stale of constant joy, of constant desire. There
are already two or three fat quartermasters, two or
three engineers of the squadron, very well fixed,
who pay me assiduous court. Naturally, to please
me, they spend a good deal. Joseph spoils them
especially, for they are terrible drinkers. We
have also taken four boarders. They eat with us,
and every evening pay for wine and cordials,
which all hands drink. They are very gallant
with me, and I do my best to excite them. But I
am careful not to let my manners go farther than
the encouragement of commonplace ogling, equiv-
ocal smiles, and illusory promises. Moreover, I
have no intentions. Joseph is enough for me, and
I really think I should suffer by the change, even
if I had the opportunity to deceive him with the
admiral. It is really funny; ugly as he is, nobody
is as handsome as my Joseph. Oh! the old mon-
ster ! What a hold he has taken on me ! And to
think that he has always lived in the country, and
has been all his life a peasant!
But where Joseph especially triumphs is in poli- tics. Thanks to him, the little cafe, whose sign, "To THE French Army," shines over the whole neighborhood, in big letters of gold by day, in big letters of fire by night, is now the official ren- dezvous of the conspicuous anti-Semites and the noisest patriots of the town. These come here to