"Four francs ten sous!" rejoined the stout dame, who did not choose to bid by centimes.

"Five francs!" said Honorine.

"Well! six francs, sacrebleu!" cried Madame Droguet, her voice trembling with anger.

Honorine made no further bid; but she turned away to laugh with Agathe; for the wretched bellows was not worth fifty centimes.

"I knew well enough that I should get what I wanted, and that I would force that hussy to give way to me!" cried Madame Droguet, as she returned to her friends armed with the bellows, which she handed to her husband, saying:

"Put that under your arm, monsieur, and don't hold it pointed at my back, or you'll blow on me."

Several other pieces of furniture and some mattresses were purchased by Honorine. But the bedding brought better prices, and the young widow was nearing the end of her hundred francs, when a new arrival appeared on the scene, walking among the dishes, leaping over the furniture, heedless of the objurgations of Monsieur Jarnouillard, who exclaimed again and again: "What in the devil is that dog doing here? For heaven's sake, drive the beast away; he's disarranging the whole sale; he'll break something and the stuff is poor enough already!"

Ami, for it was he who had arrived, carried his lack of respect so far as to jump over the heads of Monsieur Jarnouillard and the auctioneer, who were seated at the table which served them for a desk.

The latter started back in alarm when the huge dog executed that gymnastic feat; the former hurriedly put his hand to his head to ensure the safety of his wig which came near being carried away by one of the dog's paws.

Ami had performed this spring-board leap in order to join Agathe and to lavish tokens of affection upon her. The girl patted him on the neck; she spoke softly and caressingly to him. Meanwhile Honorine looked all about, for Ami's presence ordinarily announced his master's coming.

But was it to be presumed that that strange man, who shunned all companionship, would come to a place where a large part of the village had a.s.sembled?

Meanwhile Monsieur Jarnouillard, who had had barely time to catch his wig, but had not been able to prevent its turning half round on his head, was obliged to readjust it before the whole a.s.semblage. That made him very angry, and he shouted like a deaf man:

"Whose cursed dog is this that nearly put my eyes out, to say nothing of jumping over the auctioneer's head and knocking over two candlesticks and a jug? I want to know to whom he belongs; I shall have a word to say to his master!"

"And what will you say to his master, monsieur? Speak--he is before you."

The owner of the Tower had made his way through the crowd almost as unceremoniously as his dog, and he stood in the midst of the sale before anyone had even observed his approach.

Monsieur Jarnouillard was thunderstruck at the abrupt appearance of that singular personage, whose aspect was stern and imposing.

Paul was dressed as simply as usual, but he carried neither gun nor stick; his long-vizored cap was pulled down over his eyes, so that the upper part of his face was in shadow.

"Ah! monsieur is the owner of this great dog, is he?" faltered the usurer, resuming his sycophantic air. "Oh, yes--true--I think I recognize monsieur and his dog."

"Tell me if Ami has broken anything here?"

"No, monsieur, no; he just frightened us, and he disarranged my wig--that's all."

Meanwhile Madame Jarnouillard was making innumerable signs to her husband, and calling to him:

"To the right--that's all wrong! turn it to the right! it's on crooked!"

But the implacable creditor, engrossed by the sale, paid no heed to his wife's signs. He was about to put up an old walnut commode, the peasant's most valuable piece of furniture, when Paul caught him by the arm, saying:

"One moment, monsieur! You are selling out this poor family's house and furniture, I believe? The grief of the poor mother sitting over yonder, with her four children about her, does not touch you!"

"Monsieur, business is--business! they are in debt to me, I need my money----"

"Enough, monsieur! How much does your claim amount to?"

"Nearly nine hundred francs; it will amount to a thousand with the costs."

"Very good; offer the house for sale at once."

"The house? I beg pardon, but we haven't finished with the furniture yet, and I would like----"

"I tell you that I propose to buy the house; if it brings enough to pay your debt, then you won't need to sell the furniture."

"Of course not; but I doubt very much whether this hovel----"

"Do you understand me, monsieur? I tell you that I mean to buy this house; let us make an end of the business, I beg."

These words were uttered in a tone which made Jarnouillard as flexible as a glove. He leaned toward the auctioneer and said in a low tone:

"This man is very anxious to have the house; we must make him pay for it! Suppose we should fix the upset price at--at five hundred francs?"

"It's twice as much as it's worth."

"No matter, let's try it!"

"Jarnouillard! Jarnouillard! turn it to the right! You've got it on crooked!"

"For G.o.d's sake, Madame Jarnouillard, let me alone! you tire me! no matter about my wig now!"

The usurer's wife had thrown away her efforts. She decided to return to her friends, who had been so taken aback by the arrival of the owner of the Tower that Madame Droguet had fallen against Monsieur Luminot, who fell against Madame Remplume, who fell against her husband, who fell against Monsieur Droguet, who, having no one to fall against, contented himself with dropping on the ground the big bellows that he had been told to hold under his arm.

"What does this mean? that bear here!"

"And with his dog!"

"He never goes out without him!"

"I beg your pardon! I've seen him without his dog!"

"What has he come to this sale for? a man who avoids society as he does!"

"It isn't natural!"

"You might say that it's most extraordinary!"

"What! you don't understand why he has come here? It's evident enough however!" said Madame Droguet, smiling maliciously; "aren't the sirens from the Courtivaux house here?"

"Oh! to be sure! they are here, so he comes here! What penetration Madame Droguet has!"

"Why, yes, rather, I venture to flatter myself."

While the notables indulged in these commentaries upon the presence of the owner of the Tower, the peasants, for their part, gazed with interest at the man of whom they had heard so many things. They were, for the most part, surprised to find that he was a man like other men, who had the appearance neither of a wild beast nor of an ogre.