never paid their wages, and withal I am not sure of their fidelity.
In whom can you have confidence? Let's be off at once for the Circus
of the Bergeres."

"Sir," said the abbe, "I'll make you a proposal, hoping it may be
agreeable to you. We are living, Tournebroche and I, in an
alchemistic and ramshackle castle at the Cross of the Sablons, where
we can easily stay for a dozen hours without being seen by anyone.
There we will take you and wait quietly till our carriage is ready.
The advantage is that the Sablons is very near the Circus of the
Bergeres."

M. d'Anquetil had nothing against the abbe's proposal, and so we
resolved in front of the Triton, who blew the water out of his fat
cheeks, to go first to the Cross of the Sablons, and to hire, later
on, at the _Red Horse_ hotel, a travelling coach for our
journey to Lyons.

"I want to inform you, gentlemen," said my dear tutor, "that of the
three bottles I took care to carry with me, one was broken on the
head of M. de la Gueritude, another one was smashed in my pocket
during my flight. They are both regretted. The third, against all
hope, has been preserved. Here it is!"

Pulling it out of his pocket, he placed it on the edge of the
fountain.

"That's well," sail M, d'Anquetil. "You have some wine, I have dice
and cards in my pocket. We can play."