"But, if I remember aright, you were all orange not long ago?"
"Yes, yes, that is true; but I have had enough of my orange costume; it came very near costing me dear.—Did Sénange and Monclair never tell you what happened to me, thanks to that infernal doublet?"
"No, we know nothing about it. Was it not a love adventure?"
"Love adventure! Bigre!—I beg pardon, I meant to say no, by Roland!—I was arrested, taken away—the crowd was already beginning to talk of hanging me! and all because they absolutely insisted that I was the famous robber Giovanni!"
"Giovanni! you, Giovanni! Ha! ha! ha! that is too absurd!—I say, Léodgard, Passedix was mistaken for Giovanni!"
The name of the Italian robber produced a magical effect upon Léodgard. The amorous expression of his glance instantly disappeared; he turned toward those who had addressed him, gazed at them with a distracted air, and replied in a metallic voice:
"What? what is it? what do you say? I did not hear."
"I said, count, that the Chevalier Passedix, whom you see before you disguised as a lawn——"
"What do you mean by lawn?" cried the Gascon.
"No; I meant to say dressed as a meadow—in short, this worthy gentleman was arrested by mistake for the robber Giovanni!"