Page:The fortunes of Fifi (IA fortunesoffifi00seawiala).pdf/74

 treated about once a week to a threat from each of them that if her rival were not immediately discharged, the complainant would at once resign. Duvernet received these threats with secret satisfaction, because, as he explained to Cartouche, as long as the war was actively prosecuted, Julie Campionet did not have time to make a serious demonstration against him.

"But if ever they are reconciled," he confided gloomily to Cartouche, "the Campionet woman will marry me in a week."

As for Cartouche, he attended strictly to his business at the theater, but his mind was so much taken up with certain possibilities of the future that he did not keep the faithful watch over Duvernet which the manager considered as his safeguard. Cartouche was even so inconsiderate as to let Julie Campionet get into the manager's private office more than once, and remain there alone with him for at least five minutes, without interrupting the tête-à-tête.

It was the lottery ticket which in some way grievously disturbed Cartouche's mind. Suppose Fifi should win a prize? And from that supposing, came a kind of superstitious conviction that num