"And good reason, too, my dear Monsieur Malicorne. Will you believe that the king is not satisfied?"
"Not satisfied with his staircase, do you mean?"
"Oh, no; on the contrary, he is delighted with the staircase."
"The decorations of the apartments, I suppose, don't please him?"
"Oh! he has not even thought of that. No, indeed, it seems that what has dissatisfied the king—"
"I will tell you, Monsieur le Comte—he is dissatisfied at finding himself the fourth person at a rendezvous of this kind. How is it possible you could not have guessed that?"
"Why, how is it likely I could have done so, dear M. Malicorne, when I followed the king's instructions to the very letter?"
"Did his majesty really insist upon your being present?"
"Positively so."
"And also required that the painter whom I met downstairs just now should be here too?"