At length the driver stopped opposite the house indicated, and his fare alighted, enquired if Monsieur Payot were at home, as he handed in a card bearing the name of General Duval. A footman in livery showed him into a large hall decorated with old carved oak furniture and a perfect armoury of mediæval weapons and shields interspersed with rows of marvellous Delft and Sèvres ware.
"Ah! mon Général, delighted to see you," said Payot, with a beaming smile as he entered the room. "I am quite alone this evening, so we can have a chat tête-a-tête."
The person addressed was a pompous little man, rather corpulent, with a double chin, and immensely impressed with his own importance. He had a bald head, and a white moustache with the ends drawn out to a great length, and so twisted and waxed that they resembled a pair of skewers. This, together with the fact that his eyes were chronically inflamed and bulging with a constant tendency to roll, gave him an aspect of terrible ferocity. He was a bon vivant, and possessed a high reputation for his judgment of wines, an opinion which was always taken as final in any dispute at the clubs. He was in his element when reviewing his troops, where he might be seen cantering up and down in a state of great excitement, spurring his horse to make it rear and plunge to the terror and amazement of the nursemaids who formed a rear guard with their perambulators. One would have imagined that his men were all stone deaf judging by the way he addressed them in tones of thunder. In fact he always gave his hearers the impression that he was in a towering passion. For admiration and glory he had an insatiable thirst, which was only equalled by his greed for gold. Indeed it was a common joke amongst his officers that in the next campaign he would be found defending himself to the last drop of his blood with his drawn salary in his hand. Notwithstanding his absurd vanity, he was, like all French officers, brave to the core, and fearless as a lion, and for this reason alone he was adored by his men, who felt that he would prove his metal and lead them on to victory no matter what odds were against them when they were all but defeated, and leading a forlorn hope.
"Well, mon ami, how has the world been treating you since I saw you last?" said Duval père.
"So, so, but I must confess I have hardly recovered yet from the shock I got at Villebois' house the other night. Didn't you hear of it? Well you must know that fellow, Delapine, was staying with them as a guest, and he got into a discussion about spiritualism and all that sort of nonsense. Amongst other things he gave out that he was a conjurer, and so I thought I would put his powers to the test. Whereupon he spirited away my watch, and it was found in my hat in the spare bedroom. When I got it back again I offered to make him a present of it, if he could take it away again without my knowledge.
"After a while all sorts of strange things happened. Rings and pencil-cases, watches and pocket-books changed hands all over the room. Everybody lost something, and found something else in its place. I lost my pocket-book containing bank notes to the tune of 10,000 frs., and in some mysterious manner it was found in the butler's breast pocket. I am certain it was not the result of pure conjuring, since the professor never came near me, and yet all the things I had in my pockets vanished, and were found in other people's pockets. I feel convinced that he is in league with the devil, and practices the black art. I really think he should be exposed. He is certainly a most undesirable man to have anything to do with. It seemed to me also that he has some sort of sinister spell over my daughter Renée, and I feel it must be put a stop to at once."
"Most certainly," replied Duval, delighted to think that the game was playing into his hands so nicely. "We must put our heads together and see how we can get Villebois to forbid him to come near his house again. It is very curious that you should mention this subject, because it is closely related with the object of my visit, my dear Payot.
"Of course you are aware what a surprising future is opening up for my son Pierre. He is rapidly rising in his profession, and is sure to make his mark wherever he goes. I think he would make an ideal husband, he is so extremely amiable, so attentive and so thoughtful. Besides, I shall leave him nearly all my property, which amounts to considerably over a million francs. Now, it seems to me that it would be mutually to our benefit if we could arrange a match between your daughter and my son. I have great influence with the minister of commerce, and I can give you private information as to the Government's policy, so that you can manipulate your shares to the greatest advantage in the Bourse, before the agents or the public know anything about it. In this way you will be able to make a grand coup without any risk of being found out."
Payot slowly raised his gold-rimmed pince-nez and adjusted them to his nose with great deliberation, fixing his eyes on the General with a cynical smile.
"Hum, hum," he muttered half aloud. "Renée is a great prize, mon cher Duval. This is only her first season, and she has already had three proposals from young wealthy men in good positions. Why she has refused them all is a mystery to me, considering what very advantageous offers they all were."