“Permit me, then, to take leave of you; I am happy to have met you.”
“And I you, sir;” and the two young men bowed, but it was easy to see that all this courtesy went no further than the lips.
Philippe went towards the boulevards, while Charny turned to the river; each turned two or three times till he thought himself quite out of sight, but after walking for some time Charny entered the Rue Neuve St. Gilles, and there once more found himself face to face with Philippe.
Each had again the same idea of demanding satisfaction from the Count de Cagliostro. They could not now doubt each other’s intentions, so Philippe said:
“I left you the seller, leave me the buyer; I left you the cane, leave me the sword.”
“Sir,” replied Charny, “you left it to me simply because I came first, and for no other reason.”
“Well,” replied Taverney, “here we arrive both together, and I will make no concession.”
“I did not ask you for any, sir; only I will defend my right.”
“And that, according to you, M. de Charny, is to make M. de Cagliostro burn his thousand copies.”
“Remember, sir, that it was my idea to burn the others.”