Cornudet had not said a single word, nor made a single gesture; he even seemed to be plunged in very serious thoughts, and from time to time tugged furiously at his long beard as if he wanted to make it longer.  Finally, toward midnight, as they were going to separate, Loiseau, who was unsteady on his feet slapped him suddenly on the stomach and spluttered:—­“You are not in a gay mood to-night, you don’t talk much, citoyen?”—­But Cornudet raised briskly his head and casting a swift and terrible look at the company, fairly shouted:—­“I tell you all, that you have behaved infamously!”—­He got up, walked to the door and repeated once more:  “Infamous!” and he disappeared.

This threw a chill at first.  Loiseau nonplused, stood looking foolish; but he recovered his countenance and then suddenly began to laugh and repeat:—­“Sour grapes! my dear Sir, sour grapes!”—­The company did not understand what he meant; he explained the “mysteries of the hall”—­Then there was a resumption of formidable gayety.  The ladies were immensely amused.  The Count and Mr. Carre-Lamadon laughed to tears.  They could hardly believe their ears.

—­“Why! are you sure?  He wanted”—­“I tell you that I saw it with my own eyes.”

—­“And she refused?”

—­“Because the Prussian was in the next room.”

—­“Is it possible?”

—­“I swear it is true!”—­

The Count was choking with laughter.  The manufacturer was compressing his stomach with his hands.

—­“And you understand, to-night he does not think it is funny at all.”—­

And all three began to laugh again, choking, out of breath.

Thereupon they retired.  But Madame Loiseau, who had the prickly disposition of a nettle remarked to her husband, at the moment they were going to bed:—­“That stuck-up little Madame Carre-Lamadon laughed deceitfully all evening.”

“You know, for women, when they chase uniforms, it does not make any difference whether the uniforms are French or Prussian.  What a pity, oh Lord!”—­

And all night, in the darkness of the hall there were light sounds like tremors, hardly audible, similar to murmurs, contacts of bare feet, imperceptible crackings.  And they fell asleep quite late, certainly, because rays of light could be seen for a long time under the doors.  Champagne has such effects; I understand it disturbs the sleep.

The next morning a bright winter sunshine made the snow dazzling.  The coach, finally harnessed, was waiting at the door, while an army of white pigeons, ensconced in their white feathers, with their pink eyes spotted in the middle with small black dots, were walking leisurely between the legs of the six horses and picking their food from the steaming manure which they were scattering.

The driver, wrapped up in his sheepskin cloak, was up on his seat, smoking a pipe, and all the travelers, looking radiant, were having provisions packed up for the rest of the trip.