In one hand he carried a short pole with a steel pike in it, in the other a rope fastened to a ring in the bear's nose.
The bear, a huge brown animal, upright on his hind legs, was dancing sideways along the road, keeping time to the lazy notes of his leader's voice.
In front of the Hotel France they halted, and the bear danced round and round in a ring, his eyes rolling savagely, his head shaking from side to side in a bad-tempered way.
Suddenly some one cried out: "It's Vanne Castine! It's Vanne!" People crowded nearer: there was a flurry of exclamations, and then Christine took a few steps forward where she could see the man's face, and as swiftly drew back into the crowd, pale and distraite.
The man watched her until she drew away behind a group, which was composed of Ferrol, her brother and her sister Sophie.

He dropped no note of his song, and the bear kept jigging on.

Children and elders threw coppers, which he picked up, with a little nod of his head, a malicious sort of smile on his lips.

He kept a vigilant eye on the bear, however, and his pole was pointed constantly towards it.

After about five minutes of this entertainment he moved along up the road.