"In one moment, monsieur; but will you first oblige me by glancing over this document?"
And the baron took from his desk a folded paper and handed it to Olivier.
While the young man was hastily perusing this document, the baron said:
"You will see by this document, which is a certified copy of the deliberations of the family council, convoked after the death of the late Comtesse de Beaumesnil, you will see, I repeat, from this document, that I am the legally appointed guardian and trustee of Mlle. de Beaumesnil."
"I perceive so," replied Olivier, returning the document, "but I fail to see that this fact interests me in any way."
"It was of the utmost importance that you should be enlightened as to my legal, official, and judicial connection with Mlle. de Beaumesnil, in order that what I may have the honour to say to you on the subject of my ward will be invested with irresistible, unmistakable, and incontestable authority in your eyes."
This flow of words, monotonous and measured as the movements of a pendulum, was beginning to make Olivier all the more impatient, as he could not imagine whither all these grave preliminaries were tending.
In fact, he gazed at the baron with such a bewildered air that M. de la Rochaiguë said to himself:
"One might really suppose that I was talking Hebrew to him. He evinces so little emotion on hearing the name of Mlle. de Beaumesnil that one would suppose he did not even know her. What does all this mean? That cunning devil of a marquis was right when he told me that I must be prepared for very surprising developments."
"May I again inquire in what possible way the fact that you are, or are not, Mlle. de Beaumesnil's guardian interests me?" said Olivier, with ill-suppressed impatience.