"And you hope?—"
"Much."
"Monsieur, I forbid you to ever set foot in her home again!"
"So I have found a rival!" said the usurer to himself. "Ah! I now understand the girl's refusal. I must sound him, drive him to jealousy, push him into a trap. The girl is worth having, and I must check this passionate youth."
"My dear sir," he asked aloud, "when I am forbidden to do a thing, I consider it my first duty to do that very thing."
"That remains to be seen!"
"Listen, young man; I have fought fifty-seven duels, and can therefore dispense with the fifty-eighth. I prefer to reason with you. Allow me one question: You have just returned from a journey?"
"I have."
"You were absent several days, and have not seen Mariette since your return?"
"But—"