“Speak of the devil, _mon ami!_” said he, drawing his arm within mine, while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. “Where do you dine to-day, Burke?” said he, in his quiet, easy tone. “But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?” “Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?” “To be sure; with pleasure.” “Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois Têtes, at six o'clock, and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is _my_ way now. _Au revoir_.” CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away. “A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the times we live in, a man of prudence too.” “As how the latter, may I ask?” “You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are going; besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected aunt, the Duchesse de Montserrât, who will take your black coat as a compliment to the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if it only be for half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the 'Moisson d'Or'?” “Never; not even heard of the house.” “Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that although in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands unrivalled for the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its wines,--a reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing. Nor is that the only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain hereafter. But come! How are your friends at the Hôtel Clichy? and how fares your suit with mademoiselle?” “My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my pretensions aspired not half so high.” “So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me, as I hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to have learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of francs are more easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's epaulette.” “And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that quarter?”