" You do him injustice, madame. He certainly said your
commissariat department left something to be "

" He is a frightful gossip," interrupted madame ; " and it
follows that he must be a terrible story-teller. That young man
will gradually work his way into a leading position, and one of
these days will turn the town upside down. Those who live
will see it. But the flamingoes, messieurs, you saw them ? "

"Numbers, madame. The sky was black with them."

Madame raised her eyebrows and looked puzzled. It was
one thing for her to assert that they were there ; another to
hear they had been seen.
" And the wild horses, and the storks, and the elephants,
madame," we continued — " whole droves of them."



MADAME PERPLEXED. 307

" Elephants ! " cried madame. " Did you say elephants,
monsieur? But I never heard of ELEPHANTS in the Ca-
margue. Surely you are mistaken ? You mean cows ? "

" Madame, you must yourself visit the Camargue. And we
promise that when you see the sky black with flamingoes, you
will find a drove of elephants on the plnins beneath them.
Monsieur Henri Eoger— since such is his name — even hinted
that elephants were good eating, and might with advantage be
added to madame's commissariat "

" Qu'est-ce que c'est ? — a I'instant," cried madame to another
inaudible voice from an invisible personage. And with a
" Pardon, messieurs," she marched superbly down the passage
and disappeared into regions impenetrable to folk who had not
the entree to her court.
