Part 31 (1/2)

This took place some time after the union of the poet Rodolphe and Mademoiselle Mimi. For a week the whole of the Bohemian brotherhood were grievously perturbed by the disappearance of Rodolphe, who had suddenly become invisible. They had sought for him in all his customary haunts, and had everywhere been met by the same reply--

”We have not seen him for a week.”

Gustave Colline above all was very uneasy, and for the following reason.

A few days previously he had handed to Rodolphe a highly philosophical article, which the latter was to insert in the columns of ”The Beaver,”

the organ of the hat trade, of which he was editor. Had this philosophical article burst upon the gaze of astonished Europe? Such was the query put to himself by the astonished Colline, and this anxiety will be understood when it is explained that the philosopher had never yet had the honor of appearing in print, and that he was consumed by the desire of seeing what effect would be produced by his prose in pica. To procure himself this gratification he had already expended six francs in visiting all the reading rooms of Paris without being able to find ”The Beaver” in any one of them. Not being able to stand it any longer, Colline swore to himself that he would not take a moment's rest until he had laid hands on the undiscoverable editor of this paper.

Aided by chances which it would take too long to tell in detail, the philosopher was able to keep his word. Within two days he learned Rodolphe's abiding place and called on him there at six in the morning.

Rodolphe was then residing in a lodging house in a deserted street situated in the Faubourg Saint Germain, and was perched on the fifth floor because there was not a sixth. When Colline came to his door there was no key in the lock outside. He knocked for ten minutes without obtaining any answer from within; the din he made at this early hour attracted the attention of even the porter, who came to ask him to be quiet.

”You see very well that the gentleman is asleep,” said he.

”That is why I want to wake him up,” replied Colline, knocking again.

”He does not want to answer then,” replied the porter, placing before Rodolphe's door a pair of patent leather boots and a pair of lady's boots that he had just cleaned.

”Wait a bit though,” observed Colline, examining the masculine and feminine foot gear. ”New patent leathers! I must have made a mistake; it cannot be here.”

”Yes, by the way,” said the porter, ”whom do you want?”

”A woman's boots!” continued Colline, speaking to himself, and thinking of his friends austere manners, ”Yes, certainly I must have made a mistake. This is not Rodolphe's room.”

”I beg your pardon, sir, it is.”

”You must be making a mistake, my good man.”

”What do you mean?”

”Decidedly you must be making a mistake,” said Colline, pointing to the patent leather boots. ”What are those?”

”Those are Monsieur Rodolphe's boots. What is there to be wondered at in that?”

”And these?” asked Colline, pointing to the lady's boots. ”Are they Monsieur Rodolphe's too?”

”Those are his wife's,” said the porter.

”His wife's!” exclaimed Colline in a tone of stupefaction. ”Ah! The voluptuary, that is why he will not open the door.”

”Well,” said the porter, ”he is free to do as he likes about that, sir.

If you will leave me your name I will let him know you called.”

”No,” said Colline. ”Now that I know where to find him I will call again.”

And he at once went off to tell the important news to his friends.

Rodolphe's patent leathers were generally considered to be a fable due to Colline's wealth of imagination, and it was unanimously declared that his mistress was a paradox.

This paradox was, however, a truism, for that very evening Marcel received a letter collectively addressed to the whole of the set. It was as follows:--