Until late in the evening the poor pastor could not move a foot or hand, or speak a word without a note being made of it by the clever spy who had become his shadow; so that on the next day, when he received the order to enter the cabinet of Desmarest, the latter knew better than he did himself all that he had said or done the preceding evening. "Now," thought the chief of division, "unless he is deaf, blind, or dumb, he will not be silent this morning;" and desiring him to be seated--"Come," said he, "you are about, I hope, to give me an account of yesterday's business." The good pastor was always somewhat surprised at the interest which his chief seemed to take in his actions or movements; he replied, with an air of astonishment-- "My business of yesterday! I passed my time, since our last interview, in nearly the same manner as I passed all the other days since our first meeting. In the morning I walked to the Tuileries; in the evening I strolled on the Boulevards." "I am not asking about your acts or movements," interrupted Desmarest, "but about what you were able to observe." "Oh! nothing new," replied Michel Perrin; "I am beginning to know all these places as well as I do my own pocket." "This man cannot be of a sane mind," said Desmarest to himself. Then taking patience-- "Do me the favor of telling me where you dined yesterday, citizen Perrin." "At a restaurateur's in the Palais-Royal," replied the pastor, whom this kind of interrogatory surprised to the utmost. "And afterwards?" "I went to take my coffee at the cafe du Caveau." "And whilst you were taking your coffee, what passed there? I beg of you to tell me." "Oh! nothing that I know." "What! did you not remark three young fellows who were talking just beside you, whose table was next to yours?" "Stay, stay; I recollect now that there were indeed, just beside me, some gentlemen; I cannot say whether three or four, but I know they had a bowl of punch." "And they used most horrible language regarding the First Consul," added the chief of division with anger; "they even went so far as to threaten his life!" "As for that, I am completely uninformed on the subject, inasmuch as, having observed two or three times that these gentlemen lowered their voices when I turned my head towards them, I moved off to a table farther from them. I did not wish to have even the appearance of listening to them, you understand." "By my faith, this is too bad!" exclaimed Desmarest. "What occupation do you think that you have at the ministry of police?" "Ah!" said the pastor, quickly, "that is exactly what I have been desiring to know during the last fifteen days." "Eh, zounds! you are a spy for the police!" "A mouchard?" "A mouchard!" The pastor bounded from his seat, his cheeks flushed, his lips quivering. "Monsieur!--But it is not to you that I have to speak," said he, hastily rushing from the apartment. He ran to the door of the minister, and wished to have it opened.