Besides, we have neither grisettes to seduce, nor a vaudeville to write.

I vote against Champagne." The program once agreed upon, Schaunard and Colline went to the neighboring restaurant to order the repast.
"Suppose we have some fire," said Marcel.
"As a matter of fact," said Rodolphe, "we should not be doing wrong, the thermometer has been inviting us to it for some time past.

Let us have some fire and astonish the fireplace." He ran out on the landing and called to Colline to have some wood sent in.

A few minutes later Schaunard and Colline came up again, followed by a charcoal dealer bearing a heavy bundle of firewood.
As Marcel was looking in a drawer for some spare paper to light the fire, he came by chance across a letter, the handwriting of which made him start, and which he began to read unseen by his friends.
It was a letter in pencil, written by Musette when she was living with Marcel and dated day for day a year ago.

It only contained these words:-- "My dear love, Do not be uneasy about me, I shall be in shortly.