"Ah! but now I think of it, my poor boy, you must have experienced a severe blow of grief!"
This was said with such frank simplicity, and proceeded so evidently from a heart guiltless of any dissimulation, that I swear to you I was stirred to the bottom of my soul; my eyes filled with tears, and I threw myself on to his neck to thank him.
"Well, well!" he said, patting me on the shoulder to calm me, while he held me in his arm; "never mind, old fellow, now that I'm back again!"
When breakfast was finished and the table cleared, we remained together alone.
"Come, uncle, as soon as you have explained to me what has happened to lead to this story of your death, the next thing will be to take early steps for your resuscitation."
"Take steps!" he exclaimed, "and for why?"
"Why, to re-establish your civil status and your rights of citizenship as a live person."
"Oh, they'll find out soon enough, when they see me, that I don't belong to the other world!" said he, quite calmly.
"Now that you are regarded as defunct, you will not be able to do anything, to sign, to contract——"
"So, so! Never mind all that. Barbassou-Gratien-Claude-Anatole doesn't trouble himself about such trifles."