Here the friend whom he had just interrupted by a whisper, performed an exactly similar office for himself.

“But then,” cried the old lady, at the top of her voice, “your Monsieur Boullard was a madman, and a very silly madman at best; for who, allow me to ask you, ever heard of a human tee-totum?  The thing is absurd.  Madame Joyeuse was a more sensible person, as you know.  She had a crotchet, but it was instinct with common sense, and gave pleasure to all who had the honor of her acquaintance.  She found, upon mature deliberation, that, by some accident, she had been turned into a chicken-cock; but, as such, she behaved with propriety.  She flapped her wings with prodigious effect —­ so —­ so —­ and, as for her crow, it was delicious!  Cock-a-doodle-doo! —­ cock-a-doodle-doo! —­ cock-a-doodle-de-doo-dooo-do-o-o-o-o-o-o!”

“Madame Joyeuse, I will thank you to behave yourself!” here interrupted our host, very angrily.  “You can either conduct yourself as a lady should do, or you can quit the table forthwith-take your choice.”

The lady (whom I was much astonished to hear addressed as Madame Joyeuse, after the description of Madame Joyeuse she had just given) blushed up to the eyebrows, and seemed exceedingly abashed at the reproof.  She hung down her head, and said not a syllable in reply.  But another and younger lady resumed the theme.  It was my beautiful girl of the little parlor.

“Oh, Madame Joyeuse was a fool!” she exclaimed, “but there was really much sound sense, after all, in the opinion of Eugenie Salsafette.  She was a very beautiful and painfully modest young lady, who thought the ordinary mode of habiliment indecent, and wished to dress herself, always, by getting outside instead of inside of her clothes.  It is a thing very easily done, after all.  You have only to do so —­ and then so —­ so —­ so —­ and then so —­ so —­ so —­ and then so —­ so —­ and then-

“Mon dieu!  Ma’m’selle Salsafette!” here cried a dozen voices at once.  “What are you about? —­ forbear! —­ that is sufficient! —­ we see, very plainly, how it is done! —­ hold! hold!” and several persons were already leaping from their seats to withhold Ma’m’selle Salsafette from putting herself upon a par with the Medicean Venus, when the point was very effectually and suddenly accomplished by a series of loud screams, or yells, from some portion of the main body of the chateau.

My nerves were very much affected, indeed, by these yells; but the rest of the company I really pitied.  I never saw any set of reasonable people so thoroughly frightened in my life.  They all grew as pale as so many corpses, and, shrinking within their seats, sat quivering and gibbering with terror, and listening for a repetition of the sound.  It came again —­ louder and seemingly nearer —­ and then a third time very loud, and then a fourth time with a vigor evidently diminished.  At this apparent dying away of the noise, the spirits of the company were immediately regained, and all was life and anecdote as before.  I now ventured to inquire the cause of the disturbance.