"Those mountebanks again! Have you them in your mind, my dear? But it is simply out of the question to-day. I could not think of granting them permission to perform in the market-place. You forget that there are two thousand soldiers there, and that it is my duty to guard against the occurrence of any trouble."
"That is the very reason I am doing this, your worship, and why the assistance of Colonel Laurier and his officers will be so helpful," persisted Madame, flashing her irresistible smiles from one to the other.
"Pray command us. We are certainly at your service," responded the officers in chorus.
CHAPTER III.
THE TAMBY FAMILY IN PUBLIC.
Having thus prepared the way very skillfully, Madame Pradère, radiant at the prosperous progress of her enterprise, now revealed her purpose.
"I am very anxious," she said with a charming glance over all her attentive listeners, "to be present at the performance this evening, and I make bold, gentlemen, to beg of you to be present also. In that way all chance of anything amiss occurring will be avoided."
"But you do not forget, Madame," put in the Colonel, "that our being present will mean the absence of the soldiers, who could not sit with us without a breach of discipline."
"Oh! that will be all right, I promise you, Colonel," responded Madame archly. "There'll be no interference with discipline. The soldiers will be placed at the back, and in the front there will be seats reserved for the officers and ourselves."