"The dear painter was enjoying a sound, peaceful, and snoreless sleep—the sweet, silent slumber of a child or a woman. It was quite pleasant to see him given up so thoroughly to repose, and I should never have been cruel enough to awake him, but M. Delange, less considerate than I, suddenly seized M. de Morin by the arm and shook him impatiently.
"'What's the matter? What do you want? Are we there already?' said the painter, sitting up and opening his eyes, still heavy with sleep.
"'No, my dear fellow," replied M. Delange. 'We are very far from being there, especially if you mean Africa, for we are not more than three hours from Paris. It is exactly 10.48 p.m. We have just passed Tonnerre, and are going ahead full steam for Dijon!'
"'Well, then, why on earth did you wake me up?' said M. de Morin, crossly.
"'Why did I wake you up?' repeated M. Delange, with a smile on his face. 'How about our contract?'
"'What contract?'
"'What! You have forgotten it already? I'll recall it to your mind. Art. 4—It is understood between the contracting parties that, on each day during the voyage, without any exception unless in case of sickness, a partie at cards shall be played by M M. de Morin and Delange—we have been hours on our voyage; you are not ill—to that, in my capacity of doctor, I certify—and I am, therefore, in a position to exact the fulfilment of the contract.'
"'In a railway carriage?' exclaimed M. de Morin, in a tone of incredulity.
"'No place is excepted,' observed the doctor, with his calmest manner. 'Will you kindly remember that another article of this contract gives me, and you also, the right of deciding that the partie shall come off even in the middle of a river, with one's feet in the water, or on the top of a mountain, with one's head in the clouds. Our present situation is rather more convenient than either of those, and there is no obstacle whatever—'
"'Except that we have no cards,' interrupted the painter.