"Information!"
"Ah! that makes you uneasy, does it not? I am well aware that you are not fond of questions."
Laisangy, who was drinking his third cup of coffee, shivered a little at these words.
"I do not understand you," he said.
"You will, presently. But I never saw anybody with such an appetite. When I was sixteen and could hardly get a crust of bread, I could not eat like that."
"Why dwell on these memories, Carmen?"
"Because, if I remind you of what and who I am, I shall have a better chance, perhaps, to learn who you are."
"Carmen! Carmen!" said the old man imploringly, and becoming even paler than before.
"I tell you that I intend to know who you are. Now hold your tongue and let me speak. I have had a weight on my heart for a long time, and now I intend to make a clean breast of it."
No words can describe the terror on the face of the banker. He stammered and choked.