The diligence stopped at Corbeil. The two salesmen hastily left the vehicle; the stout man extricated himself from his corner with difficulty; the old woman of the green veil dropped into the arms of the man who held the door open, and Auguste, having alighted, offered his hand to the young lady in the hood. But she replied with a faint sigh: "Thanks, monsieur, I am not going to get out." "She isn't going to get out!" repeated Auguste to himself, as he stood by the door. "Poor thing! she isn't coming to the inn to dine, which ordinarily indicates obligatory economy." "Coming to dinner, lieutenant?" inquired Bertrand, who had climbed down from his seat on the box, and was awaiting Auguste at the inn door. "Yes, yes, here I am." "Have you left anything in the diligence?" "No, but I would have liked----" "Do you hear that? they say that the passengers must hurry." Bertrand came forward to see what was keeping his master by the diligence; he spied the young lady and muttered: "Morbleu! another! I might have known that there was a petticoat at the bottom of it! Remember, lieutenant--we left Paris in order to be good, to reform." "You are right, my friend," said Auguste; and he turned regretfully away from the vehicle and followed Bertrand to the inn. The travellers' dinner was soon at an end; urged on by the driver, they all returned to their places, the old lady carrying her dessert. Auguste gazed with renewed interest at the young woman, who probably had dined on a modest loaf, and he placed his knees against hers once more with greater respect than before, because the idea of misfortunes puts thoughts of pleasure to silence. The old woman requested Auguste to break some nuts which she had brought from the table, the stout man offered him snuff, the commercial travellers entered into conversation with him, everyone trying to become better acquainted with his fellow-passengers. The little lady in the hood alone held her peace. But darkness began to fall. Auguste longed for it; his neighbors dozed, the salesmen did likewise, and he moved his knees forward, trying by that means to establish an understanding with his vis-à-vis, and saying to himself: "If she is unfortunate, I must try to comfort her. Moreover, I squeezed her knees this morning, and should I act as if I thought her less attractive just because she hasn't the means to dine at inns? That would be worthy of Monsieur de la Thomassinière."