She also asked him for news of the plot, and as the latter was not going on at all well the question irritated him. He was annoyed with her, too, because she had not given any money to the cause. He strode off stiffly to join the chorus, while René Chartier sang as though he meant it:
“Dans un délire extrême
On veut fuir ce qu’on aime.”
Young Bonmont went up to his mother.
“Don’t trust Lacrisse, mother.”
She started. Then, in a tone of affected indifference:
“What do you mean? He is very serious, more serious than is usual at his age. He is occupied with important matters. He——”
The young Baron shrugged his strong crooked shoulders.
“I tell you, don’t trust him. He wants to come down on you for a hundred thousand francs. He asked me to help to get the cheque out of you. But at the present time I don’t see that it’s necessary. I am for the King, but a hundred thousand francs is a large sum.”
René Chartier sang: