"You are getting to be a terrible fellow, Monsieur de Mousseraud!" said Darena; "however, if your conquests are pretty, accept my congratulations."

"Four of them are enchanting, two very nice, and one pa.s.sable. But I shall let the last three go; I intend to keep only the first quality."

"What's that! can you let a mistress go?" inquired Cherubin with a surprised expression.

"I say, marquis, where have you come from? One would think, to hear you, that you are a novice in love; whereas monsieur le comte a.s.sures us that you are his pupil. That would not do him credit."

Darena emptied his gla.s.s and cried:

"Do you mean to say that you believe our young Adonis? Don't you see that he's making sport of you--a man who keeps a damsel three days at most? He takes us all in with his little innocent expression! And if he deceives us men, tell me whether the women are not likely to fall into his toils?"

"Monsieur Cherubin is favored in every respect," said Oscar.

"Monsieur is not the only one!" rejoined tall Mousseraud, with a conceited air; "I only say this, because it's a fact, but, on my word of honor, I have never met a woman who could resist me."

"Oh! that's not surprising with you!" retorted Oscar, in a mocking tone; "you have such an ardent nature--anyone can see that from the color of your hair."

"What do you mean by that?" demanded the tall young man, while his cheeks became as red as his locks. "Do you dare to say that I have red hair?"

"It seems to me that there is no need for me to say so."

"Come, come, messieurs; are we going to quarrel?" said Darena. "We met here to breakfast, to laugh and talk nonsense; and we lose our temper, and sulk! That is most execrable form--and all about a matter of hair!

Mon Dieu! I wish that mine were red; I should be delighted! It is much less common in France than dark or fair hair. And it proves too that the hair is not dyed.--Fill my gla.s.s, Oscar, and you, de Mousseraud, serve what is on that dish."

"Yes, yes!" cried Cherubin; "instead of losing your temper, tell me what you do with your seven mistresses?"

"Parbleu! what you do with yours, I presume."

"I? Why, I haven't----" A glance from Darena checked Cherubin, and he continued: "I don't do anything at all with mine."

"In that case they must play some amusing tricks on you."

"I," said Oscar, "have a fascinating little grisette just now; I give her a cap every week and a dress every month, and she is perfectly satisfied."

"Among my seven mistresses," said Mousseraud, "there is an Englishwoman who costs me a lot of money; but she is an admirable creature!"

"What a braggart he is with his seven mistresses! He reminds me of Blue Beard. Take them all out walking some day--you'll look like a boarding-school master."

"I give women nothing but my heart now," said Darena; "and they are much more fond of me since I put them on that diet."

"And you, Cherubin, do you squander money on your charmers?"

"I--I don't know--that depends," stammered Cherubin, playing with his knife.

"Really, you are too close-mouthed," said Mousseraud; "one can get nothing out of you."

Cherubin, who was much embarra.s.sed by the turn that the conversation had taken, drew his watch, pretending that he had an appointment.

While he was looking at the time, Oscar Chopinard, who was beside him, examined his watch.

"It's very pretty, very thin, isn't it?" asked Cherubin, holding the watch for his neighbor to see.

That gentleman took it, scrutinized it again very closely, and exclaimed:

"This is very strange! Is it a wager? Let me see the chain. Parbleu! the chain too. It would be curious if the pin--Allow me, my dear Cherubin."

And Monsieur Oscar, who, after examining Cherubin's watch, had scrutinized and weighed in his hand the chain that he wore about his neck, turned his attention to his diamond pin.

"What makes you stare at me like this?" queried Cherubin; "what is there about me that is so extraordinary?"

"You have upon you objects that I am much surprised to see you wear,"

replied Oscar; "a young man as rich as you are. You certainly didn't pay much for your watch and chain and pin?"

"Why, no, not too much--twenty-five hundred francs in all. To be sure, I got them at a bargain."

"Twenty-five hundred francs!" cried Oscar, bringing his hands together violently; "well, my dear fellow, in that case, you have been robbed!

yes, absolutely robbed! The three articles are worth about sixty francs; the stones are imitation, and the watch and chain are gilded copper."

"Copper!" cried Cherubin; while Darena muttered between his teeth:

"Ah! the villain! I almost suspected as much!"

"Why, it's impossible! Monsieur Darena's man of business sold me all these things."

"I promise you that I am sure of what I say."

"Parbleu!" cried tall Mousseraud, in a sneering tone, "Oscar ought to know: his father was a watchmaker, and he was brought up in the shop."

"How can this be?" said Cherubin, addressing Darena. "You are well aware that it was Poterne who brought me all these things."

Darena broke a plate with his gla.s.s, crying:

"If it is true, Poterne is a miserable villain who has deceived me outrageously; but I will shatter him like this plate."

Cherubin could not believe that they had told him the truth. They left the restaurant and entered the first jeweler's shop they saw. The jeweler had no sooner examined the objects produced by the young man than he said in a most courteous, but slightly sarcastic tone:

"Oh! how can you wear such trash, monsieur? I would not give fifteen francs for the whole lot."

Cherubin took off his chain, his pin and his watch, and dashed them all on the floor, in a pa.s.sion which was due, not to the loss of his money, but to his vexation at being deceived. Then he gave the jeweler his address.

"Please bring me to-morrow," he said, "all that I believed that I really owned--the handsomest things that you have; you will see, monsieur, that I have the means to pay for genuine jewels."

The jeweler bowed, a.s.suring him that he should be obeyed; and they left the shop.

"As for your Monsieur Poterne," cried Cherubin to Darena, "I advise him not to show his face at my house again."

Darena, making a show of being furious, seized Cherubin's hand and shook it violently.

"My friend," he said, "I am the involuntary cause of all this; that rascally Poterne deceived me as he did you. I am sure that he is robbing me shamefully too. But it is for me to punish him; I am going to find him now and give him a thrashing."