human
On my word, one can dine mighty well here!
gpt
You don't seem to be sure of yourself, Pigeonnier,
human
Peste! said Mouillot;
gpt
Well, for all that, interposed Dupétrain,
human
I'll bet that I can put monsieur to sleep.
gpt
Five francs, Dupétrain!
human
Give me some beaune, Balivan. Damnation! I knew it; he's mixed it with madeira! Would you like me to give you an idea of that fellow's absent-mindedness, messieurs? Not long ago, I went to see him during the day; his servant said: 'Monsieur is taking a bath; he sent out for one, and he's in it now.'--'Well,' I said, 'that needn't prevent my speaking to him. Men aren't afraid to look at one another in the water.'--So I went into the room where my gentleman was bathing. What did I see? Balivan, fully dressed, and with his boots on, seated in his bath and quietly reading a newspaper, absolutely unconscious that there was anything peculiar in his method of bathing.
gpt
Ha! ha! ha! that is too much; we might say, like your fair neighbor at dinner: it was a bet, wasn't it, Balivan?
human
No, messieurs, the artist calmly replied;
gpt
I give you my word that I hadn't noticed what I was doing. If they had brought me my bath in decent season, it wouldn't have happened. But when I found that it didn't come, I went out; when I came back, it was all ready; I was in a hurry, so I just glanced at the clock, took the _Gazette des Tribunaux_, and jumped in. That infernal newspaper was at the bottom of it; for I was reading a very interesting case, and all I remember now is that the water seemed very heavy.
human
You may be a somnambulist, said Dupétrain;
gpt
Asleep! damnation! I tell you, I had just been out to do an errand; I was in a great hurry, for I hadn't had my breakfast, and I got into the bath without thinking of undressing.