"I may smoke cigars!" he said to himself.



About three months after this interview, at night, in Derville's room,
the notary commissioned to advance the half-pay on Derville's account
to his eccentric client, came to consult the attorney on a serious
matter, and began by begging him to refund the six hundred francs that
the old soldier had received.

"Are you amusing yourself with pensioning the old army?" said the
notary, laughing--a young man named Crottat, who had just bought up
the office in which he had been head clerk, his chief having fled in
consequence of a disastrous bankruptcy.

"I have to thank you, my dear sir, for reminding me of that affair,"
replied Derville. "My philanthropy will not carry me beyond
twenty-five louis; I have, I fear, already been the dupe of my patriotism."

As Derville finished the sentence, he saw on his desk the papers his
head clerk had laid out for him. His eye was struck by the appearance
of the stamps--long, square, and triangular, in red and blue ink,
which distinguished a letter that had come through the Prussian,
Austrian, Bavarian, and French post-offices.

"Ah ha!" said he with a laugh, "here is the last act of the comedy;
now we shall see if I have been taken in!"

He took up the letter and opened it; but he could not read it; it was