“Well, yes, my illustrious pupil! and I consider that I was right. _Non est discipulus super magistrum._--Listen to my reasons: You left the village and the fields with great regret; you might have been tempted to return thither, and it was necessary to remove that temptation--always in your interest. The _Sadder_, abridged from the _Zend_, which contains all the tenets of the religion founded by Zoroaster, ordains that every man must make a strict examination of his conscience at the end of each day; and mine----” “Oh! I am not talking about Zoroaster, monsieur! Was it in my interest too, that, at the time of your last visit to the village, you told Nicole that I had become a rake and a seducer in Paris; that I intended to make Louise my mistress; and that it was absolutely necessary to find a place for her in Paris, and to make me believe that she was in Bretagne?” Monsieur Gérondif was petrified; he could think of no quotations to make; he hung his head and did not know which leg to stand on; while Jasmin, when he heard what the tutor had said of his young master, ran to the fireplace, seized the tongs, and prepared to strike Monsieur Gérondif: “You dare to tell such infamous lies about my master!” he exclaimed; “to slander him like that! Let me thrash him, monsieur! I believe that I can do that with as much force as I had at twenty years.” But Chérubin stopped Jasmin, and said to the tutor: “What were your reasons for lying so, monsieur?” “To tell the truth, my noble pupil, I do not know;--a temporary aberration, a----” “Well, I shall find out later. But, first of all, where is Louise?” “The young and interesting foundling?” “Come, come, monsieur, answer me, and no more lies; where is Louise?” “In an honorable family, I venture to flatter myself; I obtained her a situation as lady’s maid with Madame de Noirmont.” “A lady’s maid! my foster-sister! You have made my old playmate a lady’s maid!--Ah! that’s an outrage!” “The wages are good, and I thought that, as she has no fortune----” “Hold your peace! Poor Louise! so this is the reward of your sworn attachment to me!--But she shall not remain another day in that position. Jasmin, call a cab at once, and you, monsieur, come with me.” Monsieur Gérondif did not wait for the order to be repeated; he followed Chérubin, who took his hat and hastened downstairs. Jasmin called a cab, the young marquis stepped in, ordered Monsieur Gérondif to take his place beside him and to give the driver Madame de Noirmont’s address. The tutor obeyed and they drove away. Chérubin did not open his mouth during the drive, and Gérondif did not dare even to blow his nose. When the cab stopped in front of the Noirmont mansion, Chérubin said to his tutor: