I walked away from the window; a warm discussion was in progress in the next room. Faith! they could do what they chose! I proposed to dine, for I was hungry. At that very moment the waitress appeared with my soup. But what a racket! Raymond suddenly rushed out of his room and into mine, pale, haggard, trembling, and in his haste jostled the servant and caused her to spill my soup on the floor. "Oh! mon Dieu! what a mess, monsieur!" exclaimed the girl, picking up her tureen. "You have made me burn myself awfully--all that hot soup on my foot! I know that I shall have big blisters there!" "It's all right, my girl; I'll pay for your soup." "And what about my apron, which is ruined, and my leg?" "I'll pay you for everything!" Raymond replied, with no idea what he was saying; and he pushed the girl out of the room and carefully closed the door. "Well, well! what in the devil's the matter with you, Monsieur Raymond? you look as if you'd had a fright!" "Ah! my dear friend, I have good reason to!--something has happened--a circumstance--I am in a terrible plight. Wait till I look out of the window; but first be good enough to draw the curtain so that he can't see me." "Are you going mad, neighbor?" Raymond did not answer me; he went to the window and looked out, taking care to conceal himself behind the curtain, and putting his head out with the utmost precaution. I saw that he became paler than ever. "He's there," he said at last. "Who, pray?" "Gerville." "Oh, yes! so he is. But what difference does that make to you?" "It makes a great difference to me. Don't you know that he is horribly jealous and quite capable of going to terrible lengths?" "What of it?" "Understand that he's here on my account. I am sure that he is watching for me; and he has some reason to, for I am with his mistress." "What! can it possibly be Mademoiselle Agathe whom you chose to transform into a lady with a carriage and livery of her own?" "What would you have, my dear fellow? I did it in order to disguise her better, to spare her reputation." "Oh! so far as that goes, you may take my word that she has nothing to fear. Ha! ha! ha! Monsieur Raymond, what you must have are cruel creatures, women of a certain style!" "You may jest about it later, my friend, but save me now, I implore you; my only hope is in you to extricate me from the frightful position I am in." "For heaven's sake, explain yourself!" "Gerville will come into this house, I am perfectly sure. Somebody must have told him that I am here. Be obliging enough to take my place for a moment, and give me yours in this room; I will leave my door open, he will see that I am alone, and his suspicions will vanish." "But why don't you lock yourself in with your inamorata? he won't break down your door."