"You mistrust me, then?" "Most extremely. But as what you propose may be quite true and honest, and the half of sixty thousand francs is worth a risk, I am willing to try for it; but this evening, or never; if never, I shall have my suspicions of you confirmed, and one day or other I will take care and let you dine off a dish of my cooking." "And I will return your compliment, rely on it." "Oh, this is all stuff and nonsense!" said the Chouette. "I think with _fourline_, to-night or never." Rodolph was in a state of extreme anxiety; if he allowed this opportunity to escape of laying hands on the Schoolmaster, he might never again light on him. The ruffian would ever afterwards be on his guard, or if recognised, apprehended, and taken back to the Bagne, would carry with him that secret which Rodolph had so much interest in discovering. Confiding in his address and courage, and trusting to chance, he said to the Schoolmaster: "Agreed, then; and we will not part company before evening." "Then I'm your man. It is now two o'clock; it is some distance from here to the Allée des Veuves; it is raining again in torrents; let us pay the reckoning and take a coach." "If we have a coach, I should like first to smoke a cigar." "Why not?" said the Schoolmaster. "Finette does not mind the smell of tobacco." "Well, then, I'll go and fetch some cigars," said Rodolph, rising. "Pray don't give yourself that trouble," said the Schoolmaster, stopping him; "Finette will go." Rodolph resumed his seat. The Schoolmaster had penetrated his design. The Chouette went out. "What a clever manager I have, haven't I?" said the ruffian; "and so tractable, she would throw herself into the fire for me." "Apropos of fire, it is not overwarm here," replied Rodolph, placing both his hands under his blouse; and then, continuing his conversation with the Schoolmaster, he took out a lead-pencil and a morsel of paper, which he had in his waistcoat pocket, without being detected, and wrote some words hastily, taking care to make his letters wide apart, so that they might be more legible; for he wrote under his blouse, and without seeing what he wrote. This note escaped the penetration of the Schoolmaster; the next thing was to enable it to reach its address. Rodolph rose and went listlessly towards the window, and began to hum a tune between his teeth, accompanying himself on the window glasses. The Schoolmaster came up to the window and said to Rodolph: "What tune are you playing?" "I am playing '_Tu n'auras pas ma rose._'" "And a very pretty tune it is. I should like to know if it would have the effect of making any of the passers-by turn round?" "I had no such intention."