When the fair-haired woman took leave of the gentlemen to return to her rooms on the floor above, Saccard was surprised that Maxime did not follow her.
"Well?" he asked him.
"Well, no," replied the young fellow. "I've reflected—"
And he had an idea which he thought a very funny one:
"I abandon my rights to you, if you like. Make haste, she hasn't yet shut her door."
But his father gently shrugged his shoulders, saying: "Thanks, youngster, I've something better than that for the time being."
The four men went down. Outside, the duke absolutely wished to take Larsonneau with him in his carriage. His mother lived in the Marais, and he would have dropped the expropriation agent at his door in the Rue de Rivoli. The latter refused, however, shut the carriage door himself, and told the coachman to drive off. And he then lingered on the side-walk of the Boulevard Haussmann, talking with the two others instead of going away.
"Ah, poor Rozan!" said Saccard, who suddenly understood the truth.
Larsonneau swore that it was not so, that he didn't care a fig for all that, that he was a practical man. And as the other two continued joking, and the cold was very keen, he finished by exclaiming:
"'Pon my word, so much the worse; I'm going to ring! You are indiscreet, gentlemen."