M. De Billing was now recalled, apparently for the purpose of a personal encounter with M. Saint-Hilaire. The red portfolio was still under his arm. He recommenced by saying that if it had not been for M. Gambetta a war would have occurred two years previously, whereupon the President politely requested him “not to pose as the representative of M. Gambetta.” M. De Billing, unabashed by the interruption, continued his account of General Heussein’s visit to Paris in 1879. “I took the Tunisian envoy to M. Gambetta,” said the witness, “and he told both of us that M. Roustan never ceased to harass the Bey for the benefit of the Musallis, husband and wife. M. Gambetta then asked Heussein to state the details, and the latter declared that M. Roustan had asked for Elias Musalli a large plot of ground in one of the best quarters of Tunis, and that the Bey had replied, ‘I will not give an estate of that value to people of this description, but I present it to you, Consul of France, to do whatever you like with.’ On this M. Gambetta said, ‘It is shameful: a Tunisian expedition after ten years of peace would be a great misfortune.’” M. De Billing and M. Saint-Hilaire having publicly given each other the lie in the most edifying manner, the former entered on some of the details of his visit to Tunis. “I saw M. Maccio,” he said, “who told me he had been M. Roustan’s intimate friend, and had sought the appointment at Tunis by his suggestion. He showed me several of M. Roustan’s letters to him, and declared that during the first week he was in Tunis M. Roustan came five or six times to see him. M. Maccio added that at M. Roustan’s last visit he had approached Madame Maccio, saying, ‘Je vous demande la permission de vous amener Madame Elias Musalli,’ but that his wife declined the honour, as, if she had received Madame Musalli, no other lady would have frequented her house. On her doing so, M. Roustan broke off relations with the Maccios and the Italians.” M. Roustan rose in a passion and flatly contradicted the witness, who retorted by saying that it was M. Roustan who had caused French blood to flow. In answer to a question by M. Gatineau, M. De Billing said that he had heard from Desfossés that the latter considered himself fortunate in being a personal friend of M. Roustan, as he thereby escaped paying blackmail on his affairs at the rate of thirty per cent. to the Musalli family. M. Desfossés now gave M. De Billing the lie from the body of the hall, and a most undignified wrangle ensued.