lady who was making twelve o’clock meridian as nearly as a human being could. “Kittens at Play”—a great favorite of Mademoiselle’s—was side by side with a picture of Courier, who won the Grand Prix that year, and a very noble portrait of President Loubet was placed next a cut of a celebrated English prize fighter, stripped for the ring. The remainder of the things were neatly arranged; the concierge, who was to supply Monsieur Bouchard’s meals, was interviewed, and an appetizing dinner ordered. Then Pierre, taking possession of the evening newspaper and also of a very comfortable chair by the window, awaited Monsieur Bouchard’s arrival.

[23]

[24]

It was a charming evening in the middle of June, and still broad daylight at seven o’clock. But Pierre, presently lighting a lamp and drawing the shades, gave the apartment a homelike and inviting aspect.

[25]Just as the clock struck seven Monsieur Bouchard’s step was heard on the stair. Seven o’clock had been Monsieur Bouchard’s hour of coming home since he was fifteen years old, and he had never varied from it three minutes in thirty-seven years. He entered the drawing-room with a new and jovial air, but when he saw Pierre his countenance turned as black as a thunder-cloud.

[25]

“What are you doing here?” he asked, curtly.

“I came, Monsieur, by Mademoiselle’s orders,” civilly replied Pierre.

“Mademoiselle’s orders” was still a phrase to conjure by with Monsieur Bouchard. When the yoke of forty years is thrown off there is still a feeling as if it were bearing on the neck. Monsieur Bouchard threw his gloves crossly on the table and asked for his dinner.

“It will be here in five minutes, Monsieur,” replied Pierre. “Will not[26] Monsieur look about the apartment and see if I have arranged things to suit him? The pictures, for example?”

[26]

Monsieur, still sulky, rose, and the first thing his eye fell on was the prize fighter’s portrait under President Loubet’s.

“This is intolerable!” he said, indignantly. “Why didn’t you take this prize-fighting daub down?”

“Because,” readily responded Pierre, “the place where it was would be marked on the wall; and besides, I did not like to take the liberty without Monsieur’s permission.”

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