M. Charnot walked up to me, looked me straight in the eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and burst out laughing.
“The Villa Dannegianti!”
“Yes, Monsieur.”
“Are you going to the Villa Dannegianti?”
“Yes, Monsieur.”
“Then you may as well turn round and go home again.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no admission.”
“But I have a letter of introduction.”
“I had two, Monsieur, without counting the initials after my name, which are worth something and have opened the doors of more than one foreign collection for me; yet they denied me admission! Think of it! The porter of that insolent family denied me admission! Do you expect to succeed after that?”