“He is a little old man,” replied Cerizet, “as shrewd as a weasel. He gives me the idea of having dealings with the devil. Go and see him! Sight, as they say, costs nothing.”
“Yes,” said la Peyrade, “perhaps I will; but, first of all, I want you to find out for me about this Comtesse de Godollo.”
“What do you care about her? She is nothing but a supernumerary, that countess.”
“I have my reasons,” said la Peyrade; “you can certainly get some information about her in three days; I’ll come and see you then.”
“My good fellow,” said Cerizet, “you seem to me to be amusing yourself with things that don’t pay; you haven’t fallen in love with that go-between, have you?”
“Plague take him!” thought la Peyrade; “he spies everything; there’s no hiding anything from him! No,” he said, aloud, “I am not in love; on the contrary, I am very cautious. I must admit that this marriage with a crazy girl doesn’t attract me, and before I go a step into it I want to know where I put my feet. These crooked proceedings are not reassuring, and as so many influences are being brought to bear, I choose to control one by another. Therefore don’t play sly, but give me all the information you get into your pouch about Madame la Comtesse Torna de Godollo. I warn you I know enough to test the veracity of your report; and if I see you are trying to overreach me I’ll break off short with your du Portail.”
“Trying to overreach you, monseigneur!” replied Cerizet, in the tone and manner of Frederic Lemaitre. “Who would dare attempt it?”
As he pronounced those words in a slightly mocking tone, Dutocq appeared, accompanied by his little clerk.
“Bless me!” he exclaimed, seeing la Peyrade and Cerizet together; “here’s the trinity reconstituted! but the object of the alliance, the ‘casus foederis,’ has floated off. What have you done to that good Brigitte, la Peyrade? She is after your blood.”
“What about Thuillier?” asked la Peyrade.