The sudden appearance of the light put to flight a myriad of little black specks, that, hustling, scrambling, and running to and fro over the walls, finally disappeared in the hangings and wainscot. “I want something more unpretending,” said Maragougnia, shading his eyes, dazzled by the light. Ali could scarcely refrain from expressing his surprise in a shout. “More unpretending!” said he to himself, utterly disheartened. “These travellers are all alike--there’s no satisfying them!” But the landlord of “The Crocodile” was not the man to let himself be beaten by such a trifle. “If you will follow me, I have exactly what you require. I can let it you for next to nothing;” and he led the knight to a wretched outhouse, without either air or light, except such as came to it by reversion from the stable. “There!” said Ali, briefly. “This will suit me admirably. The smell of a stable is good for the lungs, so this atmosphere ought to be very healthy.” “I let it to invalids,” said the landlord, stopping his nose. “Sleep in comfort; the straw is this year’s;” and Ali, taking the lamp, left Maragougnia alone with his thoughts. “Go,” said the Count of Riom--“go, my dear fellow-travellers; go and get your necks twisted, and your bones broken. Go and seek a castle in the air for the satisfaction of a royal vagary. I, more wise than you, shall stop here. Who knows but that fortune may not visit me here?” Thus musing, he fell asleep, and dreamt that his squire had obtained for him a reduction of rent by turning the spit in the inn kitchen. [Illustration: 185] When the host re-entered the supper-room he was astonished to see the table overturned, with its legs in the air, and Allegrignac and Mont-Rognon making a bed of it. They were sound asleep, far gone in that state of intoxication of which in after years the Templars afforded so many instances. Wrapt, up in the most brotherly way in the table-cloth, they reposed on a heap of odds and ends and broken crockery. The lamp had succumbed to the general disaster, and was sputtering and mouldering in the ruins of a venison pasty. “Bravo!” said Ali, rubbing his hands. “These are the sort of customers I like. Furniture never gets faded with them, for one is always having new.” With that he set himself to break whatever had escaped the general smash; he even brought in a few damaged chairs, and distributed them artistically in fragments all over the room. Then, having picked up some gold pieces that had fallen on the floor, he went and lay down in the stable till morning. [Illustration: 186] Mont-Rognon, whose normal state was semi-intoxication, was the first to wake next day. He gazed unmoved on the scene of destruction in the midst of which he had slept, and then went out into the yard to give himself a washing at the trough. Ali Pépé, hearing him on the move, immediately made his appearance.