Page:Memoirs of Vidocq, Volume 2.djvu/250

 have the goodness to give me some information respecting a young lady, who, I am told, lives in this house with a gentleman who passes for her husband."—"I know nothing at all about it," answered my little lady, very snappishly.

I then gave her a tolerably accurate description of Fossard, and the demoiselle Tonneau, his lady.

"Ah, I know now," said she; "a man of your figure and size, about thirty or five-and-thirty years of age, a good-looking gentleman: the lady, a pretty brunette, beautiful eyes, lovely teeth, charming mouth, superb eyelashes, dark brows, nose a little turned up, with a most engaging and modest demeanour. They did live here, but they have removed." I entreated her to give me their new address; and on her reply, that she did not know it, I weepingly besought her to aid in the recovery of an ungrateful creature, whom I still fondly, dotingly loved, despite her perfidy.

The seamstress was touched. The tears I shed moved her tender heart; and feeling that I gained ground, I became more and more pathetic. "Ah! her infidelity will cause my death: pity, commiserate a wretched husband; I conjure you, do not conceal from me her retreat, and I shall owe you more than life."

Your hump-backed women are compassionate; moreover, a husband is, in their eyes, so inappreciable a treasure; and as they are not possessed of one, they cannot imagine how any one can be unfaithful; and thus my seamstress held adultery in utter abhorrence. She sincerely pitied me, and said she would do all in her power to serve me. "Unfortunately," she added, "their goods having been removed by porters not belonging to the district; I am completely ignorant of where they have gone, or what has become of them; but would you like to see the landlady?" As I had no doubt of her sincerity, I went to see the landlady, but all I learnt from her was, that they had paid for