Year: 1869

! alton at the Maison Doree.
The supper was pleasant en5ugh
as little Partisan suppers always are
But it is unnecessary that shoult
speak of it unless in reference to 'ou
gay young friend, Monsieur Papilion


l was introduced to him, and b.
ceived me with the utmost empresse
naeat. His smile and his shrug wert
of the stereotyped Partisan character
acknowledged, however, that hi!
handsome face, his rich complexion
and his kindling eye would very
probably make him lady-kiIler, am
his slightly broken English speech
which on the whole, he spoke exceed
ingly we'll, and his foreign aeeenI
would prove little hindrance to
his killing English ladies. 1t wal
easy to see, from the little ne said il
conversation, that he was devoted tc
pleasure, and had an utter abnega-
ton of all principle. And SO much
is this the ordinary state of things il



Paris that | have sometimes wonder
ed whether it might not be for the
ultimate good of the world that Paris
might be held beneath the AtlaLtic
Ocean Cor quarter of an hour.


Monsieur Papillon stared rather
hard at me, as if haunted by some
recollection Of my face, but apparent.
ly he could not identify it. l had a
momentary thought of reminding him
of the Sale d'Artois; but less from
any reasonings on the subject than
from an instinct, l mentally decided
that it would be better not to do so.


He was certainly the most Juvenile
and joyous of the Benedicts, and
wore MS married chains as lightly as
if they were roses. He made one OF
two jocuiar alIusions to madame ma
femme" slowed away safely in the
department of Calvados. AS supper
became prolonged, Monsieur Papillon
said he would send away his carriage.
Presently he told one of the walters
to send his servant in to him. At
once rather ill-looking fellow en-
tered, whom 1 Immediately reeog
nized as having seen the other night
amusing himself with the coachman
while the carriage was waiting in that
dark by street in Les Ternes.


Monsieur Papillon beckoned the
man to. him and spoke quietly a few
words in that quiet, subdued tone in
which people speak to servants when
they do not wish to attract attention
or to disturb company. Now it so
happened that l sat next but one to
this gentleman, my diplomatic young
friend being interposed between US.
[ confess that leaned back in my
chair, and using him as far as |
could as screen, | sought to make
out anything he might be saying
The attache spoke to me, and L gave
him a mechanical answer. | strained
every nerve to hear what I could OF
that whispered conversation. At last,
slightly raising his voice, but with
out departing from a whisper, he
said,-


"Renem1er,-the MaisOn Dupont al
Fontainbleau."


Soon after l departed. The fun Of
the party was growing too fast and
furious for me.


was Ue,y married, and not able to
regard the connubial ties lightly
as that butterfly Papillon. 1t was a
point of minor morals with me that
should get to bed by midnight At
midnight also the Sale d'Artois
closed. Somehow, there was an i'm
pulse ON my mind that l would go
and survey the ground and see what
the pretty English singer was doing
with herself.


A uoiture dw reaise took me quickly,
and | arrived at the suburban place
of amusement a good twenty minutes
before it closed. But the company
was thinning, and in a moment l saw
that the principal person 1 sought
was not there. [ took some refresh
ment, and then tried, unsuccessfully,
to initiate the ways of those people
who make a point of maintaining
friendly relations with walters and
proprietors in the cafes they frequent


"Had Mademoiselle, the pretty
EnglishwomaD, been singing that
night?"


'sYes, but she was gone. She was
gone eleven hours"


Would she be there tomorrow
night ?"


"No-t6is was her last night
Her engagement was terminated.


"How was that ?" [ asked next
"She sang very nicely. Did not
monsieur the proprietor think 50 p


ayes, certainly, she did sing very
well-for an Englishwoman. But
the public required novelties, and it
did not do to keep the same singer
long before them.''


"Had she been. there very long p


"Notvery long,


Here the man went away, and to
my mind he did not seem to care to
discuss the merits of the young lady
who had just passed away from his
employ. a


That night 1 looked amid the con-
tents of the parcel which NJ. Koch
had sent me from the office for the
paragraph to which he had referred,
but I eould not find IT.