
At fifty ans, M. Colin‑Tampon enjoys the comfortable routine of a well‑kept villa in Courbevoie and a seat on the municipal council. Yet his story began in a cramped attic above a bustling haberdashery, where a young Ernest learned the trade under the stern eye of his boss, Mr Tampon. Through a series of chance name‑mix‑ups and a clever invention—a “button that won’t come off”—the modest clerk transforms his fortunes, trading the smell of cod‑laden kitchens for the quiet prestige of a country residence.
Now, plagued by gout and a growing waistline, he seeks relief in the countryside’s old pastime: hunting. Armed with a fresh set of gear, a loyal dog named Azor, and the skeptical encouragement of his wife, he strides out of his home with a swagger that belies his age. The scene is set for a series of comic misadventures as the newly‑minted gentleman‑hunter attempts to prove his vigor, while his household watches with a mixture of amusement and apprehension.
Language
fr
Duration
~48 minutes (46K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Renald Levesque and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica).
Release date
2005-04-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1832–1888
A French man of letters and teacher, he moved easily between classrooms, magazines, and literary journals, building a career that joined scholarship with storytelling. His work ranged from criticism and educational writing to fiction for younger readers, giving him a quiet but wide reach in 19th-century French literary life.
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