When the seventy-five francs were in the plate, each man added five sous for the waiters.

It took a quarter of an hour of laborious calculations before everything was settled to the general satisfaction.
But when Monsieur Madinier, who wished to deal direct with the landlord, had got him to step up, the whole party became lost in astonishment on hearing him say with a smile that there was still something due to him.
There were some extras; and, as the word "extras" was greeted with angry exclamations, he entered into details:--Twenty-five quarts of wine, instead of twenty, the number agreed upon beforehand; the frosted eggs, which he had added, as the dessert was rather scanty; finally, a quarter of a bottle of rum, served with the coffee, in case any one preferred rum.

Then a formidable quarrel ensued.

Coupeau, who was appealed to, protested against everything; he had never mentioned twenty quarts; as for the frosted eggs, they were included in the dessert, so much the worse for the landlord if he choose to add them without being asked to do so.

There remained the rum, a mere nothing, just a mode of increasing the bill by putting on the table spirits that no one thought anything about.
"It was on the tray with the coffee," he cried; "therefore it goes with the coffee.