"It's partly your fault, too. You disturbed his mind; why in the devil did you go prowling about under his wife's skirts?"
"I only wanted to get by, monsieur le baron."
"Only a husband should take that road, Monsieur Ménard."
"My intentions were pure, monsieur le baron."
"I never doubted it; but your position was shockingly equivocal."
"Monsieur le baron, in the temple of Apollo, the pythonesses, seated on the sacred tripod, received the prophetic exhalations under their robes."
"If my wife had seated herself on that tripod, Monsieur Ménard, I should have asked for a separation."
Goton put an end to this conversation by bringing an omelet and white wine.
"Were the gentlemen satisfied with the stew?" she asked.
"It was worse than the devil!" replied Frédéric.