“Perhaps with both; perhaps with neither.”
“Now you listen to me, Caliphronas,—as that is the name you choose to go by; both Mr. Carriston and Mr. Roylands are friends of mine, and if you have come down here with any bad design in your head against either of them, I will make it my business to thwart you.”
“Do so by all means, if you can.”
“I can do so by a very simple means, though you seem to doubt it,” said Crispin quietly. “You brought an excellent letter of introduction to Mr. Carriston, though how you came by it I do not know. You have made friends with Roylands, who is a simple fellow, by consenting to be his model for Endymion”—
“And a very good model too,” interrupted Caliphronas, looking at himself complacently.
“I don’t deny your outward goodliness;—it is a pity your mind is not in keeping. But to come back to what I was saying. You have made friends with both the gentlemen I speak of, and perhaps such friendship is necessary to your plans; if so. I will end it.”
“How will you manage that?” said the Count coolly, but with a nasty glitter in his eyes.
“Simply by telling them who you are and what you are.”
“You will not do that!”
“I will, if your designs are bad.”