"Really, sir," he continued, "you are too funny for words, you ought to have been a comic actor. Ha! ha! ha!" and Pierre shook with laughter. "How dare you trifle with me in this manner? Are you aware of the seriousness of this charge?" cried Duval in an awful voice. "For goodness' sake stop, father, this conversation is becoming too tedious, I really can't stand it any longer," replied Pierre in a languid drawl. "By the way, won't you take a glass of port?" "Hold your tongue, sir! Will you listen to me or not? You have been accused of having set fire to Villebois's house, and of murdering Professor Delapine. I wish to hear from your own lips; is it true or not?" "Oh, do shut up, father, and don't play the fool with me any more," replied Pierre, his voice rising almost to a scream. "Is it likely that I, your own son, would dream of doing mad acts like that? The thing is too absurd even to argue about." "Am I to understand then that you are innocent of both these deeds?" "Most certainly I am. I swear the whole charge is a dastardly lie, and is without a shadow of foundation." "Are you prepared to swear this to me on oath? Hold up your hand and swear then," said his father, as Pierre nodded assent. "I swear before God that the whole story is nothing but a filthy lie," said Pierre, holding up his hand, "and I solemnly call God to witness what I say." "You are lying, you are deceiving me--I can read it in your face." "May God strike me dead on the spot if I am deceiving you," replied Pierre in a sudden outburst of passion, bringing his fist down on the table with a bang in order to carry conviction, although he was trembling from head to foot. "Of course," he continued after a moment's reflection, "if you prefer to believe this damned cad whom you call Emile, rather than your own son, I have nothing more to say." Duval remained silent for a few moments, fixing on him one of those terrible looks which would have cowed a Bengal tiger, and caused him to slink away. "Come now, father, for goodness' sake change the subject, and don't waste my time with these absurd accusations," said Pierre, with well-feigned anger, although he was quaking with fear. "Pierre, I ask you for the last time, do you still persist in your statement that it is all a lie?" "Of course I do; what else could it be?" "If it is a lie, then explain to me why you have employed a low sneak to watch the house and inform you from hour to hour what is going on there. Is that a lie also?" Pierre grew very red in the face and tried to avert his father's gaze, but said nothing. "Answer me, sir," said Duval with another of his searching looks. "Oh, father, why do you ask me such ridiculous questions?"