“Well, this is a nice piece of business!” exclaimed the merchant. “Ah, Pierichou, to-morrow you shall hear from me.”
“What is the matter?” asked Eusebe.
“My porter is a lazy rascal whom I rescued from misery. Two weeks ago, I decided to have the front of my store painted. The painter forgot to number the shutters. Then I told Pierichou to number them with ink. The scamp has numbered them with Spanish white; and now one of the figures is effaced.”
“Well, what is the consequence?”
“The consequence is, that I don’t know how to put them up. If I put the first in the second place, they cannot be fastened.”
“Excuse me, monsieur, but will you permit me to suggest——”
“What?”
“There is but one number effaced.”
“That is quite enough.”