"Let that teach you to make such idiotic answers to me!--Gone! gone! he has escaped me again!" said Monsieur de Brevanne to himself as he went away; "he has sworn that he will not fight with me! Gone! but he could not stand on his legs; so he must have been carried, and it is impossible that he can have left Paris; a man doesn't travel when he is helpless, and above all when he has no money. Judging from what I saw, his circumstances were not prosperous. Shall I have him hunted for in Paris again? No, I will wait until chance once more brings me face to face with him. But I am sorry not to have seen him again; I would have tried to find out--but no, I could never have asked him that!" Monsieur de Brevanne was about to return to his estate in the country, thoughtful, and dissatisfied with himself, when he suddenly remembered that Monsieur de Merval had given him his address in Paris; so he took a cab and was driven there. "This is a pleasant surprise," said Monsieur de Merval to the count. "I hardly expected to see you before the bad weather begins; for the autumn will soon be here, and we are having the last fine days." "My dear sir, do not be too grateful for my visit; a powerful motive brought me to Paris to-day." "Why, it is true, I had not noticed--you seem to have had some keen disappointment; can I help you in any way?" "Have you time to listen to me?" "Always." Thereupon Monsieur de Brevanne informed Monsieur de Merval that he had found Roncherolle; he described the visit he had paid him, and told him of the useless proceeding which had been the result of his first visit. "You see," said Monsieur de Brevanne as he finished his narrative, "he has escaped me again; he denies me the satisfaction which I have a right to expect from him; he runs away without leaving his address; he does not want me to find him! What do you think of such conduct?" Monsieur de Merval shook his head, and after a moment replied: "Do you desire my real opinion?" "To be sure." "Well, if you wish me to tell you my thought, I consider that Roncherolle has done well." "Done well? to refuse to give satisfaction to the man whom he has insulted? done well to run away, to act like a coward? Ah! I don't understand you, Monsieur de Merval!"