Soldiers passed in and out, waiting on them.
"Coffee," asked Lupin.
They brought him some coffee.
"What bad stuff!" he grumbled. "If that's what Cæsar drinks! . . . Give me another cup all the same, Waldemar. We may have a long night before us. Oh, what vile coffee!"
He lit a second cigar and did not say another word. Ten minutes passed. He continued not to move or speak.
Suddenly, Waldemar sprang to his feet and said to Lupin, angrily:
"Hi! Stand up, there!"
Lupin was whistling a tune at the moment. He kept on whistling, peacefully.
"Stand up, I say!"
Lupin turned round. His Imperial Majesty had just entered. Lupin rose from his chair.