Ah! that won't go to the tune of the _Famille de l'Apothicaire_."
"That's strange; it ought to. Try some other tune."
"I think the _Baiser au Porteur_ will do édéthe business."
"Oh! how long it takes you to get started, my dear fellow!"
"Trum, trum, trum, traderi dera, troum, troum, troum."
"Oh! please be kind enough to hold your tongue, baron, with your troum troum!"
"You can find it later; listen now to Rochebrune, who is going to sing us a _risqué_ little chansonnette."
"Ach! gut, gut! _risqué!_ tat must pe sehr amusing! _Risqué!_ Vat is a _risqué_ chanson?"
"That means lively; but we may as well speak out, as we are all men: it means naughty."
"Ach! id vill pe sehr bretty so! I loafe tat kind! Ve vill much laugh. Let us hear te naughty song. Ha! ha! How id vill pe amusing! Ho! ho!"
The baron laughed so heartily in anticipation of the pleasure in store for him, that Frédérique had much difficulty in silencing him; he ceased at last, and contented himself with muttering between his teeth: "Naughty, _risqué!_--_risqué_, naughty!" while I sang to the tune of the _Baiser au Porteur_:
"'Quand on t'offre une promenade, Lisa, prends garde au temps qu'il fait! S'il fait du vent, dis-toi malade, Ou bien, l'on en profiterait Pour te faire ce qu'on voudrait. Va, je ne ris pas, sur mon âme! Par ce temps-la je fus prise souvent! Ma chère, il n'est pour une femme Rien de plus traître que le vent.'"[B]
I paused after the first verse and glanced at Frédérique. She smiled; that was a good sign. As for the baron, he repeated each line after me, sometimes with variations, and with an accompaniment of loud guffaws. We heard him mumbling:
"Noding so slyer als der vind! Ho! ho! ho! Gut, gut! Naughty!"
I cleared my throat, drank a glass of wine, and cried like Ravel in the _Tourlourou_:
"'Et puis, comment veux-tu qu'on fasse? On s'habille quand il fait beau: Le vent arrive, on s'embarrasse, On ne peut tenir de niveau, Le bas d'sa robe et son chapeau; On a les yeux pleins de poussière Lorsque ça souffle par devant, Mais c'est plus perfide, ma chère, Quand on n'voit pas venir le vent.'"[C]
"My loafe! Ven she don't feel te vind plowing! Ho! ho! gut! gut! gut! Troum! troum! troum!"
"Oh! how insufferable he is with his repetitions! Next verse."