Chapter XIII: The Loup De Mer Wine Shop

Cédrille found a large company in the offices: footmen, coachmen, lackeys, scullions, and household servants vied with one another in being kind to the new-comer, who had been commended to them by their young mistress and was not there as a competitor for her favor; for they knew that the peasant was to return to his province as soon as he should have recovered from the fatigues of his journey. That was an additional reason why they should give him a cordial welcome.

They made the Béarnais relate his adventures; the battle in the street amused the servants immensely. They drank to Cédrille's courage and his cousin Miretta's; they drank to their mistresses, and to the peasant's safe return to his hearth and home.

By dint of drinking toasts in excellent wines, such as he had never tasted before, Cédrille felt considerably bewildered; and when he left the table and the house, to take a little walk about Paris, it was all the Béarnais could do to walk straight. He had not walked a hundred yards from the house, opening his eyes to their utmost extent and stopping constantly to straighten out his legs, when he felt an arm slip through his and heard a voice say to him:

"Sandioux! a happy meeting! I did not expect it, but I rejoice. I will say more: it causes me extreme pleasure, on my honor!--Why, my dear friend, you gaze at me with a surprised air, as if you did not recognize me! Can it be that you have forgotten a gallant knight who defended you sturdily this morning at a moment when your danger was most threatening?"

Cédrille, after straining his eyes and examining the long, lean, yellow man who had seized his arm, cried at last:

"Ah! why, yes, to be sure--your long face--that's so--I have seen it before; and this morning, when all those fine sparks tried to make me dismount, it was you who came and took our part--with your long sword, as long as a turnspit!"

"Ah! this is very fortunate; you recognize me at last, do you, my fine fellow?--If my sword is long, I trust that that didn't prevent my handling it rather prettily against your assailants this morning."

"Certainly not, monsieur le chevalier. Oh! you wasn't afraid!"

"Afraid! I! I never could understand how there could be such a thing as a coward!"

"Yes, yes! now I remember it all. What a pity that that tall black chevalier knocked your sword out of your hand at the first blow!"

"Sandis! my dear fellow, I will tell you why. Lean on me; you will walk more firmly."

"Faith! I'd be glad to.--I don't know what's the matter with me to-night; or, rather, yes--I do know; they made me drink so much at that house, and such good wine, that it made me a little dizzy; but it will pass off.--What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I would explain what made Roland slip out of my hand."

"Jarni! it was the blow the other man--the black one--hit it. He strikes hard, that fellow does!"

"No, no! cadédis! that wasn't it!--He might have struck ten times as hard, and I would never have let go Roland, that fiercer assaults than that have not lowered! But just fancy, my boy---- Lean on me, don't be afraid; I am firm on my legs.--Just fancy, my worthy Béarnais, that someone had played me the despicable trick of twisting a strip of pork around Roland's hilt! So you see, it was just when I brandished it most vigorously that it slipped from my hand!"

"Well, well! pardi! that was a curious idea; to twist pork round a sword! But didn't you notice it when you drew your sword from the sheath?"

"What do you expect?--in the heat of battle, when it is a question of saving a lovely girl and an excellent youth, one does not amuse one's self examining one's sword hilt.--However, it's all over, we were victors, and, thanks to my assistance, you were able to continue your journey. I trust that you reached the safe harbor for which you were bound?"

"Yes, seigneur chevalier. Mon Dieu! my cousin is already settled in the Hôtel de Mongarcin."

"Ah! that charming little brunette whom you had _en croupe_ is your cousin?"

"To be sure! my mother and I, we are the only relations she has."

"Well! I congratulate you; you have a charming cousin; and, in fact, now that I look at you--yes, there is a resemblance, at the corners of the mouth."

"You are the first person who ever thought that I resembled Miretta.--Ah! jarni! there's holes here. If it hadn't been for you, monsieur le chevalier, I believe I should have fallen full length in the street."

"You must have turned your foot."

"Yes; and then, my head is in the same fix."

"Hold fast to me; don't be afraid to lean on me. I am made of iron, of steel."

"For my part, I feel as if my legs were made of cotton; it's because I've had so much to drink. Oh! what famous wines! How polite those liveried servants are! they kept filling my glass for me.--Ha! hold me up!"

"They filled you, finally. So it was the servants at the Hôtel de Mongarcin who treated you so well?"

"To be sure.--By the way, did I tell you that I came to Paris to bring Miretta to Mademoiselle de Mongarcin?"

"You must have told me, as I know it."

"To be sure, that's so; as you know it, I must have told you.--Bah! there's another hole; and then, I don't know whether it's because I am dizzy, but it seems to me that I can't see very plain."

"Oh! that is no mistake; it is growing dark. Look you, it is after half-past seven. Where were you going, my worthy man, my dear fellow, when I met you?--Sandis! I know your name, but it doesn't come to my lips."

"Cédrille, at your service."

"Cédrille--that's it.--Whither were you bending your steps, my good Cédrille?"

"I--mon Dieu! I don't know; you see, Monsieur le Chevalier--what d'ye call it--what _is_ your name?"

"Castor Pyrrhus de Passedix."

"Oh! those names are pretty hard to remember. Must I say them all?"

"No! call me Passedix; that will be enough."

"Ah! good! Passe--six."

"No, no! deuce take it! Passedix, not _six!_ You cut me down four points!"

"That makes no difference! Well, monsieur le chevalier, I came away from the house because I felt as if I needed the fresh air--and then, to see a little of Paris, which I don't know at all."

"In that case, my friend Cédrille--will you allow me to call you my friend? When two people have met on the field of battle, it seems to me that that brings them together at once. Brave men understand each other at a glance."

"You are very polite! It's a great honor to me, Chevalier Passe--Passe----"

"Dix.--Well, to return to our subject, if you will permit me, dear friend, I will be your pilot, your guide, this evening. But I shall not be able to show you what Paris contains in the way of beautiful and interesting churches, palaces, squares, and promenades, for the reason that it is dark, and, none of those lovely things being lighted, you would see nothing and your steps would be wasted."

"Then you can't take me anywhere to-night? The deuce! that's a pity, for I feel just in the mood to enjoy myself. I don't want to go home to bed already, for I am not in the least sleepy."

Passedix, who had had nothing to eat during the day except the two eggs he had swallowed so rapidly before his landlady's eyes, passed his hand across his forehead and, after pretending to reflect a moment, cried:

"Yes, yes, cadédis! we will enjoy ourselves this evening. If we go along Rue Saint-Honoré, we shall find, just before we reach the Couvent des Capucines, a certain wine shop, the resort of lusty blades, good fellows like you and me; the curfew has not rung yet, so it will still be open; and even if the doors were closed, the habitués always have a way of gaining admission. Moreover, the keeper of the Loup de Mer--that is the name of the place--is an old soldier, an ex-trooper, who has friends in the watch--and they allow him to keep his guests later; indeed, I know some who pass the whole night there. Forward, my good friend, and let us betake ourselves to the Loup de Mer!"

"All right; I will go I don't care where to-night, provided that we have some sport."

"But I tell you that this wine shop is frequented by all the jovial blades and lovers of the sex in Paris. And then, it has a famous name for omelets _au lard_; they are excellent there. I once ate a dozen at a sitting; it was a wager, and I won it in a trice."

"Ah! they make omelets _au lard_, do they?" muttered the Béarnais peasant, shaking his head; "what a pity that I ain't hungry! But I ate so much at the house that I couldn't eat a mouthful, on my word! I would much rather see something besides omelets."

"If you are not hungry, you must be thirsty; good fellows are always thirsty."

"Oh! as for drinking, why, I'll drink some more, although I have had a good deal now."

"That doesn't matter; you will drink, and I will eat and drink with you; we will play cards, we will sing, we will pass a delightful evening.--Lean upon me--steady now, and forward!"

Cédrille suffered himself to be led away, and, his companion almost carrying him, they soon reached the Loup de Mer.

It would have been useless in those days to seek in taverns the blaze of light which dazzles our eyes to-day when we enter a café; a smoky lamp or two lighted but dimly the room and the drinkers; but the latter, being accustomed to nothing better, found the place where they assembled very much to their liking, so there was always a numerous company at the Loup de Mer; it was not so select as the Chevalier Passedix had tried to persuade Cédrille; but, by way of compensation, it was very hilarious and animated, and, above all, exceedingly noisy.

Almost all the tables were occupied, and covered with pewter pots and goblets; they were not so pretty to look at as our bottles and glasses, but they were less fragile.

Not without difficulty did Passedix succeed in finding an unoccupied end of a table and in obtaining two stools. Although an habitué of the place, the chevalier did not seem to be greeted with great cordiality, and the first words of the waiter to whom he applied were:

"There's no more room, monsieur le chevalier; it isn't worth while for you to come in."

But the Gascon, pushing aside the waiter, who was standing in front of him, glared savagely around the room and cried:

"Ah! there's no room, eh?--Capédébious! we will see about that! There must always be room for me and my friends! and, at need, Roland will find a way to make room!"

"Let Monsieur de Passedix come in," said a woman of uncertain age, who sat at the desk; and she added, with a slight shrug of her shoulders: "if you don't, you know that he will make a scene, pick a quarrel with someone, and end by bringing the watch here."

"Well! I only said what the master ordered me to say," muttered the waiter, sulkily.

But meanwhile our Gascon had found a corner at a table, and had established himself there with Cédrille. The latter tried to look about; but the crowd, the noise, the heat, and the fumes of wine that filled the room, added to his intoxication instead of sobering him.

"Poussinet! Poussinet!" cried the chevalier, hammering the table with his sword hilt; "come here, knave! are you deaf to-night?"

The waiter approached, making a grimace, and stared at Cédrille as if he were a strange beast.

"Come, Poussinet, listen carefully to my orders. You will serve us an omelet of fifteen eggs, with half of a small ham inside; also, a large jug of your best, and some fresh bread if possible."

"Fifteen eggs! an omelet of fifteen eggs for you two! Do you expect more friends?"

"That doesn't concern you! do what you are told, and don't keep your great, stupid eyes fastened on my companion; that isn't polite, and I don't ever allow anyone to insult the persons who are in my company! Do you hear, clown?"

As he spoke, the chevalier seized the waiter by one ear and twisted it so hard in his fingers that the unlucky Poussinet was beginning to shriek with pain, when a gray-bearded man in jacket and apron came up and said to the chevalier, in a decidedly unamiable tone:

"What are you pulling my waiter's ears for? What has he done to you, Monsieur Passedix? Must you always make trouble here as soon as you arrive? I am tired of it, I warn you! Although you fight with everybody, I warn you that you don't frighten me; and when the day comes that I make up my mind to turn you out of my place, you will never come into it again; and your sword will stay here in pawn for all that you owe me!"

"Let's go away," said Cédrille, trying to rise; "I am not having any fun here!"

But Passedix forced Cédrille to remain on his stool; and having reflected that if he should beat the keeper of the wine shop he would have no supper, he restrained his wrath and tried to smile as he replied:

"La, la! old sea-wolf [_loup de mer_]--for you well deserve the name written on your sign!--here's a lot of pother because I hardly pinched the tip of an ear. I do not seek a quarrel with anyone who is courteous to me. If you have in your place louts who tread on my toes, I am never in a mood to put up with it. If I owe you money, that proves that you have given me credit."

"And I am very sorry that I ever gave you credit; but after this, nothing will be served you here unless you pay cash. As to that matter, I have given Poussinet my orders, and it will do you no good to pull his ears! Nothing without the money--those are his orders."

"Yes," muttered the waiter, "and he beats me; that's all the _pourboire_ I get from him!"

Passedix rose and made a motion with his arm as if to strike Poussinet; but the wine shop keeper caught his arm in mid-air and shouted, with a horrible oath:

"So we are going to begin again, eh?"

"I want to go away; I don't enjoy myself here!" said Cédrille, half rising; but the chevalier threw him back on his seat, and continued in a haughty and dignified tone:

"Cabaretier, you may serve us in all confidence this evening; it is not I who treat, but my friend, this excellent Béarnais here; and his pockets are well filled."

"That makes a difference!" murmured the host; and he walked away with his waiter, saying to him: "No matter, you will make them pay when you serve; if they don't, take the dishes away."

"Yes, and look out for my ears!--Ah! what a lousy customer that lanky, hamstringing villain of a Gascon is!"