself to any trouble." But it was decreed that I should be disappointed again in my plans. They walked to a dainty vis-à-vis and called _André_; a footman ran to them, opened the door, and assisted monsieur and madame to enter. My self-esteem received a still sharper prick; a woman who had a carriage of her own! Here was a conquest that merited the expenditure of some little time and trouble. I determined to follow madame's carriage--not on foot; that would be too fatiguing! it might do if she were in a cab; but with private horses--why, I should have inflammation of the lungs! I spied a cabriolet, which was just what I wanted. The other carriage was driving away, so I lost no time. "Hi, _cocher_!" "Get in, monsieur." "I am in." "Where are we going, bourgeois?" "Follow that carriage just ahead of us, and you shall have a good _pourboire_." The rascal did not need it; I saw that he was already tipsy. I wished then that I had taken another, but it was too late to change. He lashed his emaciated horse with all his strength; the infernal beast broke into a gallop of desperation, and sometimes outstripped the private carriage. "Look out!" I said to my driver; "don't whip it so hard; let's not have an accident." "Don't you be afraid, bourgeois, I know my business; you see, I haven't been driving a cab twenty years without finding out what driving means. You're with some friends in the green fiacre yonder; very good! I propose to have you get there ahead of 'em." "But I did not tell you that I was with anybody; I want you to follow that carriage; if you pass it, how can you follow it?" "I tell you, bourgeois, that they're a-following us; I'll show 'em that my horse is worth two of theirs. When Belotte's waked up, there's no stopping her." "Morbleu! you go too fast! We have passed the carriage; where is it now?" "Ah! they're trying to catch up with us; but the coachman's mad. I'm driving you all right, bourgeois." "But stop--stop, I tell you!" "Have we got there?" "Yes, yes! we've got there." "Damme! you see, Belotte's got her second wind, and she's a good one to go, I tell you. Ho! ho! here you are, master. Where shall I knock?" "Nowhere."