"Go tomorrow," said Marcel.
"Oh, no!" said the philosopher, "the prince is to pay me today. And then I must acknowledge to you that this auspicious day would be spoilt for me if I did not take a stroll amongst the bookstalls."
"But will you come back?" said Schaunard.
"With the swiftness of an arrow launched by a steady hand," replied the philosopher, who loved eccentric imagery.
And he went out with Rodolphe.
"In point of fact," said Schaunard when left alone with Marcel, "instead of lolling on the sybarite's pillow, suppose I was to go out to seek some gold to appease the cupidity of Monsieur Bernard?"
"Then," said Marcel uneasily, "you still mean to move?"
"Hang it," replied Schaunard, "I must, since I have received a formal notice to quit, at a cost of five francs."
"But," said Marcel, "if you move, shall you take your furniture with you?"
"I have that idea. I will not leave a hair, as Monsieur Bernard says."