He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
"He that will not be counselled cannot be helped. What train do you go by?"
"By the evening train at eight o'clock."
"I am sorry to say that I can't see you off then. I have got a rendezvous at eight o'clock."
"A randewau?"
"A rendezvous," he corrected. "There you are again; you know nothing."
After that statement he pulled out his pocket-book and began to write down something. When he had finished, he tore off the leaf and handed it to me.
"There, I have put down for you the most important of adopted words, which you ought to know because all smart people express themselves nowadays only in adopted words. Good luck and a pleasant journey to you." He held out his hand, which I took mechanically, and when I looked up he had gone.
I inquired for the station, and went the way indicated by a friendly policeman. After I had taken my ticket I got into the train which was standing by the platform, and by the dim light of the compartment I tried to decipher the slip of paper that my brother had given to me. It ran as follows:
| Rendezvous | Mélange |
| Engagement | Carrière |
| Bureau or Comptoir | Rouge |
| Pardon | Noir |
| Toilette | Milieu |
| Banquet | Manicure |