"He is quite capable of it! or else he would wait for me on the boulevard; and if I should go out with Agathe, you can judge for yourself what a scandalous scene there would be. Furthermore, we live in the same house, you know; and if he has discovered anything, how shall I ever dare to go home? He's just the man to lie in wait for me on the stairs at night." "Then why in the devil did you meddle with his mistress?" "What can you expect? a moment of folly. It was that morning I waited with her on our landing that it took me." "Ah, yes! the morning you both played the spy on me." "Oh! great God! he has come in!" cried Raymond, who had glanced out on the boulevard; "save me, my friend--in pity's name! Go--I'll join you later." Giving me no time to reply, Raymond jammed my hat over my ears, dragged and pushed me out of my private room, and locked himself in. I made no resistance, and without any idea as yet as to what I proposed to do for my neighbor, whose most distinctive quality courage certainly was not, I entered the room where Agathe was. She uttered a cry of surprise when she saw me. "Mon Dieu! it's Eugène! Is it you? is it really you?" "Why, to be sure it's I, sacrificing myself to save poor Raymond, who's in such a fright that it will make him ill." "Ha! ha! ha! I can't get over it!" "Hush! he's in there; he can hear you laugh, and I fancy that he would take it ill of you just at this moment." "Really! what do I care for that? Ha! ha! ha! Do you think that I'm in love with Raymond, I should like to know? Oh! he is much too stupid, really! and he tries to play the Lovelace! I couldn't stand it any longer! When I opened the window and saw Gerville on the boulevard, I gave a shriek and stepped back into the room as quick as I could; for I don't want Gerville to see me with Raymond. Not that he's jealous, but he might not like it. Do you know what I did? It came into my head to tell my old idiot that Gerville is fiendishly jealous, and that he had been suspicious of him ever since he learned that we spent two hours together on the landing, and that I was certain that he was on the boulevard for the sole purpose of watching us. The more I said, the more frightened my adorer became, for he has even more affection for his own person than for mine. And when I added that Gerville was quite capable of stabbing him,--ha! ha! the poor man took his hat, and is running still, I fancy. Ha! ha! ha! but it's very kind of him to send me such an agreeable companion. Meanwhile, I would like to know what has become of Gerville; I think that he was just waiting for one of his friends." "Hush! somebody is coming upstairs. Raymond is opening his door; let's listen. Gerville is speaking." We put our ears close to the door, which we very softly opened an inch or two, and overheard the following conversation: "Ah! it's neighbor Raymond." "Himself, at your service. How are you?" "Very well. How's this? are you dining alone in a private room?"