Madame Chapeau was now disturbed in her unreasonable grumbling by a
knock at the closed door, and on her opening it, an officer in undress
uniform, about fifty years of age, politely greeted her, and asked her
if that was not the house of M. Jacques Chapeau. From his language, the
visitor might at first have been taken for a Frenchman; his dress,
however, plainly told that he belonged to the English army.
"Yes, Monsieur, this is the humble shop of Chapeau, perruquier," said
our old friend, the elder Annot, who, in spite of her feelings of
hostility to the English, was somewhat mollified by the politeness and
handsome figure of her visitor: she then informed him that Chapeau was
not at home; that she expected him in immediately; and that his
assistant, who was, in some respects, almost as talented as his master,
was below, and would wait upon Monsieur immediately; and she rang a
little bell, which was quickly responded to by some one ascending from
a lower region.
The visitor informed Madame Chapeau that he had not called at present
as a customer, but that he had taken the liberty to intrude himself upon
her for the purpose of learning some facts of which, he was informed,
her husband could speak with more accuracy than any other person in
Paris.
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