"Well, Monsieur de Saint-Michel, have you suddenly lost your voice?"
"Ah! bless my soul! what was I thinking about?—Very well, very well! We agree to everything," said the water-carrier.
Thereupon the young man took his companion's arm and led him from the room, laughing still, and saying in his ear:
"I think that we may retire, now that everything is settled."
Cherami saluted them, and escorted them to the door.
"Be sure, monsieur," he said, "that we shall be on hand promptly at the rendezvous; we shall not keep you waiting. By the way! it will be very kind of you to bring swords for both, for I broke mine recently and have not yet replaced it."
"Very good, monsieur; we will do so."
The younger man bowed with much affability; his older associate bent his head almost imperceptibly, retaining his ill-humored expression; then they left the house and returned to their carriage.
LIV
TWO!
"Sapristi!" cried Cherami, when the count's witnesses had gone; "I thought that we weren't going to get out of that hole; they had difficulty in swallowing my seconds, and I don't wonder."