?© de, 1799-1850 / 2008-11-27 00:00:00
"Here," said he to himself, "is a man who has of course spent my money
in satisfying a trooper's three theological virtues--play, wine, and
women!"
"To be sure, monsieur, we are not distinguished for luxury here. It is
a camp lodging, tempered by friendship, but----" And the soldier shot
a deep glance at the man of law--"I have done no one wrong, I have
never turned my back on anybody, and I sleep in peace."
Derville reflected that there would be some want of delicacy in asking
his client to account for the sums of money he had advanced, so he
merely said:
"But why would you not come to Paris, where you might have lived as
cheaply as you do here, but where you would have been better lodged?"
"Why," replied the Colonel, "the good folks with whom I am living had
taken me in and fed me /gratis/ for a year. How could I leave them
just when I had a little money? Besides, the father of those three
pickles is an old /Egyptian/--"
"An Egyptian!"
"We give that name to the troopers who came back from the expedition
into Egypt, of which I was one. Not merely are all who get back
brothers; Vergniaud was in my regiment. We have shared a draught of
water in the desert; and besides, I have not yet finished teaching his
brats to read."
"He might have lodged you better for your money," said Derville.
"Bah!" said the Colonel, "his children sleep on the straw as I do. He
and his wife have no better bed; they are very poor you see.
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