you the edition d'amateur, with coloured plates."

I begged him not to do anything of the sort, and sent him away happy.
When the green toilette and the agent had disappeared in the
shadow of the corridor I asked my housekeeper whence this little
man had dropped upon us.

"Dropped is the word," she answered; "he dropped on us from the roof,
Monsieur, where he lives with his wife."

"You say he has a wife, Therese? That is marvelous! Women are
very strange creatures! This one must be a very unfortunate little
woman."

"I don't really know what she is," answered Therese; "but every
morning I see her trailing a silk dress covered with grease-spots
over the stairs. She makes soft eyes at people. And, in the name
of common sense! does it become a woman that has been received here
out of charity to make eyes and to wear dresses like that? For
they allowed the couple to occupy the attic during the time the roof
was being repaired, in consideration of the fact that the husband
is sick and the wife in an interesting condition. The concierge even
says that the pain came on her this morning, and that she is now
confined. They must have been very badly off for a child!"

"Therese," I replied, "they had no need of a child, doubtless. But
Nature had decided that they should bring one into the world; Nature
made them fall into her snare. One must have exceptional prudence
to defeat Nature's schemes. Let us be sorry for them and not blame
them! As for silk dresses, there is no young woman who does not like