ing to be afraid of your à-la-mode beef jaws? Sapristi, how they have battered your pretty face!"
Chante-en-hiver was still aiming at him.
Radoub continued,—
"It's not a thing to talk about, but the grapeshot crimped your mouth very prettily. My poor boy, Bellona has smashed your physiognomy. Go ahead, go ahead, spit out your little pistol shot, my good fellow."
The pistol went off and the bullet passed so near Radoub's head that it tore off half of his ear. Chante-en-hiver raised his other arm with the second pistol, but Radoub did not give him time to aim.
"I have had enough of you taking my ears off," he cried. "You have wounded me twice, now it is my turn."
And he rushed at Chante-en-hiver, knocked his arm up making the pistol go off aimlessly, and seized hold of his dislocated jaw.
Chante-en-hiver shrieked and fainted away.
Rodoub stepped over him and left him in the embrasure.
"Now that I have let you know my ultimatum," said he, "don't move again. Stay there, you rascally sneak. You may rest assured that I am not going to amuse myself now with slaughtering you. Crawl about on the floor at you ease, fellow-citizen of my old shoes. Die; you can still do that. You will soon know what nonsense your curé has been telling you. Depart into the great regions of mystery, peasant."
And he sprang into the hall of the first story.
"You can't see a thing here," he growled.
Chante-en-hiver writhed convulsively and shrieked with agony. Radoub turned around.
"Silence! do me the kindness of keeping quiet, unworthy citizen. I will have nothing more to do with you. I scorn to put an end to you. Let me have peace."
And he ran his hand through his hair in perplexity, as he looked at Chante-en-hiver.
"Ah, now what am I going to do? all this is very good, but here I am without arms. I had two shots to fire. You wasted them for me, you beast! and made such a smoke about it that it would blind a dog!"
And hitting his torn ear,—
"Ow!" he said. And he added,—
"It was very forward of you to confiscate one of my
