Without awaiting a reply, Dubourg bade Ménard stand on the chair; then, placing his hands upon a certain rotund portion of the professor's anatomy, he put forth all his strength to lift him into the bed.
"Sic itur ad astra!" he said.
"Labor improbus omnia vincit" rejoined Ménard, trying to seize his bolster.
"Ouf!" exclaimed Dubourg.
"I am there, monsieur le baron!" cried Ménard, delighted to be safely in bed at last.
"That's very lucky! Good-night!"
"A thousand thanks, monsieur le baron!"
When he left the bed, Dubourg was careful to remove the chair that stood beside it, thus making it certain that Ménard would not rise until he, Dubourg, chose. This precaution might result in placing the tutor in an unfortunate position; whether it did so, the sequel will show.
Ménard had not been in bed five minutes before he was snoring vociferously.
"Good! I am safe now," thought Dubourg; and, taking his light, he went down noiselessly into the innyard. As he passed the living-room, he glanced in: two of the peddlers were asleep on the table, the others were still drinking; but everything indicated that they would soon follow their companions' example.