"Wait here," he said to his friend; "I am going to our house, and I shall be able to find out there if Monsieur Malberg has gone back; wait." Georget went to the house where he used to live. He found Baudoin's wife, who by an extraordinary chance was sober, and who said to him: "Monsieur Malberg came here to ask if you were here, but it was three-quarters of an hour ago; he was in a cab, and he didn't even get out; he probably started for Nogent right away." Georget returned to his comrade. "Monsieur went to the house to look for me, then he went away; of course it wasn't his place to wait for me. So I must start at once, and I will soon be there." "Are you going on foot?" "Yes, I can go faster than the public carriages." "I will be your escort as far as Vincennes, but on condition that we don't run so fast as we did just now. Now that your master has gone ahead, it won't make any difference whether you arrive half an hour sooner or later; and if he scolds you, you have something to tell him that will restore his good humor." "Oh, he never scolds.--Come, Chicotin, let us start." "What on earth are you doing? We are on Boulevard du Temple, and you are starting off toward Porte-Saint-Martin to go to Vincennes!" "Ah! you are right; I was thinking of something else, and I made a mistake." "All right; come, file left, and let's shake out our legs; it's lucky I'm here to start you on the right road." XXVII A RESEMBLANCE The Comte de Brevanne had a reason for going to Paris, but he did not wish to confide to anyone the purpose of his journey; having completed his visit, he was driven, about five o'clock, to Boulevard du Temple, near Rue d'Angouleme, and there he looked about for Georget, who, intent upon following Monsieur Jericourt, had forgotten his appointment with the count. The latter, without alighting from his carriage, drove to his city home, where the concierge informed him that Georget had not called. "I can guess where he probably is, and what has made him forget the appointment," thought Monsieur de Brevanne. "Driver, take me to the flower market on Boulevard Saint-Martin." The driver whipped up his horse and the count said to himself: "Here is an opportunity to see this girl who is so pretty, and who has turned my poor Georget's head; I will wager that he is within a few steps of the flower girl's booth, and that he can't make up his mind to go away. A boy loves so earnestly at eighteen! and this poor fellow's heart is too soft; he will be unhappy for a long while if I do not succeed in curing him. But how? First of all, I must find out whether this girl is really a bad girl." The count left his carriage at the corner of the boulevard, and entered the flower market, saying: "How shall I know Mademoiselle Violette? Why, of course, from Georget, whom I shall probably see hovering about her booth."