"An income of over three millions! What an incorruptible minister you will be, eh?" "Hush! It is enough to turn one's brain." The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a third party, who, addressing M. de Mornand, said, with the most scrupulous politeness: "Monsieur, will you do me the favour to act as my vis-a-vis?" M. de Mornand's surprise was so great that he started back without uttering a word on hearing this request, for the person who had just made it was no other than the Marquis de Maillefort, the singular hunchback, of whom frequent mention has already been made in these pages. There was also another feeling that prevented M. de Mornand from immediately replying to this strange proposition, for, in the full, vibrating voice of the speaker, M. de Mornand fancied, for an instant, that he recognised the voice of the unseen person who had called him a scoundrel when he spoke in such disparaging terms of Madame de Beaumesnil. The Marquis de Maillefort, pretending not to notice the air of displeased surprise with which M. de Mornand had greeted the proposal, repeated in the same tone of scrupulous politeness: "Monsieur, will you do me the favour to act as my vis-a-vis in the next quadrille?" On hearing this request on the part of the deformed man thus reiterated, M. de Mornand, without concealing his desire to laugh, exclaimed: "Act as your vis-a-vis,--yours, monsieur?" "Yes, monsieur," replied the marquis, with the most innocent air imaginable. "But,--but what you ask is--is--permit me to say--very remarkable." "And very dangerous, my dear marquis," added the Baron de Ravil, with his usual sneer. "As for you, baron, I might put a no less offensive and, perhaps, even more dangerous question to you," retorted the marquis, smiling. "When will you return the thousand francs I had the pleasure of loaning to you the other evening?" "You are too inquisitive, marquis." "Come, come, baron, don't treat M. de Talleyrand's _bon mots_ as you treat thousand franc notes." "What do you mean by that, marquis?" "I mean that it costs you no more to put one in circulation than the other." M. de Ravil bit his lip. "This explanation is not altogether satisfactory, M. le marquis," he said, coldly. "You have an unquestionable right to be very exacting in the matter of explanations, baron," retorted the marquis, in the same tone of contemptuous persiflage; "but you have no right to be indiscreet, as you certainly are at this moment. I had the honour to address M. de Mornand, and you intrude yourself into our conversation, which is exceedingly annoying to me." Then, turning to M. de Mornand, the hunchback continued: "You did me the honour, just now, to say that my request that you would act as my vis-a-vis was very remarkable, I believe."