The notary's nose;

112 THE NOTARY'S NOSE.
to him, for three whole months, that the
keenest pleasures are not to be found in
scandal and dissipation.
Nevertheless he ha.d never broken off
with the corps de ballet. The severe
lesson he had received did not inspire him
with any horror of that hydra with a hundred pretty heads. One of his first visits
was to the green-room where shone Mlle.
Victorine Tompain. There indeed they
gave him a fine reception. With what
friendly curiosity they gathered around
him! How they called him " the dearest
fellow," and "so nice"! What cordial
grasps of the hand! What pretty little
beaks were stuck up to him to receive an
innocent, friendly kiss! He was radiant.
All his old boon companions, all the dignitaries in the freemasonry of pleasure,
complimented him on his miraculous cure.
For a whole entr'acte he reigned in this
agreeable kingdom. They listened to the