"See here, my little friend," said she, "what I am going to tell you now is for your own good. If you have any silver, you must not show it. Have it changed for paper money; paper money having a forced currency, and a gold louis being worth five hundred francs in assignats, you will not lose anything, and will not risk being suspected as an aristocrat." Then, changing the subject, she said: "How cold his hands are, the poor little fellow." And she held his hands out to the fire, as if he had been a child. "And now what shall we do next?" she said. "A little supper?" "Oh, as for that, madame, no, thank you; we dined at Erstein, and I am not at all hungry. I would rather go to bed, for I don't think I can get quite warm until I am in my bed." "Very well; then we will warm your bed; and when you are in it we will give you a good cup of--what? Milk or broth?" "Milk, if you please." "Milk, then. Poor child, you were only a nursling yesterday, and here you are running about alone like a grown man. Ah! these are sad times!" And she picked Charles up as if he had been a baby indeed. Placing him in a chair she went to the keyboard to see what room she could give him. "Let's see! 5, that's it. No! the room is too large and the window doesn't shut tight; the poor child would be cold. 9! No, that is a room with two beds. 14! That will suit him; a nice little room with a good bed hung with curtains to keep out the draughts, and a pretty little fireplace that does not smoke, with an infant Jesus over it; that will bring him good luck. Gretchen! Gretchen!" A beautiful Alsatian, about twenty years old, dressed in the graceful costume of the country, which resembles somewhat that worn by the women of Arles, came quickly at this summons. "What is it, mistress?" she asked in German. "I want you to get No. 14 ready for this little cherub; choose some fine dry sheets while I go and get him some milk porridge." Gretchen lighted a candle and started on her errand. Then citizeness Teutch returned to Charles. "Do you understand German?" she asked. "No, madame; but if I stay long in Strasbourg, as I expect to, I hope to learn it." "Do you know why I gave you No. 14?" "Yes, I heard what you were saying in your monologue." "Goodness gracious! my monologue. What's that?" "That, madame, is not a French word. It is derived from two Greek words--_monos_, which means alone, and _logos_, which signifies to speak." "My dear child, do you know Greek at your age?" "A little, madame. I have come to Strasbourg to learn more." "You have come to Strasbourg to learn Greek?" "Yes, with M. Euloge Schneider." Madame Teutch shook her head. "Oh, madame! he knows Greek as well as Demosthenes," said Charles, thinking that Madame Teutch doubted his future professor's knowledge. "I don't say he doesn't. But I do say, that no matter how well he knows it, he won't have time to teach you." "Why, what does he do?" "You ask me that?" "Certainly, I ask you."