Listening in obvious terror, the three men had drawn their chairs closer together. De Bennetot quietly pushed aside the table which was between him and Ralph. Ralph observed the distorted features of Godfrey d’Etigues and the snarl that bared his teeth. Beaumagnan had but to give the signal, and he would have drawn his revolver and blown the imprudent young man’s brains out.
But it was this very imprudence, quite inexplicable, that stayed Beaumagnan.
With a terrible air he said: “I repeat, monsieur, that you had no right to act as you have done and meddle with things that don’t concern you. But I refuse to lie and deny the facts. Only ... only I ask myself, since you have surprised such a secret, how you dare come here and provoke us. It’s madness!”
“Why so, monsieur?” said Ralph simply.
“Because your life is in our hands.”
Ralph shrugged his shoulders and said: “My life isn’t in the slightest danger.”
“Nevertheless there are three of us and not at all in the mood to disregard a matter which so closely touches our security.”
“I run no more risk among you three than if it was your interest to act as my defenders,” said Ralph calmly.
“Are you absolutely certain of that?”
“Absolutely, since you didn’t kill me the moment you heard my story.”