"Legal and Christian interest, I assure you. But I must impose one condition: your ladyship's doors must henceforth be closed against this lawyer fellow."
"Are you serious, Baron?"
"Perfectly so."
"Are you not afraid I shall take you at your word?"
"By doing so you will satisfy my desires. Look, Countess! I consider myself as one of your most sincere admirers and it wounds me to hear all this tittle-tattle circulating in our set which links your ladyship's name with that of young Vámhidy."
"But will it not injure the respect you entertain for me if your name takes the place of Vámhidy's in the gossip you complain of?"
"All that I desire is that a certain man shall be excluded from this house, and if the countess desires it I will then keep away likewise."
The countess hastened to press Hátszegi's hand as a sign that she did not desire that.
"Very well, then, to prove to you that my relations with Vámhidy were purely professional, I will break off all further intercourse with him."
"Then we'll clinch your ladyship's determination at once. May I make use of your writing table? Have you any other ink than this rose-coloured ink, with which to be sure, your ladyship generally writes your letters, but which is a little unusual in official documents?"