"Oh! that's delicious! charming! these women always find a way out of everything!" "I should prefer to let them dine alone; but he won't listen to it. I left the room on the pretext of ordering dinner." "It's all ordered, my dear friend; and I shall take good care to pay for it. I don't mean to put you to any expense, when you are sacrificing yourself to help me." "As you please; I'll give the word to the waitress, and we will dine." "Go, my noble-hearted friend; tell her to be sure not to mention me." "Never fear." "I have but one fear now." "What's that?" "Just now, with the idea of giving Agathe a surprise, I amused myself, while her back was turned, by slipping my picture into her reticule." "Your picture?" "Yes; I mean one of my silhouettes, you know, which I had pasted on a pink card, with a border of little cupids. If Agathe should happen to drop that when she takes out her handkerchief; or, not knowing what it is, should take it into her head to look at it----" "Peste! that would make a pretty row! Gerville would surely say then that I was in collusion with you to deceive him." "Try, my friend, try to prevent Agathe from blowing her nose!" "I can't promise that, but I'll motion to her to blow it in her napkin; that cannot compromise you." "That's the very thing." "Adieu! a longer absence might arouse suspicion." Once more I left Raymond, who locked himself into his room. I returned to Agathe. The waitress arrived with the dinner; she seemed surprised at the change of cavalier, but two or three words in her ear and a five-franc piece in her hand speedily retained her in our interest. She promised to tell the stout gentleman that there were three in our party, and thereupon she left us, overjoyed to be able to amuse herself at the expense of the man who had upset a tureen of soup on her feet. "Now, let us dine," said I, taking my seat at the table beside Agathe; "no one can deny that we have earned it. I hardly expected to dine with you, I admit." "Nor I! but impromptu pleasures are always the best." "A month ago we had already become reasonable and sedate in our tête-à-têtes." "I tell you, we did well to part; we are much better pleased to see each other." "Oh! I know that you are passionately fond of variety." "No, my friend, not so much of variety as of forbidden fruit; and when I think that Gerville is at our right, Raymond at our left, and that I have succeeded in avoiding the necessity of eating in his company the dinner he ordered--ha! ha! ha!" "Don't laugh so loud!" "Oh, yes! that will reassure him, don't you see? he will think that Gerville's in good humor.--Ha! ha! ha! it will bring back his appetite."