The poor landlord was sorely troubled; it must not that any thing _de
trop_ take place in his house. He watched the two rooms narrowly, but
without result, save to find that Madame plied her needle for pay, spent
her money for little else besides harpstrings, and took good care of the
little trunk of Monsieur. This espionage was a good turn to the mistress
and maid, for when Kookoo announced that all was proper, no more was
said by outsiders. Their landlord never got but one question answered by
the middle-aged maid:
"Madame, he feared, was a litt' bit embarrass' _pour_ money, eh?"
"_Non_; Mademoiselle [Mademoiselle, you notice!] had some property, but
did not want to eat it up."
Sometimes lady-friends came, in very elegant private carriages, to see
her, and one or two seemed to beg her--but in vain--to go away with
them; but these gradually dropped off, until lady and servant were alone
in the world. And so years, and the Mexican war, went by.
The volunteers came home; peace reigned, and the city went on spreading
up and down the land; but 'Sieur George did not return.
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