Edouard was not reassured; however, he tried to divert his thoughts and to drive away his fears. Two young women, frequent guests of these gentlemen, arrived opportunely to enliven the company.
"Parbleu," said Lampin, "Véronique-la-Blonde must tell us some amusing story; she always knows the most interesting news; that will brace up our friend Bellecour--this was Edouard's new name--who is rather in the dumps to-night."
"Oh! I am not just in the mood for fooling," replied Véronique, with a sigh; "I am sort of upside down myself to-day."
"It seems to me that you ought to be used to that."
"Oh! don't talk a lot of nonsense. Really, my heart is terribly sore."
"The deuce you say! Have you had trouble with the beaks?"
"No, it ain't that; but I've got a friend who's mixed up in a bad piece of business, and that troubles me."
"What business is it? Tell us; perhaps we can help her out of it."
"Oh, no! The law has got its hand on her, and yet the poor child is as innocent as you and me."
"The devil! that's saying a good deal; but tell us what it's all about."
"You must know that my friend, who has only been in the business a little while, was formerly a servant, a lady's maid in several houses; among others she worked for a widow lady who died a little while ago. Well, would you believe that they have taken it into their heads, in the quarter, that that lady was poisoned! That report came to the ears of the authorities; they dug up the dead woman, and it seems that the doctors say the same thing as the neighbors. So they looked into the matter, and they've arrested my friend, because she worked for the lady at that time; but the poor child is as pure as this glass of wine, I swear."
Dufresne listened attentively to Véronique's story, while Lampin toyed with the other young woman, and Edouard, who had relapsed into his reflections concerning a forgery of which he knew that he was guilty, had thrown himself into an easy-chair in a corner of the room, paying no heed to a story which did not interest him in the least.
"This affair seems to me to be a most remarkable one," said Dufresne, drawing his chair nearer to Véronique's; "but what is your friend's name?"
"Suzanne; she is a good child, on my honor, and incapable of tearing a hair from anybody's head, I don't care whose."