"Come in!" the voice repeated. I turned the door knob. "Ah! Is that you, Mintié," Lirat exclaimed. "Come on in." Lirat was seated at his table, writing a letter. "May I finish this?" he said to me. "Just two more minutes and I'll be through." He resumed writing. It was a relief not to feel upon myself the chill of his look. I took advantage of the fact that his back was turned to unburden my soul to him. "I have not seen you for such a long time, my good Lirat." "Why, yes, my dear Mintié!" "I have moved." "Ah, is that so!" "I live on the Rue de Balzac." "Nice place!" I was suffocating.... I made a supreme effort to gather all my strength ... but by a strange aberration I thought I would succeed better by adopting a flippant method of approach. Upon my word of honor! I railed, yes, railed at myself. "I have come to tell you some news which will amuse you.... Ha!... Ha! ... which will amuse you ... I am sure ... I ... I ... live with Juliette. ... Ha! ... Ha! ... with Juliette Roux ... Juliette, you know.... Ha! Ha!" "Congratulations!" He uttered this word "congratulations" in a perfectly calm, indifferent voice.... Was it possible! No hiss, no anger, no jumping at me!... Just "Congratulations!...." As one might say: "how do you expect that to interest me?" And his back bent over the table remained motionless without straightening up, without stirring!... His pen did not slip from his hand; he continued to write! What I told him just now he had known long ago.... But to hear it out of my own mouth!... I was stupefied--and shall I confess it?--I was wounded by the fact that the matter did not seem to affect him at all!... Lirat rose and rubbing his hands: "Well! what's new?" he asked. I could not stand it any longer. I rushed toward him with tears in my eyes. "Listen to me," I shouted sobbing. "Lirat, for God's sake, listen to me.... I did not act fairly toward you.... I know it ... and I ask your forgiveness.... I should have told you all.... But I did not have the courage to.... You frighten me.... And then ... you remember Juliette, the one you told me about, right here ... you remember ... she is the one who kept me from doing that.... Do you understand?" "My dear Mintié," interrupted Lirat, "I did not want you to tell me anything. I am neither your father nor your confessor. Do what you please, that does not concern me in the least." I became excited.