"C'est épatant!" exclaimed Tignol. "He must be a rich devil!"
"He's rich and—much more."
"Whe-ew! He must be a senator or—or something like that?"
"Much more," said Coquenil grimly.
"More than a senator? Then—then a cabinet minister? No, it isn't possible?"
"He is more important than a cabinet minister, far more important."
"Holy snakes!" gasped Tignol. "I don't see anything left except the Prime Minister himself."
"This man is so highly placed," declared Coquenil gravely, "he is so powerful that——"
"Stop!" interrupted the other. "I know. He was in that coaching party; he killed the dog, it was—it was the Duke de Montreuil."
"No, it was not," replied Coquenil. "The Duke de Montreuil is rich and powerful, as men go in France, but this man is of international importance, his fortune amounts to a thousand million francs, at least, and his power is—well—he could treat the Duke de Montreuil like a valet."