Meanwhile, Monsieur Varinet, desiring to satisfy his mind on the subject, sent the waiter for a business directory; they consulted the bulky volume, but they sought in vain the name of Tobie Pigeonnier, and the tall young man with white eyebrows began to frown as he looked at his olive. "Listen, messieurs," said Albert; "we must not allow Monsieur Varinet to fall a victim to his confidence in a person to whom he was introduced by us. I don't say that Tobie intends to deny his debt, nor do I think so; but, lest he forget it, I make this proposition--that we beat up Monsieur Pigeonnier, we four, who know the city pretty well. I will take the Chaussée d'Antin, the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and the Champs-Élysées." "I, the Marais and the Palais-Royal quarter," said Balivan. "I will look out for the Faubourg Saint-Germain and the boulevards," said Célestin. "And I," cried Mouillot, "I go everywhere, in all directions, and I will take care of the rest. The first one who sees Tobie must capture him and take him to Varinet's house, or bring him here: this will be our general rendezvous. We will come here every morning to report the result of our search." "Agreed; we will go Tobie-hunting." "Tobie-hunting it is! Tally-ho!" "But one suggestion, messieurs," said Mouillot; "I don't see why this hunt should interfere with our hunting grisettes also. How about your little neighbor, Balivan? She is really charming, do you know? What are you doing with her?" "Oh! I assure you, messieurs, that young woman is very virtuous, and I don't advise you to think about her--it will be time thrown away." "Virtuous!" repeated Célestin, with a shrug; "I thought you knew more than that about the sex, my dear artist! We found your little virtue in a dark loft, with a young rascal, who was holding her very tight--and for whom I have a rod in pickle; but he wasn't in his usual place this morning." "Nonsense," said Albert; "you don't propose to fight with a messenger, I trust! and, after all, if he is her lover, he was quite right to defend the girl." "Oho! here's Albert taking up the cudgels for the dressmaker! it's highly edifying.--I propose a wager, Mouillot: fifteen napoleons that I triumph first over that timid virtue." "Done! I take the bet.--Are you in it, Albert?" "No." "Albert is too busily occupied elsewhere," said Célestin, in a mocking tone; "and, besides that, don't you see that he has set himself up as the defender of grisettes?" "Messieurs," interposed Balivan, "I assure you that neither one of you will win. My neighbor won't listen to you." "You'll see whether she will or not, artist. I will be persistent, I tell you; not so much on account of the girl, as to be revenged on that cur who played the insolent with us. He does our errands, and he dares to talk back to us! upon my word, it is sickening!" The young men had left the café and were about to separate, when Bastringuette passed them on the boulevard, with her flowers.