"I am calling him that you may ask him whether he is a colonel or a
porter; he must know."

All the clerks laughed. As to the old man, he was already coming
upstairs again.

"What can we say to him?" cried Godeschal.

"Leave it to me," replied Boucard.

The poor man came in nervously, his eyes cast down, perhaps not to
betray how hungry he was by looking too greedily at the eatables.

"Monsieur," said Boucard, "will you have the kindness to leave your
name, so that M. Derville may know----"

"Chabert."

"The Colonel who was killed at Eylau?" asked Hure, who, having so far
said nothing, was jealous of adding a jest to all the others.

"The same, monsieur," replied the good man, with antique simplicity.
And he went away.

"Whew!"

"Done brown!"

"Poof!"