“And I was rowing on a river where the water was boiling and bubbling like a soup-kettle.”
“And you caught fish all cooked, eh?”
“Hold your tongue, you magpie!—At last I saw a palace on the other side of the river, come up out of the ground the way they do at the Funambules; the roof was made of diamonds, the walls of gold, the windows of silver and the door of rubies.”
“The devil! that must ‘a’ made your gingerbread houses look mean.”
“When I sees that, I tells my boatman—and a fine young man he was—I tells him to take me to the palace; and would you believe that he asks me to let him make a fool of me as pay for my passage. I said no, sharp, but he didn’t listen to me; he just threw me into the bottom of his boat—and the rascal overpowered me, my dears!”
“Well! so that’s your fine dream! All that just to come to the climax! It was your man, of course; while you was asleep, he——”
“Oh, yes, indeed! Why, not since Saint-Fiacre’s Eve, six months ago——”
“Oho! so you’ve had a row, have you?”
“Why, once he made me swallow truffles for the King of Prussia, and since then, when he comes to me—not if I know it!”
“Well, you’re wrong; yes, you’re wrong! refuse and you’re left to muse. He’ll just take your property somewhere else. Don’t be a fool; once those dogs have found another kennel, there’s no way to bring ’em back; it’s all over!”