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 his conquest, then she would turn and march off, leaving him in the lurch.

All this was droll enough to me, but Pinon could not see the joke, and would turn on me like a tiger, because, forsooth! I was taking his girl away from him! It came to such a pass, that he actually told me to take myself out of the way; I replied that the very same words had been on the tip of my tongue.

"Well then, I shall have to punch your head for you!"

"It may come to that," said I, "but I should hate to do it."

"Me too," said he. "Now, Breugnon, one cock is enough in a farmyard; do you get out of this, like a sensible fellow."

"By all means," said I, "only you are the one to quit the premises, she was mine before you ever saw her."

This made him furious, and he called me a lowdown liar, and swore that Belette was his, and that I should never touch a hair of her head.

"Do you ever look at yourself in the glass, my poor friend?" said I. "She is meat for your masters, in other words for me, so go back where you came from and dig turnips."

"Listen to me, Breugnon," said he. "She loves me best."—I shook my head. "Will you leave it to