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A middle-aged person, neatly dressed, and with a pleasing face, opened the door, and said, "I have just seen on a sign placed over this door, 'Pipelet and Cabrion, Dealers in Friendship. Can you, if you please, do me the honor to inform me what this means you being the porter of this house?"
"He had, eh?" "Certainly; M. Girandeau and M. Cabrion M. Cabrion, above all were forever making jokes on the names of my birds. 'To call a canary Papa Cretu, did you ever? M. Cabrion never finished, and then he would laugh such laughs. "What a courageous resolution!" "It cost me a good deal, M. Rudolph I looked so eagerly for my Sunday excursions.
Sometimes the frankness of the grisette, and the remembrance of the large bolt, made him almost believe that she loved her neighbors merely as brothers or companions, and that Mrs. Pipelet had caluminated her; then again he smiled at his credulity, in thinking it probable that a girl so young, so pretty, so solitary, should have escaped the seductions of Giraudeau, Cabrion, and Germain.
Germain turned round, lessening his pace a little, and smiled on Rigolette who playfully threw him a kiss. "How genteel my little Germain is! is he not, Louise? With that air so stylish! such a fine figure! was I not right when I found him more to my liking than M. Girandeau, the traveling clerk, or M. Cabrion? Oh! speaking of Cabrion M. Pipelet and his wife? where are they?
"Well! for the sake of making peace, you might have agreed with Cabrion during my absence. Where would be the great harm?" "I make up with oh, merciful powers! you hear her?" "And then, he might have given you his portrait, as a pledge of friendship. If this is so, do not deny it." "Anastasia!" "If this is so, it must be confessed you are as capricious as a pretty woman." "Wife!"
Then Cabrion stooped, took my bald head between his hands, cold as death, and upon my forehead, bathed in sweat, imprinted a lascivious kiss!" Anastasia lifted her arms toward heaven. "My most inveterate enemy kissed my forehead! A monstrosity so unparalleled overcame and paralyzed me.
The stupor of the pair paid the greatest honor to the talent of the artist who had so admirably painted on the pasteboard the features of Cabrion. Her first surprise over, Anastasia, as bold as a lion, ran to the bed, got on it, and tore the picture from the wall. The amazon crowned this valiant enterprise by shouting, as a war-cry, her favorite exclamation, "Go ahead!"
"Oh, sir!" said Alfred, turning his head in a languishing manner toward Rudolph; "this time I shall not get over it; the monster has stabbed me to the heart. I am the subject of the placards of the capital; my name can be read on all the walls side by side with this scoundrel's. 'Pipelet & Cabrion, with an enormous and! I! united to this infernal blackguard in the eyes of the capital of Europe!"
How many times, in the overflowings of his imagination, he had been forced to commune within himself thanks to the frenzied skepticism of Madame Pipelet, who, only looking at facts, and disdaining to seek after causes, grossly considered the incomprehensible conduct of Cabrion toward Alfred as simple comicality.
"I thought of it," answered Pipelet, with a deep sigh; "but when those shameless ruffians passed before my door, my blood rose, and I could not hinder myself from putting my hand before my eyes, to hide the monsters from my sight! But that does not surprise me; I knew something unfortunate would happen to me to-day, for I dreamed last night of Monster Cabrion!"
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