"Not very far from here, monsieur, on Rue de Crussol; it's near the boulevard, near that handsome round theatre for horses, that's just been built." "I don't know Rue de Crussol." "If monsieur is able to walk, I will show him the way there." "Go and fetch a carriage, and you may take me to see the lodgings." "Right away, bourgeois." Chicotin went out to fetch a cab, and climbed up behind when Roncherolle was inside. They stopped on Rue de Crussol in front of the house which Chicotin pointed out. An old concierge, very dirty but very polite, made repeated reverences to Roncherolle, and bustled upstairs before him, while Chicotin said to the old gentleman: "If you don't want to go up, bourgeois, because it tires you, why I will take you on my back. I am strong and I won't drop you; I would carry you that way through the streets if you wanted." "Thanks, my boy, but that new style of locomotion does not attract me, and I doubt whether I could make it the fashion. Besides, they say that one must walk about and exercise with the gout. So I will go up on my feet." "If you must exercise, you see that it is much better that you should live on the fifth floor." Roncherolle inspected the lodgings, heaved a profound sigh in spite of himself, and reflected: "After all, what can one expect to get for two hundred francs? It's all I can afford--in fact, rather more." He gave the concierge her earnest money, informing her that he relied upon her to do the housework and to make his coffee; whereupon the old woman redoubled her reverences and her politeness, crying: "I hope monsieur will like our house; I shall always be ready to wait on him; whenever he needs anything, all he has got to do is to put his head out of the window and call Mere Lamort, and I will go up in a second." "What did you say that I must call you, madame?" "Mere Lamort." "Ah! your name is Lamort, is it?" "At your service, monsieur." "You are very good; you have, I won't say a devil of a name, but a singular name, at least; an almost terrifying name." "Mon Dieu! monsieur, that don't prevent me from being as well as can be, or from having had twelve children, who are all as well as you or I." "For their sakes, I hope they are as well as you." "And monsieur will see that my name don't prevent me from having a good foot and a good eye; and he'll be satisfied with my services." "I don't doubt it; we shall meet again soon, Madame Lamort." Roncherolle returned to his cab, and Chicotin climbed up behind again, saying to the driver: "I am in monsieur's suite, in his suite, I say."[A] [A] An untranslatable pun: 'Je suis de la suite de monsieur; de sa suite, j'en suis.' Two days later, Roncherolle, having purchased just what he absolutely needed to furnish his new lodgings, paid what he owed at his quarters, and announced that they might let his room.