“He comes but little,” replied the woman. “He knows he will never be paid, and he knows nothing will be of any use.”
“Is it quite hopeless?”
“It is only a question of hours.”
“Why did you not send for a sœur?”
“We did, but they are all out. Will you be at the charge of the burial, madame?”
“Send for another,” said Mouse; “there are scores of them.”
“Will madame guarantee all expenses?” asked the woman.
Mouse hesitated; she did not wish to have her visit there known or her name given.
“I am sure the family of the prince will repay everything,” she answered. “They are great people.”
The woman smiled dubiously. “Is he really a prince, madame? They are all princes here, but they pawn their shirts all the same.”