"Listen," says Bougainville, "this is the best thing to do."
"The best thing to do, my good friend, my dear Antoine, is to stop the horses, so that I can get down and make my way back to Boulogne."
"No," says Bougainville; "the best thing to be done is for you to come with me as far as Versailles."
"As far as Versailles?..."
"Yes; as you have missed Mademoiselle Marianne's dinner you must dine with me at Versailles. Whilst I am receiving final commands from His Majesty, one of these gentlemen will undertake to find a travelling carriage to convey you back to Boulogne."
"Of course that would be a great pleasure, my friend, but...."
"But what?"
The Abbé Rémy felt about in his waistcoat pockets, plunging both hands in up to his armpits.
"But," he Continued, "Marianne has not put any money in my pockets."
"Never mind about that, my dear Rémy! At Versailles I will ask the king for a hundred crowns for the poor of Boulogne; the king will grant them me, and I will give them to you. You can borrow a few crowns from them until you return in the travelling carriage to Boulogne, and the thing is settled."