“May I make the attempt?”
“Certainly.”
Placing the coins upon the floor, I struck a sharp blow with the dagger. Lucien had not deceived me.
When I withdrew the poignard I found both pieces pierced through and through, fixed upon the point of the dagger.
“This is indeed the dagger of Sampietro,” I said. “But what astonishes me is that being possessed of such a weapon he should have employed the cord to kill his wife.”
“He did not possess it at that time,” replied Lucien; “he had given it to my ancestor.”
“Ah! true!”
“Sampietro was more than sixty years old when he hastened from Constantinople to Aix to teach that lesson to the world, viz., that women should not meddle in state affairs.”
I bowed in assent, and replaced the poignard.
“Now,” said I to Lucien, who all this time had been dressing, “let us pass on from Sampietro to some one else.”