Although it was barely twelve o'clock, Pavilly went into that palace of delights, where he was received by a servant, who wanted to turn him out again. But he made her laugh by making a grimace, showed her three francs, the usual price of the special provisions of the place, and followed her with difficulty up a dark staircase, which led to the first floor.
When he had been shown into a room, he asked for la Reine, and had another drink out of the bottle, while he waited. But very shortly, the door opened and a girl came in. She was tall, fat, red-faced, enormous. She looked at the drunken fellow, who had fallen into a seat, with the eye of a judge of such matters, and said:
"Are you not ashamed of yourself, at this time of day?"
"Ashamed of what, Princess?" he stammered.
"Why, of disturbing a lady, before she has even had time to eat her dinner."
He wanted to have a joke, so he said:
"There is no such thing as time, for the brave."
"And there ought to be no time for getting drunk, either, old guzzler."
At this he got angry:
"I am not a guzzler, and I am not drunk."