Meantime I offered him his cup of coffee.
"Servez-vous mon garcon," said he blandly, when I had put a couple of huge lumps of continental sugar into his cup.

"And now tell me why you stayed so long at Mdlle.

Reuter's.

I know that lessons conclude, in her establishment as in mine, at four o'clock, and when you returned it was past five." "Mdlle.

wished to speak with me, monsieur." "Indeed! on what subject?
if one may ask." "Mademoiselle talked about nothing, monsieur." "A fertile topic! and did she discourse thereon in the schoolroom, before the pupils ?" "No; like you, monsieur, she asked me to walk into her parlour." "And Madame Reuter--the old duenna--my mother's gossip, was there, of course ?" "No, monsieur; I had the honour of being quite alone with mademoiselle." "C'est joli--cela," observed M.Pelet, and he smiled and looked into the fire.
"Honi soit qui mal y pense," murmured I, significantly.
"Je connais un peu ma petite voisine--voyez-vous." "In that case, monsieur will be able to aid me in finding out what was mademoiselle's reason for making me sit before her sofa one mortal hour, listening to the most copious and fluent dissertation on the merest frivolities." "She was sounding your character." "I thought so, monsieur." "Did she find out your weak point ?" "What is my weak point ?" "Why, the sentimental.