“Good Heavens! then you do not know what has happened?” I exclaimed.
“I know all,” was his reply.
“Victor,” I said, turning towards my servant, who was still rather embarrassed, “leave us, and return in a quarter of an hour with some supper. You will have something to eat, and will sleep here of course.”
“With great pleasure,” he replied. “I have eaten nothing since we left Auxerre. Then, as to lodgings, as nobody knew me in the Rue de Helder, or rather,” he added, with a sad smile, “as everybody recognized me there, they declined to let me in, so I left the whole house in a state of alarm.”
“In fact, my dear Lucien, your resemblance to Louis is so very striking that even I myself was just now taken aback.”
“How,” exclaimed Victor, who had not yet ventured to leave us. “Is monsieur the brother——”
“Yes,” I replied, “go and get supper.”
Victor went out, and we found ourselves alone.
I took Lucien by the hand, and leading him to an easy chair seated myself near him.