"Good! you are better than your word. You promised to tell me what happened yesterday, and now you begin with the day before yesterday."
"These two persons were a man and a woman."
The marquis shook his head, negatively.
"So be it; call them two men, though one of them had nothing but the clothes of our sex."
The marquis said nothing, and the general continued:
"Of these two personages, one, the smaller, spent the whole day at the castle; the other rode about the neighborhood, and gave rendezvous that evening at Souday to a number of gentlemen. If I were indiscreet I would tell you their names; but I will only mention that of the gentleman who summoned them,--namely, the Comte de Bonneville."
The marquis made no reply. He must either acknowledge or lie.
"What next?" he said.
"These gentlemen arrived at Souday, one after the other. They discussed various matters, the most calming of which was certainly not the glory, prosperity, and duration of the government of July."
"My dear general, admit that you are not one whit more in love than I with your government of July, though you serve it."