For having beaten Protos at chess 1 punta. For having shown that I spoke Italian 3 punte. For having answered before Protos 1 p. For having had the last word 1 p. For having cried at hearing of Faby’s death 4 p. Julius, reading hurriedly, took _punta_ to be some kind of foreign coin and assumed that the figures were nothing but a childish and trifling computation of merits and rewards. Then the accounts came to an end again. Julius turned another page and read: This 4th April, conversation with Protos: “Do you understand the meaning of the words, ‘TO PUSH ON’? There the writing stopped. Julius shrugged his shoulders, pursed up his lips, shook his head and put the book back where he had found it. He took out his watch, got up, walked to the window and looked out; it had stopped raining. He went towards the corner of the room where he had put down his umbrella when he first came in; at that moment he saw, leaning back a little in the opening of the doorway, a handsome, fair young man, who was watching him with a smile on his lips. III The youth of the photograph had hardly aged. Juste-Agénor had said nineteen; one would not have taken him for more than sixteen. Lafcadio could certainly have only just arrived; when Julius was putting back the pocket-book a moment before, he had raised his eyes to look at the door and had seen no one; but how was it he had not heard him coming? An instinctive glance at the young man’s feet showed Julius that he was wearing goloshes instead of boots. There was nothing hostile about Lafcadio’s smile; he seemed amused, on the contrary--and ironical; he had kept his travelling-cap on his head, but when he met Julius’s eyes, he took it off and bowed ceremoniously. “Monsieur Wluiki?” asked Julius. The young man bowed again without answering. “Please excuse my sitting down in your room while I was waiting for you. I really shouldn’t have ventured to do so if I hadn’t been shown in.” Julius spoke faster and louder than usual to convince himself that he was at ease. Lafcadio frowned imperceptibly; he went towards Julius’s umbrella and without a word put it outside to stream in the passage; then coming back into the room again, he motioned Julius to sit down. “You are no doubt surprised to see me?” Lafcadio quietly took a cigarette out of a silver cigarette case and lit it. “I will explain my reason for calling in a few words. Of course you will understand....” The more he spoke, the more he felt his assurance oozing away. “Well, then!--But first allow me to introduce myself....” and as though he felt embarrassed at having to pronounce his own name, he drew a visiting-card out of his waistcoat pocket and held it out to Lafcadio, who put it down on the table without looking at it.