“To my shop,” replied le Bossu; “’tis but ten yards ahead now. Have no fear,” he added kindly; “the _bon Dieu_ made me in such shape that my heart is ever with the sorrowful.” “I do not understand you,” said the other. “I do not know your name--you do not ask mine--why do you seek me out?” “My name is Charlot,” returned the cripple, simply. “I make shoes, and they call me by more than one name. My rich patrons say Charlot, my poor ones call me _le Savetier_, others mock me as the hunchback--_le Bossu_! It does not matter. As for your name, I will know it when you please, monsieur.” They had come to an arched gateway between two houses, and the cobbler entered, followed by the other man. They stood in a court, and on three sides of it were the faces of three houses; it was a veritable _cul-de-sac_. A small square of sunshine marked the centre of the opening, and in this a solitary weed had bloomed, springing up between the crevices in the stone pavement. To the left was an arched door with three steps leading to it, and over it hung a sign with two shoes painted upon it. The hunchback pointed at this. “Behold my shop,” he said, “the sign of the Two Shoes.” He took a key out of his wallet, and ascending the steps, opened the door and invited his new acquaintance to enter. CHAPTER II THE SHOP OF TWO SHOES The two, le Bossu and his guest, entered a small room fitted up as a shop. The window was open and across the unused fireplace were suspended half a dozen shoes of various sizes. The cobbler’s bench was strewn with tools, and scraps of leather lay on the floor. On one side of the room hung a hide prepared for use; opposite was a colored picture of St. Elizabeth, with her arms full of roses, the patron saint of the poor. There were two wooden chairs, the cobbler’s stool, and a box of _sabots_, nothing more. A door opened into the kitchen, where a narrow flight of stairs--like a ladder--ascended to the second story. On the kitchen hearth the _pot-au-feu_ was simmering, the savory odor filling the room, and on the table was a loaf of black bread and some garlic.