"Rue Madame, No. 4, near the Luxembourg."
I took leave of the hunchbacked aunt, who looked after me with a cunning leer. I returned to my cab, and said to the driver:
"Rue Madame, near the Luxembourg."
"I say, monsieur, if you've got many more trips like this to make, my horse will leave us on the road."
"No; whatever happens, this is the last but one."
We reached Rue Madame with difficulty; the horse was at his last gasp. I unearthed Aunt Chamouillet. I was told to go up to the second floor, where I found a woman washing on the landing; and just as I was climbing the last stairs, that woman, who, I presume, had not heard me coming, turned and emptied a large pail of soapsuds on the staircase. I was drenched to the waist.
I swore like a pirate, whereupon the woman calmly observed:
"Why are the gutters all stopped up? It don't do any good to complain, they don't clean 'em out; and I must empty my water somewhere."
"But you might at least look before you empty it."
"Did you get any of it?"