"Why, no! no! I am not hesitating," cried Tobie, detaining the arm that was passed through his; "I will do whatever you wish; I will fight with Albert, since that will give you pleasure." "Very well. You will kill him!" "I can't promise to kill him outright, but I will do all that I possibly can." "Well, you will wound him at least, and bring me one of his ears." "Oho! do you really want one of his ears? It seems to me that I might bring you something better than that." "I want some proof of your victory." "Oh! I will bring you one, I promise you." "Then you will be--my chevalier." "Couldn't I be that at once; I only ask to be armed." "When you have conquered Albert." "Give me the kiss, at least." "Can you think of such a thing, here, on the boulevard?" "Let us take a cab; one can be created a chevalier very nicely in a cab; why, one of my friends was admitted into the Freemasons in a _citadine_." "No, monsieur, no; I won't get into a cab with you now. You see, I know you; you are too enterprising; when you have avenged me, it will be a different matter. Then I shall feel bound to reward you." "Ah! mon Dieu! how I wish that that time had come!" "It depends entirely upon you whether it comes soon." "It won't be long, I promise you. I will go in search of Albert, and you will have news of him very quickly. Either you will be avenged, or I will perish in the attempt!" "Bravo! you are a man of spirit. Come and tell me the result of your duel--for you will be the victor, I have no doubt. You may come up to my boudoir by the narrow staircase on the right in the courtyard; it is on the first floor. Say to my maid: 'I am Tobie,' and you will be admitted." "Ah! I shall swoon with joy on the threshold of your boudoir!" "I should say that you would do much better to come in." "I will come in, adorable creature! I will come in, and you will be obliged to turn me out!" "And now, adieu! I must leave you; I am going to take a cab and pass the evening with one of my friends." "And you won't allow me to go with you?" "No. Adieu!" Madame Plays hurried away, and Tobie, who had entirely forgotten the rendezvous on Place des Italiens, returned to his lodgings. "Most assuredly I shall not fight with Albert," he said to himself; "I haven't the slightest inclination to do it. But I will tell him of my meeting with Madame Plays, as well as her proposition to me. Albert is a good fellow, he likes a joke, and he will help me to invent some way of making her think that we have fought. Oh, yes!--but my olive! However, it isn't Albert that I owe the money to, after all, and I'll tell him Varinet hasn't shown up." Nine o'clock was just striking, the next morning, when Tobie called at the Vermoncey mansion and asked Albert's servant if his friend was visible. The servant ushered Tobie into the young man's bedroom, where he was still asleep.