Dutri is very familiar with the duchess: he calls her by her Christian name, he always flirts with her a little, to amuse himself, from swagger, without receiving any further favours; they know each other too well, they have been in each other's confidence too long and she looks upon him more as a _cavaliere servente_ for trifling services and little court intrigues than as one for whom she could ever feel any sort of "emotion." "_Ma chère Alexa_, take care!" says he, wagging his finger at her. "Why?" she retorts, defiantly. "As if I did not see...." She laughs aloud: "See what you please!" she exclaims, indifferently, with her voice of rough _sans-gêne_, which is in fashion. "No, my dear Dutri, you needn't warn me, I assure you! Why, my dear boy, I have two girls to bring out next year! In two years' time I may be a grandmamma. I have given up that sort of thing. I can't understand that there are women so mad as always to want that. And then it makes you grow old so quickly...." Dutri roars; he can't restrain himself, he chokes with laughing.... "What are you laughing at?" she asks. He looks at her, shakes his head, as though to say he knows all about it: "Really, there's no need for you to play hide-and-seek like that with me, Alexa. I know as well as you do ... that you yourself are one of those mad women!..." He bursts out laughing again; and this time she joins in: "I?" "Get out! You want that as much as you want food and sleep at regular intervals. You would have been dead long ago, if you had not had your periodical 'emotions'. And, as to growing old, you know you hate the very thought of it!" "Oh no! I do what I can to remain young, because that's a duty which one owes to one's self. But I don't fight against it. And you shall see, when the time comes, that I shall carry my old age very gracefully...." "As you carry everything." "Thanks. Look here: when I begin to go grey, I shall put something on my hair that will make me grey entirely and I will powder it, do you see? That's all!" "A good idea...." "Dutri...." He looked at her, understood that she wanted to ask him something. They walked on for an instant silently, in the dark; constantly walking to and fro, they each time passed twice through the light that fell in two wide patches through the doors on to the terrace. The park was full of black shadow and the great vases on the terrace shone vaguely white; above, the sky hung full of stars. "What did you want to ask me?" asked the equerry. She waited till they had passed through the light and were again walking in the darkness: "Do you ever hear of him now?"