“Well, finish it,” she cried, her eyes dancing. “Finish it.”
“While I am too gallant to follow your example,” I added, relentlessly.
“Good!” she applauded. “Touché! I assure you, monsieur, you are not boring me in the least. All you need is a little practise, a little more assurance—you hesitate, as all beginners do, to drive the point home——”
“I am not bloodthirsty,” I interrupted. “On the contrary, I am of a disposition the most amiable.”
“And there is still about you a slight clumsiness,” she went on, not heeding me, “a lack of style and finish.”
“Remember, I have never been to Paris,” I reminded her, “nor even to Orléans.”
“I shall not remember it long, for there will soon be nothing about you to suggest it.”
I bowed my thanks.
“Especially if I may remain near you,” I said.
“Oh that—of course!” she agreed. “Well, you have my permission, and you will find M. le Comte most hospitable; so remain, unless this mysterious business of yours is imperative.”