"My dear Rochebrune," he continued, "I will conceal the truth from you no longer: you see before you a man who is completely strapped—yes, completely!"
"Parbleu! did you suppose that I hadn't discovered it?"
"I'll tell you what has happened to me.—Sapristi! where in the deuce is it? I can't find it, and I must have it."
"What are you looking for under your bedclothes?"
"A friend, a trusty companion, who is of great assistance to me."
"A dog taught to fetch and carry, eh?"
"No, no, it isn't a dog. Ah! here it is!"
And Balloquet produced a little squirrel which he had just captured at the foot of his bed, and which he proceeded to fasten to the back of a chair by a small chain.
"What do you do with that beast?"
"He's a gift from the sentimental Satiné; and he would have gone the way of everything else, but for the fact that he has often helped me out of a scrape."