"I could reach the brace above while standing on the one beneath, and partly using my knees and partly drawing myself up by the arms, I made quicker progress than I had deemed possible. In fact, I went up so vigorously that on reaching the third story I struck my knee against a piece of loose stucco which was clinging to the wall, waiting for the first strong wind to blow it to the ground. "Crash! the plaster fell to the courtyard pavement, where it was shivered into a thousand fragments. "The blow on my kneecap made me shiver with pain, and I rested on the brace just outside the window of the little soubrette, clinging tightly with both hands to the spout. "'Thank heaven that it was the stucco that fell, not I,' I whispered devoutly, just as a window opened on the floor above, and our old neighbor Avarie appeared. He is always on the lookout for robbers, and keeps at his bedside a big blunderbuss, with a muzzle like a speaking-trumpet. "'Thieves,' I heard him mutter. I kept perfectly quiet, not giving vent even to a breath. "'Who's there?' "I clung close to the shelter of my friendly water pipe. "'Speak, or I'll fire!' "I knew he could not see me, and if he did fire his old cannon, I felt sure that it would explode and blow him into atoms; but the noise would alarm the neighborhood, and I had a vision of a score of lights flashing; night-capped heads appearing in all the surrounding windows; gendarmes running up with their lanterns, and poor Gaillard, clinging like a frightened cat to the water spout. "That gave me an idea. "'Miauw!' answered I plaintively. "'It's a cat!' exclaimed old Avarie in disgust. "'Mew--mew--mew,' cried I. "'What is it?' said a woman's voice, evidently his wife's. "'Nothing but a cat,' growled Avarie. 'But I think I will let drive at her just because she disturbed my sleep.' "I stopped my mewing on the instant. "'Don't,' pleaded the woman, 'the gun may kick.' "'Bah, do you think I can't handle a gun?' And I heard a click. "'Good-by to thee, old Avarie,' I said under my breath. "'Don't be a fool, husband, and awake the whole neighborhood just for a cat!' exclaimed his wife. "Almost at my window another window was thrown open and the little soubrette's head appeared. She is very fond of cats. "'Here puss, puss, puss,' she cried. "'Is that your cat, citizeness?' asked old Avarie. "'It must be; he has stayed out all night, the naughty fellow. Kitty, kitty, poor kitty, come in out of the wet.' "My teeth were chattering with cold and fatigue and that was just what I most desired, but I did not dare to risk it. "'You ought to keep the animal at home, and not let him out to disturb everybody's sleep,' called out the testy old man as he closed his window with a bang.