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Finally, quite at the end of the room, near the door, in the dark, stood, orous man with thickset lis, whose square face pierced with staring eyes, slit with an ie screens of flat hair, had soer

All were uncovered except the king

The gentleattentively The two Fleru; is there no chair here?"

Ryesture, accompanied by a discreet shly unhappy at being obliged to lower his voice thus, "I should like to sit down on the floor, with ood care that you do not, Master Jacques"

"Ouais! Master Guillaume! can one only remain here on his feet?"

"Or on his knees," said Ry's voice was uplifted They held their peace

"Fifty sols for the robes of our valets, and twelve livres for the old by the ton! Are you mad, Olivier?"

As he spoke thus, the old olden shells of the collar of Saint-Michael could be seen gleaaunt and morose profile He tore the papers fro his hollow eyes over the scroll "What is all this? What need have we of so prodigious a household? Two chaplains at ten livres a month each, and, a chapel clerk at one hundred sols! A valet-de- chambre at ninety livres a year Four head cooks at six score livres a year each! A spit-cook, an herb-cook, a sauce-cook, a butler, two sumpter-horse lackeys, at ten livres a room of the stables and his two aids at four and twenty livres a month! A porter, a pastry-cook, a baker, two carters, each sixty livres a year! And the farrier six score livres! And the master of the chamber of our funds, twelve hundred livres! And the comptroller five hundred And how do I knohat else? 'Tis ruinous The wages of our servants are putting France to the pillage! All the ingots of the Louvre will melt before such a fire of expenses! We shall have to sell our plate! And next year, if God and our Lady (here he raised his hat) lend us life, we shall drink our potions from a pewter pot!"