"All right! five francs; all right!"
"What have we got to do?"
"In the first place, my boy, you will be good enough not to speak at all; for you have a way of p.r.o.nouncing your t"s and s"s which will produce a very bad effect. Your master can say that you"re a Pole, and that you don"t know a word of French. That"s your role, then--to say nothing. But I must dress you, my friends; I can"t have seconds in short jackets. Do you own a coat, my boy?"
"No, but I"ve got a much better jacket."
"I don"t want seconds in jackets. My landlady must have some coats that belonged to her late husband; we will get one of them. Have you a hat?"
"I have a new cap."
"How you run your words together! We"ll find a hat somewhere in the house.--And you, master--what"s your name?"
"Michel."
"Good! well, Michel, have you any good clothes?"
"_Dame!_ I should say so; my new frock-coat--only three years old--which comes down to my heels."
"Then I"ll make an old soldier of you. You must put on a black stock. Go and dress. Put your cask in a safe place, and come back at once with your man, whom I will dress. Be here at half-past nine, and I will tell you what you have to do; it will be very simple. You will agree to whatever is proposed by the men who come here."
"We will agree, if they"ll pay for something to drink."
"There"s no question of taking anything to drink. However, I shall be here; I"ll prompt you. Go, and make haste."
"And the five francs?"
"Here they are; I pay in advance; you see that I have confidence in you."
"Oh! never fear; our word"s sacred.--Come, Piedmontese. Let"s go and take care of the cask."
"Where"ll you put it?"
"In the next yard."
The water-carriers departed, and Cherami went down to his landlady.
"Have you a man"s hat to loan me for this morning and to-morrow?" he asked her.
"A man"s hat? What do you want it for?"
"Don"t be alarmed; I don"t propose to make an omelet in it, as the prestidigitators do; I want it for someone to wear."
"Yes, I have a hat that belonged to Louchard, which I am keeping to give my G.o.dson when he grows up."
"Do me the favor to loan it to me; I will take the best of care of it."
"I trust you will."
Madame Louchard left the room, and soon returned with a felt hat in reasonably good condition.
"Look; I call that rather fine, myself!"
"The devil! it"s gray."
"Well! it"s all the more stylish."
"I don"t say it isn"t, in summer; but in November gray hats are not worn much."
"If you don"t want it, leave it."
"Never mind; I"ll take it. A Pole may like gray hats at all seasons.
Now, Madame Louchard, I must have either an overcoat or a frock-coat."
"I have nothing but a green sack-coat of Louchard"s, which I also intend for my G.o.dson."
"A sack-coat! that"s risky, because it shows the trousers! But, no matter! give it to me."
"You"ll be responsible for it?"
"I"ll be responsible for everything."
Cherami returned to his room with the clothes; at half-past nine, the water-carriers appeared. The Auvergnat wore a long blue overcoat that reached to his heels, a collar that came to the bottom of his ears, and a three-cornered hat. He was a perfect type of a laundryman going out to dinner. The Piedmontese was still in his jacket; but he had on a white striped waistcoat and olive-green trousers. Cherami bade him put on the green coat, which was too short in front and showed half of the waistcoat. By way of compensation, the late Louchard evidently had an enormous head, for the gray hat came down so far that it almost concealed the young water-carrier"s eyes. These preparations completed, Cherami, having examined his two seconds, exclaimed:
"What in the devil will they take you for? However, d.a.m.n the odds!--You, Piedmontese, will bow whenever anyone speaks to you, but you must not say a word in reply."
"Never fear! what would I say to them, anyway?"
"Very good! You are Monsieur de Chamousky, a Polish n.o.bleman."
"No; for I was born in Piedmont."
"Hold your tongue; I make you a Pole!--You, Michel, are a wealthy land-holder from Auvergne; at all events, you will be rightfully ent.i.tled to your accent."
"Yes, yes, I have some land at home, and all planted with chestnuts."
"The gentlemen who are coming will tell you what weapons the count proposes to fight with, also the time and place; to whatever they propose, you will reply: "Very well, we agree."--Do you understand?"
"Pardi! that ain"t very hard: "Very well; that hits us!""
"I didn"t say: "That hits us," but: "We agree.""
"Bah! it amounts to the same thing."
"No, no! Sacrebleu! it doesn"t amount to the same thing! Don"t you go making mistakes; no foolishness! Ah! mon Dieu! I hear a carriage stopping in front of the house; two gentlemen are getting out--they are the ones. Attention! I leave the door unlocked, so that they can open it themselves. I go into this little dark closet for a moment; I want them to think that I have more than this one room. Now: a serious face, heads up, and be cool!"
Cherami disappeared. The two water-carriers stared at each other in speechless amazement to see themselves so finely arrayed. Soon there was a knock at the door; then, as no one answered, the door was opened, and Monsieur de la Beriniere"s two seconds entered the room.