At the police office, where he had to wait two hours while the commissary went to receive orders from higher authorities, he entered into conversation with the two bailiffs who had charge of him.

At twelve o’clock he said he was hungry, and sent to a restaurant near by for his breakfast, which he ate with a good appetite; he also drank nearly a bottle of wine.

While he was thus occupied, several clerks from the prefecture, who have to transact business daily with the commissary of police, curiously watched him.  They all formed the same opinion, and admiringly said to each other: 

“Well, he is made of strong material, he is!”

“Yes, my dandy looks too lamb-like to be left to his own devices.  He ought to have a strong escort.”

When he was told that a coach was waiting for him at the door, he at once got up; but, before going out, he requested permission to light a cigar, which was granted.

A flower-girl stood just by the door, with her stand filled with all varieties of flowers.  He stopped and bought a bunch of violets.  The girl, seeing that he was arrested, said, by way of thanks: 

“Good luck to you, my poor gentleman!”

He appeared touched by this mark of interest, and replied: 

“Thanks, my good woman, but ’tis a long time since I have had any.”

It was magnificent weather, a bright spring morning.  As the coach went along Rue Montmartre, Prosper kept his head out of the window, at the same time smilingly complaining at being imprisoned on such a lovely day, when everything outside was so sunny and pleasant.

“It is singular,” he said, “I never felt so great a desire to take a walk.”

One of the bailiffs, a large, jovial, red-faced man, received this remark with a hearty burst of laughter, and said: 

“I understand.”

To the court clerk, while he was going through the formalities of the commitment, Prosper replied with haughty brevity to the indispensable questions asked him.

But when he was ordered to empty his pockets on the table, and they began to search him, his eyes flashed with indignation, and a single tear dropped upon his flushed cheek.  In an instant he had recovered his stony calmness, and stood up motionless, with his arms raised in the air so that the rough creatures about him could more conveniently ransack him from head to foot, to assure themselves that he had no suspicious object hid under his clothes.

The search would have, perhaps, been carried to the most ignominious lengths, but for the intervention of a middle-aged man of rather distinguished appearance, who wore a white cravat and gold spectacles, and was sitting quite at home by the fire.

He started with surprise, and seemed much agitated, when he saw Prosper brought in by the bailiffs; he stepped forward, and seemed about to speak to him, then suddenly changed his mind, and sat down again.