It was not a long journey; but it seemed endless to Denise; whereas the child, delighted to be in the stage, wished that they might never arrive. However, they reached the stage office on Rue Saint-Martin in due course, and Denise, taking the basket on her arm, took Coco by the hand, and having inquired the way to Rue Saint-Georges, started in the direction of the Chaussée-d'Antin. Denise's beauty and her peasant costume attracted more than one compliment on the way; but the girl quickened her pace without replying, although the basket was very heavy and Coco began to be fatigued by walking on the pavements. When one is unfamiliar with a place, one is likely to walk farther than is necessary. Denise many times mistook one street for another; she disliked to inquire, because they to whom she applied seemed inclined to offer her their arms. She was warm and perspiring, and Coco was cross and kept saying: "Where's my kind friend, I'd like to know?" They had been walking more than an hour when they found themselves at last on Rue Saint-Georges. "Here we are, Coco," said Denise, joyously; "here's Monsieur Auguste's house, and you'll soon have a chance to embrace your kind friend! He'll be glad to see you. Oh, yes! I'm sure he'll give us a warm welcome." The child forgot his fatigue. They passed under the porte cochère, and Denise looked about in embarrassment. She could not control her emotion, and she halted with the child and her basket between two handsome stairways, uncertain which way to turn; while Coco began to cry at the top of his voice: "My kind friend, we've brought you some cake and some fruit!" "Vat's all this how-d'ye-do?" said Schtrack, opening his door and glaring at the young woman and the child, who were standing in the middle of the courtyard. "I say, my girl, haf you come here to sell geese?" Denise blushed, and stammered as she looked at Schtrack: "Which way shall I go up, monsieur?" "You mustn't go up at all, sacretié! This is not ein boultry market. Go outside und yell mit te leedle broder." Schtrack was about to come forth to turn Denise and the child into the street, when Bertrand came downstairs, and was thunderstruck to see the girl. "What! is it you, my child?--and little Coco too?" "Yes, Monsieur Bertrand, it's us. Oh! I'm so glad to see you! he was just going to turn us out of the house." "What's that? you were going to turn this girl out, Schtrack?" "Sacretié! why haf she not told me what she want? Te leedle poy, he bray like a tonkey in the courtyard: 'Kind freund! kind freund! see the cakes!'--Did I know his kind freund?" "It's my fault, Monsieur Bertrand; I didn't think--I was so confused. Can't we see Monsieur Auguste?" "Yes, indeed," Bertrand replied with some embarrassment. "Oh, yes! you shall see him. Come upstairs with me, Mamzelle Denise."