"No, a hundred times no! I have already told you to take your own course, to go through Paris like a man who thinks only of amusing himself and seeing everything." "I do nothing else through the length of the day," said the pastor laughing. "Well, that is the minister's intention and mine; have you settled your game of chess? Have you again met your garde du corps?" "No." "The devil!" said Desmarest, who at that time was specially looking after the Royalists; "but at least you know his name?" "He never told it to me." The chief of division shrugged his shoulders, smiling. "You have let him see that you were too knowing for him." "Quite the contrary," replied Michel, "for I told him at once that my ideas were very simple." "I am beginning to think so too," muttered Desmarest; then to terminate the interview, he bowed and added, "let me see you on Monday." "Certainly," said the pastor to himself, as he took the direction of the Palais-Royal with the intention of dining at the café de Foi; "certainly if this continues I can congratulate myself on having obtained a most agreeable position. As long as my business consists in waiting on my chief twice in the week, I run no risk of losing my employment through incapacity." When he entered on the following Monday, he had waited a very long time until a number of persons passed, who stated that they were ordered to attend. "The usher says that you have been waiting for six or seven hours," said the citizen Desmarest. "I had some important business to transact, or you should have been admitted sooner; for I suppose that you have something pressing to tell me." "Nothing whatever, citizen," quietly replied the pastor, "I always come very early, that you may have me at hand, if you wish to have me called." "It is certain that you are admirably punctual, citizen Perrin; I said so yesterday to the minister." "I hope that in this respect you shall never have to reproach me," replied the pastor, bowing. "You pass your days in your chamber," said Desmarest. "Me! I run like a mountaineer; yesterday I did more than two leagues on the flagways of Paris." "And you have seen nothing, heard nothing worthy of your attention and mine?" "Ah!" said the pastor laughing; "it requires so little to attract my attention and to enable me to pass the time, that you would not wish to lose your time listening to such trifles." "Well! be it so," said the citizen Desmarest, whose astonishment had reached its acme; "Good day, return to-morrow, I request of you." Michel Perrin had scarcely closed the door of the cabinet, when the chief of division rang and obtained the immediate attendance of one of the _mouchards_ or detectives who were in the ante-chamber. "Follow the man in the brown great-coat who has just left me," said he; "follow him throughout the day, and come to report to me to-morrow morning."