"Why so," said Antoine, with a peculiarly distressed air, putting out his hand to detain her, but not daring to touch her sleeve. "You bear me a grudge, Madame d'Estrelle! You are wrong; everything that I have done is in your interest. Why don't you want me to tell you?" "Yes, indeed," said Marcel, "why should she refuse to find out what you have on your stomach? Pardon the expression, madame la comtesse, for I am a little irritated; but, pray set me the example of patience. Let us listen, since this is the day to defy the enemy all along the line." Julie resumed her seat, with a cold and severe glance at Monsieur Antoine, which put the finishing touch to his confusion. He stuttered and stammered, and was incomprehensible. "Come, come," interposed Marcel, "you don't succeed in making your confession, my poor uncle! It becomes my duty to question you. Let us proceed in order. Why did you leave Paris mysteriously on the day following a certain tragic adventure which happened to one of your plants?" "Ah! you propose to talk about that, do you?" cried the horticulturist, his little eyes glaring wrathfully. "Yes, I propose to talk about everything! Answer, or I take the judge away, and your condemnation stands." "Condemnation to what?" said Antoine, glancing at Julie; "to her hatred?" "No, monsieur, to my reprobation and my pity," replied Madame d'Estrelle, despite the mute remonstrances of Marcel, who wished to induce his uncle to mend his ways. "Your pity, pity for me!" he retorted in high dudgeon. "No one ever used that word to me before, and if you were not a woman!"--Then he turned to Marcel. "Pity! why that is contempt! If it was you who advised her to talk like that, you shall pay me for it!" "Justify yourself if you can," retorted Marcel, boldly; "for if you have behaved as you seem to have done, you are a detestable fellow, and every honorable woman insulted by you has the right to tell you so." "In what have I insulted her? I have insulted nobody. I saw that she was ruining herself; I tried to prevent her from----" "From ruining herself! You are talking nonsense, my dear uncle. There are some dangers which a woman like her in whose presence we are does not know and never will know." "Ah, yes! that is all talk! I am not to be put off with phrases learned in books, I tell you! When a woman makes appointments with a young man----" "Appointments? Where did you pick up such foolish stuff? The man who told you that lied in his throat!" "You are the one who lies! you are the confederate--the obliging friend!" "Be careful, uncle! Death of my life, you'll make me lose my temper!" "Lose your temper, if you choose. I saw you myself coming out of the theatre." "Well, what then? My wife----" "Oh! your wife--your wife's a fool! I saw Julien come out too."