" He had
done so, and in front of a house, almost midway along that street, he
had been bidden to stop. He had not bothered to look at the name of the
street; but, though he was not very familiar with that neighbourhood,
various landmarks would guide him to the right place, when he came to
pass them again.
Having heard all he had to say, I reluctantly made up my mind that I
could do no better than take the man as my conductor; and accordingly,
with a horse already tired, I drove to Neuilly. There, the landmarks
were not deceiving, as I was half afraid they would be; and in a quiet
street of the suburb, we stopped at last before a fair-sized house with
lights in many windows. Evidently it was a _pension_.
Of the man-servant who answered my ring, I enquired if three English
gentlemen had lately arrived. He replied that they had, and were dining.
Would Monsieur give himself the pain of waiting a few minutes, until
dinner should be over?
My answer was to slip a five franc piece into the servant's hand, and
suggest that I should be shown at once into the dining-room, without
waiting.
My idea was to catch my birds while they fed, and take them by surprise,
lest they fly away.
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