"No, indeed, monsieur, I should think not! I know too well what I owe you; stay here, I won't be long."
"Oh! there's no danger of that--madame sends for it often enough. I know what she uses it for."
Left alone in the salon, Alfred lost patience; he returned to the reception room, where he was nearer madame's boudoir; thereupon he heard quite distinctly the rattle of knives and forks and glasses, and the popping of corks, which sounds proceeded from the dining-room.
He even heard a sneeze, so loud that the doors shook. But the maid returned with the blue phial with the opal stopper and handed it to the young man, saying:
"Why didn't monsieur stay in the salon? Perhaps monsieur heard noises in the dining-room? Madame's two cats are dining with me; they amuse me and are good company for me."
"My dear girl, one of them has a cold in the head; he sneezes pretty loud for a cat--loud enough to break the windows."
"Oh! monsieur is mistaken, the sneezing was in the yard. The concierge does nothing else; it's downright disgusting!"
Paying no further heed to what the maid said, our young elegant, armed with the precious phial, ran back to the restaurant, and going at once to the door of his private room, tried to open it; but to no purpose did he turn the knob, the door was bolted inside.
"What does this mean? It's I, Zizi!--Jéricourt! Why do you lock yourselves in? What's the meaning of this jest?"
"Have you brought the phial?" murmured the young actress in an altered voice.
"The stopper is in it! It's perfectly tight."
"Well! take it back, that isn't the one I want; I want the yellow one with an agate stopper."
"Oh! this is too much! Zizi, you abuse my good nature.--Open the door, Jéricourt."
"I should be delighted to, but madame says no. She has taken a knife and threatens to bury it in her breast if I take a step toward the door."
"Oh! in that case, don't budge, my friend! do me the favor not to budge, stay where you are! I know the mad creature; she would do some insane thing or other. I will run and fetch the yellow phial!"
And the simple-minded fellow started off again to get the yellow phial.
To those who say that this is an improbable incident, we reply that we have seen such ladies make the man whose fortune they were squandering do much more improbable things; and, in truth, they are quite right to do it, when they find blockheads ready to gratify all their whims.