"Yes, yes; you coax me finely," said he, with a laugh, "because I do just whatever you like; and who's to pay me for my wood and work, I should like to know? Not Yégof, that's very certain!" Louise gave him another kiss, and a tear stood in Hullin's eye as he looked at her, and murmured: "That's the pay I like best of all." Yégof was at that time about fifty paces off their house, and the noise and tumult grew louder and louder. The street urchins, hanging on to his tattered robes, kept shouting: "Diamonds! spades! clubs!" All of a sudden he turned round, raising his sceptre, and, with a proud, though furious air, exclaimed: "Begone, accursed race! Begone! Deafen me no more with your cries, or I will let loose my pack upon you." The only effect of this threat was to redouble the hisses and shouts of laughter; but at this juncture Hullin appeared at his door, with his long strap in his hand, and picking out five or six of the most riotous, threatened to give them a taste of it for their supper--a thing which the worthy man had often done before, with the full consent of their parents--when all the troop dispersed helter-skelter. Then, turning towards the maniac: "Come in, Yégof," said the shoemaker: "come in, and warm yourself by the fire." "My name is not Yégof," replied the poor fellow, with an offended air: "my name is Luitprand, King of Austrasia and Polynesia." "Yes, yes, I know," said Jean-Claude, "I know; you have told me all that before; but no matter whether your name is Yégof or Luitprand, come in all the same. It is cold; try and warm yourself." "I will come in," replied the fool, "but it is on a very serious affair--an affair of state: it is to form an indissoluble alliance between the Germans and the Triboques." "Very good--we will talk about it." Then Yégof, stooping under the portal, entered, in a dreamy absent manner, and made a profound bow to Louise, at the same time lowering his sceptre; but the raven would not come in. Spreading his immense wings, he swept in a vast circle round the dwelling, and wound up his flight by beating himself against the window panes furiously enough to break them. "Hans," cried the fool, "take care! I'll come to you!" But the bird would not detach his sharp claws from the leaden staples, and continued to flap his great wings against the casement as long as his master stayed in the house. Louise never took her eyes off him; she was afraid of him. As for Yégof, he took his seat in the old leathern arm-chair behind the stove, with his legs extended as if on a throne--and, casting a haughty look around him, said: "I come from Jerome in a straight line to conclude an alliance with you, Hullin. You are not ignorant that I have deigned to cast my eyes on your daughter, and I come to ask her of you in marriage." Louise, at this proposal, blushed up to her ears, and Hullin burst into a peal of loud laughter.