When Christian had finished loading his ass, he returned to the green-room, and had scarcely entered it when M. Johan made an effort to take him by surprise, so as to satisfy his curiosity about him. The major-domo tried the door stealthily, hoping to enter without knocking, on the pretext of paying the amount due for the exhibition. Christian, conjecturing who his visitor was, resolved to have a little amusement at the expense of this insinuating gentleman. Accordingly, he masked himself carefully, and, leaving but one candle burning, opened the door, which he had not forgotten to lock, with a great deal of politeness.
“Have I the pleasure of speaking with M. Christian Waldo himself?” asked the major-domo, as he handed him the sum agreed on.
“The same!” said Christian; “you must surely remember my voice and dress, since you saw me only a little while ago.”
“Certainly, my dear fellow, but your assistant masks himself too, it seems; he passed me a while ago on the stairs, looking as mysterious as yourself, and wrapped up in much better style, by George! than he was yesterday, when you arrived.”
“The fact is that the rascal, instead of carrying my cloak on his arm, takes the liberty of putting it on his back. I let him do it, for he is a chilly sort of fellow.”
“Ah, indeed! Well, there is one thing about this chilly fellow that surprises me greatly. That is, that yesterday he was a full head shorter than you.”
“Does that surprise you?” said Christian, drawing on his powers of improvisation; “then you cannot have noticed his feet to-day.”
“Why no, really. Was he on stilts?”
“Not exactly, but on pattens four or five inches high.”
“But what for?”