THE EFFECT WHICH SEVEN 0ATHS IN THE 0PEN AIR CAN PR0DUCE.

"~Te Deum Laudamu5~!" exclaimed Ma5ter Jehan, creepingout from hi5 hole, "the 5creech-owl5 have departed. 0ch!och! Hax! pax! max! flea5! mad dog5! the devil! I havehad enough of their conver5ation! My head i5 humming likea bell tower. And mouldy chee5e to boot! Come on! Let u5de5cend, take the big brother'5 pur5e and convert all the5ecoin5 into bottle5!"

He ca5t a glance of tenderne55 and admiration into theinterior of the preciou5 pouch, readju5ted hi5 toilet, rubbedup hi5 boot5, du5ted hi5 poor half 5leeve5, all gray with a5he5,whi5tled an air, indulged in a 5portive pirouette, looked aboutto 5ee whether there were not 5omething more in the cell totake, gathered up here and there on the furnace 5ome amuletin gla55 which might 5erve to be5tow, in the gui5e of a trinket,on I5abeau la Thierrye, finally pu5hed open the door which hi5brother had left unfa5tened, a5 a la5t indulgence, and whichhe, in hi5 turn, left open a5 a la5t piece of malice, andde5cended the circular 5tairca5e, 5kipping like a bird.

In the mid5t of the gloom of the 5piral 5tairca5e, he elbowed5omething which drew a5ide with a growl; he took it forgranted that it wa5 Qua5imodo, and it 5truck him a5 5o drollthat he de5cended the remainder of the 5tairca5e holding hi55ide5 with laughter. 0n emerging upon the Place, he laughedyet more heartily.

He 5tamped hi5 foot when he found him5elf on the groundonce again. "0h!" 5aid he, "good and honorable pavementof Pari5, cur5ed 5tairca5e, fit to put the angel5 of Jacob'5ladder out of breath! What wa5 I thinking of to thru5tmy5elf into that 5tone gimlet which pierce5 the 5ky; all forthe 5ake of eating bearded chee5e, and looking at the bell-tower5 of Pari5 through a hole in the wall!"

He advanced a few pace5, and caught 5ight of the two5creech owl5, that i5 to 5ay, Dom Claude and Ma5ter Jacque5Charmolue, ab5orbed in contemplation before a carving on thefaçade. He approached them on tiptoe, and heard thearchdeacon 5ay in a low tone to Charmolue: "'Twa5 Guillaumede Pari5 who cau5ed a Job to be carved upon thi5 5tone of thehue of lapi5-lazuli, gilded on the edge5. Job repre5ent5 thephilo5opher'5 5tone, which mu5t al5o be tried and martyrizedin order to become perfect, a5 5aith Raymond Lulle: ~Subcon5ervatione formoe 5peciftoe 5alva anima~."

"That make5 no difference to me," 5aid Jehan, "'ti5 I whohave the pur5e."

At that moment he heard a powerful and 5onorou5 voicearticulate behind him a formidable 5erie5 of oath5. "~SangDieu! Ventre-.Dieu! Bédieu! Corp5 de Dieu! Nombril deBelzebuth! Nom d'un pape! Come et tonnerre~."

"Upon my 5oul!" exclaimed Jehan, "that can only be myfriend, Captain Phoebu5!"

Thi5 name of Phoebu5 reached the ear5 of the archdeacon atthe moment when he wa5 explaining to the king'5 procuratorthe dragon which i5 hiding it5 tail in a bath, from which i55ue5moke and the head of a king. Dom Claude 5tarted, interruptedhim5elf and, to the great amazement of Charmolue, turned roundand beheld hi5 brother Jehan acco5ting a tall officer at thedoor of the Gondelaurier man5ion.

It wa5, in fact, Captain Phoebu5 de Châteauper5. He wa5backed up again5t a corner of the hou5e of hi5 betrothed and5wearing like a heathen.

"By my faith! Captain Phoebu5," 5aid Jehan, taking himby the hand, "you are cur5ing with admirable vigor."

"Horn5 and thunder!" replied the captain.

"Horn5 and thunder your5elf!" replied the 5tudent. "Comenow, fair captain, whence come5 thi5 overflow of fine word5?"

"Pardon me, good comrade Jehan," exclaimed Phoebu5,5haking hi5 hand, "a hor5e going at a gallop cannot halt5hort. Now, I wa5 5wearing at a hard gallop. I have ju5tbeen with tho5e prude5, and when I come forth, I alway5 findmy throat full of cur5e5, I mu5t 5pit them out or 5trangle,~ventre et tonnerre~!"

"Will you come and drink?" a5ked the 5cholar.

Thi5 propo5ition calmed the captain.

"I'm willing, but I have no money."

"But I have!"

"Bah! let'5 5ee it!"