On the staircase he met Signor Petito; and they went down it together. Signor Petito greeted M. Longuet with the most respectful politeness, complained of the state of the weather, and paid him a thousand compliments on his air of good health. Theophrastus responded grumpily to these polite advances; and since, when they came out of the house, Signor Petito showed no intention of quitting him, he asked unpleasantly whether the Signora Petito could not be persuaded to learn some other infernal tune besides the _Carnival of Venice_. Signor Petito affected not to notice his carping tone and replied with an amiable smile that she was just going to begin to practise _The Star of Love_, and she would be charmed in the future to devote her talent to any piece which took M. Longuet's fancy. Then even more amiably he said: "And which way are you going, M. Longuet?" Theophrastus looked at him with suspicious disfavour and answered: "I was going to take a turn round Chopinettes mill; but the weather is certainly too bad for that: so I am going down to the Porkers." "To the Porkers?" said Signor Petito quickly; and he was going to ask where the Porkers was, when he thought better of it, and said, "So am I." "Indeed? Indeed?" said Theophrastus, eyeing him strangely. "So you're going to the Porkers too?" "There or elsewhere: it's all the same to me," said Signor Petito; and he laughed a most amiable laugh. They walked along side by side in silence for a while, till Signor Petito mustered up his courage to ask a question: "And how are you getting on with your treasures, M. Longuet?" he said. Theophrastus turned on him with a savage air, and cried, "What the deuce has it got to do with you?" "Don't you remember bringing, a little while ago, for my opinion on the handwriting--" "I remember quite well! But you--you'd jolly well better forget!" interrupted Theophrastus in a tone of dry menace; and he opened his green umbrella. Signor Petito, entirely unabashed, took shelter under it, saying amiably, "Oh, I didn't ask the question to annoy you, M. Longuet." They had reached the corner of Martyrs' Street in the Trudaine Avenue; and they turned down it, Theophrastus glowering. Then he said, "I've an appointment at the Sucking-Pig tavern next to the Porkers' chapel, and here we are, Signor Petito." "But that's Notre-Dame-de-Lorette and not Porkers' chapel at all!" cried Signor Petito. "I don't like to be contradicted to my face!" snarled Theophrastus, looking at him with a very evil eye and baring his teeth. Signor Petito protested that he had no intention in the world of doing anything of the kind.