"Well?"
"You probably have excellent reasons for concealing your name, but I give you fair warning that if you are again guilty of similar conduct, that your chastisement will be swift and sure!"
The Vicomte stopped short, for the young man grasped him by the wrist with such strength that Frederic caught his breath in pain.
The stranger spoke in a low, calm voice.
"You have insulted me—wait!"
He turned and called to his friends.
"Gentlemen," he said, "this man has insulted me. Shall I fight him? He is the Vicomte de Talizac."
One of the friends, who wore the ribbon of the Legion of Honor, replied:
"You cannot fight with a Talizac!"