As he spoke, he handed Ménard the wallet; that worthy looked at it, considering what it was best to do; although flattered by that mark of confidence, he was not tempted to accept it. At that moment, they heard a shrill whistle in the woods. "Ah! what does that mean?" exclaimed Dubourg, glancing about with a terrified expression. "Perhaps we are going to be attacked, monsieur le baron." "Faith! I am afraid of it." "And Monsieur Frédéric is asleep; pray wake him." Frédéric, pretending to be fast asleep, was an amused listener. "There's no need of that.--Take these, Monsieur Ménard," said Dubourg, handing the tutor his wallet and his pistols; "they are loaded." "Keep them, keep them, in heaven's name, monsieur le baron. I can't take this wallet. On the contrary, if you were willing, you would be much better able than I to take care of these." And poor Ménard produced in one hand his wallet, and in the other a purse filled with gold, and fixed his eyes upon Dubourg with a suppliant expression. "Really," said the latter, "I don't know if I ought to undertake---- Perhaps Frédéric will be offended if----" "Oh! no, no, monsieur le baron; I am sure that he will approve of my action." "Here are four men with rifles coming toward us," said the postilion. "Great God! we are lost!" cried Ménard. "Give them to me, quickly," said Dubourg, taking the wallet and the purse; "I see that this is a matter for me to attend to." Ménard hid under the seat; the postilion shouted and swore, and lashed his horses; Dubourg leaned out of the chaise and fired both his pistols in the air; Frédéric pretended to wake up; the carriage flew like the wind, and in five minutes they were out of the wood. "We are safe!" said Dubourg, assisting Ménard to rise. "Really, monsieur le baron?" "We are out of the woods; there's no more danger. We had a narrow escape, eh, Frédéric?" "And the robbers, monsieur le baron?" "I killed two of them." "I saw the other two run away," said Frédéric. "Ah! monsieur le baron, how lucky we were to have you with us!" They arrived in due time at their destination. Dubourg was delighted to be the treasurer of the party, and he inaugurated his functions by giving the postilion a gold piece for whistling in the forest. VII DUBOURG CONTINUES TO PLAY THE GREAT MAN.--HIS METHOD OF MANAGING THE TREASURY Dubourg had never had in his possession so large a sum of money as that which Ménard had intrusted to him. Young men, as a general rule, are not in the habit of hoarding money, and Dubourg, who was devoted to cards and pleasure and good cheer, thinking only of the present, oblivious of the past, and never worrying about the future, had not the faintest idea of economy. When he was a clerk in a government office, his salary was always so largely hypothecated that he never received more than a third of it, and that third never lasted more than three days, during which period, to be sure, Dubourg lived like the chief of a bureau.