"That was I ... or rather us."
"Why us?"
"There were two of us: Goubaux and myself."
"Ah! I knew Goubaux; he is a man of boundless merit."
"Thanks!"
"Pardon ... one cannot be skilful both with gun and in conversation ... With the gun, now, I should not have missed you!"
"You have not missed me as it is; in the first shot you brought me down by saying that Goubaux was a clever man and that I was an idiot!"
"Confess that you never thought I meant anything of the kind?"
"Upon my word, no!" And we burst out laughing.