'A vile insult,' rejoined Brühl.
'What do you care about the barking of a dog behind a hedge?'
'It irritates me.'
'Be ashamed of yourself.'
'You do not know what there is in question.'
Having said this Brühl took the medal from his pocket and showed it to the Countess. She looked at both sides, read the inscription, smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and wanted to throw it through the window, but Brühl stopped her.
'I need it,' said he.
'What for?'
'I must find out who did it. The joke came from Saxony. If we don't punish the man who did it--'
'In the first place you must find him,' said the Countess, 'and then you had better think it over, if by taking revenge you would not be giving too great an importance to some childish folly.'