“And you left this nabob?”
“Yes, for a young man, who had nothing but his beauty to recommend him.”
“What did Grodsko say to that?”
“He said nothing, he set out in our pursuit, overtook us, and killed my companion.”
“Whilst you?”
“I had reached the frontier when Grodsko came up to me.”
“An explanation, in the course of which, as he dared to raise his hand against me, I planted in his arm one of the knives lying on the table, on which I had just finished lunch.”
“What exquisite relations you had with one another! And did that satisfy him?”
“No. He bound me with cords and took me back to Vienna in his carriage. There I succeeded in escaping from him, thanks to certain irresistible influences. It cost me very dear to regain my liberty. Still, from that day I had no longer anything to fear, and could travel all over the world as I pleased.”