Floriani paid no attention to the count’s petulance. He simply smiled and said:
“Mon Dieu, monsieur, I submit my theory; that is all. If I am mistaken, you can easily prove it.”
“I will do so at once....I confess that your assurance—-”
The count muttered a few more words; then suddenly rushed to the door and passed out. Not a word was uttered in his absence; and this profound silence gave the situation an air of almost tragic importance. Finally, the count returned. He was pale and nervous. He said to his friends, in a trembling voice:
“I beg your pardon.... the revelations of the chevalier were so unexpected....I should never have thought....”
His wife questioned him, eagerly:
“Speak.... what is it?”
He stammered: “The hole is there, at the very spot, at the side of the window—-”
He seized the chevalier’s arm, and said to him in an imperious tone:
“Now, monsieur, proceed. I admit that you are right so far, but now.... that is not all.... go on.... tell us the rest of it.”