"'The édéprofits will begin to come in before they fall due; I shall be selling my new gloves, and we shall have the means to pay them.'
"I hesitated; but my brunette was so sure of success; and then, I had dined well, and at such times I sign whatever anyone asks me to. I made five notes of hand, of three thousand francs each.--You can guess the result! The seamless gloves tore as soon as anyone attempted to put them on. My poor Satiné was forced to assign. We paid the first two notes, but I was obliged to sell almost everything I possessed. The third has come due, and they will soon be here to demand payment. I am besieged already by a crowd of other creditors; for, after all, a man must live, and clothe himself, and have a roof over his head. I am completely cleaned out! But I don't bear my mistress any grudge; she has gone to law with the villain who defrauded her with his secret, and hopes to make him disgorge the last two notes at least, and----"
A ring at the doorbell interrupted Balloquet, who sat up in bed and looked at me, saying in an undertone:
"No, no! wait a moment. I recognize a creditor by his way of ringing; perhaps it's the bearer of that note. No matter! I might as well have it over with. Wait!"
Balloquet jumped out of bed and opened a closet near the headboard, in which I saw a rather large iron chest set into the wall.
"I found this safe here when I took possession," whispered Balloquet, "and it serves my turn splendidly."
"I can't imagine what purpose a safe can serve, when you have no money."
He opened the chest, threw in three large two-sou pieces, then said to me:
"Will you lend me two hundred-sou pieces for a few minutes? They will do much better."
"With pleasure, my dear fellow! do you want more?"
"No, two are enough, but I don't happen to have any at this moment."
He took out the two-sou pieces and replaced them by the five-franc pieces I had given him; then, untying his squirrel, he put him into the chest, and at once closed and locked the door, taking care to remove the key. Then he closed the closet. Having completed this operation, he returned to the bed, motioning to me to open the door.
An old man stood on the landing, well dressed, very short and stout, with a red face; he had all the externals of a retired restaurant keeper.