“‘"Oh, madame, I am perfectly sure of it. He has not come out and no one has gone in. I have not left the court,” replied the clerk, springing at the calf’s head as it continued running around. “I am sure he is there. He is just hiding to frighten you.”
“‘"It will be better to hide the calf. Houdry! Houdry!”
“‘The clerk, with a turn of the halter, had tied the calf. Entering with Mme. Houdry he uttered a cry of surprise and said: “Oh, that is queer! When we came in there was only one calf, a single calf, madame, a calf which was tied to the hanger, and which gambols in the court now, and here is another calf on the crossbeam.” Yes, indeed, there was another calf on the tinel.
“‘"I see it now,” said Mme. Houdry. “What a small calf! But you are foolish; there should be two calves.”
“‘"Never, madame, never.”
“‘"Well, you see perfectly the calf on the beam?”
“‘The little clerk and Mme. Houdry drew near to the beam, which was in the shadow, and how astonished they were to see the kind of white meat which was hanging from the beam. They had never seen such white meat, and this meat was arranged exactly like the calf’s. They accounted for this finally by deciding that it was not veal meat.
“‘"What a curious calf,” the clerk continued to repeat.
“‘"It is not a small calf,” said Mme. Houdry. “No! no!”
“‘"All the same, madame, they have decorated the skin on the stomach with the lancet. See!