The two women went into Madame Margaritis’ bedroom, leaving the door open so as to hear the conversation, and interpose if it became necessary. They were hardly installed before Monsieur Vernier crept softly up through the field and, opening a window, got into the bedroom without noise. “Monsieur has doubtless been in business--?” began Gaudissart. “Public business,” answered Margaritis, interrupting him. “I pacificated Calabria under the reign of King Murat.” “Bless me! if he hasn’t gone to Calabria!” whispered Monsieur Vernier. “In that case,” said Gaudissart, “we shall quickly understand each other.” “I am listening,” said Margaritis, striking the attitude taken by a man when he poses to a portrait-painter. “Monsieur,” said Gaudissart, who chanced to be turning his watch-key with a rotatory and periodical click which caught the attention of the lunatic and contributed no doubt to keep him quiet. “Monsieur, if you were not a man of superior intelligence” (the fool bowed), “I should content myself with merely laying before you the material advantages of this enterprise, whose psychological aspects it would be a waste of time to explain to you. Listen! Of all kinds of social wealth, is not time the most precious? To economize time is, consequently, to become wealthy. Now, is there anything that consumes so much time as those anxieties which I call ‘pot-boiling’?--a vulgar expression, but it puts the whole question in a nutshell. For instance, what can eat up more time than the inability to give proper security to persons from whom you seek to borrow money when, poor at the moment, you are nevertheless rich in hope?” “Money,--yes, that’s right,” said Margaritis.