Like the period which du Bousquier himself represented, the house was a jumble of dirt and magnificence.

Being considered a man of leisure, du Bousquier led the same parasite life as the chevalier; and he who does not spend his income is always rich.

His only servant was a sort of Jocrisse, a lad of the neighborhood, rather a ninny, trained slowly and with difficulty to du Bousquier's requirements.

His master had taught him, as he might an orang-outang, to rub the floors, dust the furniture, black his boots, brush his coats, and bring a lantern to guide him home at night if the weather were cloudy, and clogs if it rained.

Like many other human beings, this lad hadn't stuff enough in him for more than one vice; he was a glutton.