“Yes, you, Sophia, Baroness Grodsko, known here under the name of Madame Vignola. Now listen, my dear, such an occurrence would be an out-and-out act of stupidity!” “You are mad, Hans!” “I shall only be too glad if I am mistaken. But I have a very keen intuition! We all have our little weaknesses, Sophia, and I should not wonder in the least if this young man pleased you. But I should be very much astonished if you thought of attaching yourself really to him, for nothing would be more dangerous to us, or to him, or even to yourself. If you could keep the young Marcel from the works for a short time I will not deny that such a course would serve my purpose. But no passion, remember, just a passing fancy. Keep him in the villa just long enough to enable us to execute our plans. That is how I understand things.” “As I, also,” said the young woman, coldly. “Very good. If you can keep a cool head and heart, there is nothing to fear and everything to hope for. You hear that, Milo. If your mistress shows any inclination to go astray, you will be there to remind her of her engagements.” “My duty is to obey her,” said Milona, with scowling look, “and not to order. As for you, never presume to order me to do anything.” “Why not, if you please, my young savage?” “Because a girl like myself is willing to give up her liberty for the sake of one she loves, but she will not serve one she detests.” “That means simply that we are not friends, my little one,” jeered Hans, with a loud laugh. “As you please; I will not force you to like me.” Milona gave him a steady look, and shrugged her shoulders, pronouncing a few words in an uncouth tongue. She then left the room. “What did she say in that Romany tongue of hers?” “She said, ‘Son of a she-wolf, may you die of a burning fever without any one at hand to give you a glass of water.’” “Many thanks for her gracious wishes. Some day my stick shall make the acquaintance of your back, charming creature.” “Do not think of such a thing, Hans, she would repay you with dagger-blows!” “What delightful relations! But you know well that I am afraid of no one. Now let us speak of something more serious. Have you heard from Cesare?” “He writes to say that he is back from London, where business matters are progressing well. As you are aware, our English friends are very practical. They have launched a company with a capital of fifty million francs. They will need a whole territory for their money, and they will certainly succeed.” “Assuredly. When one’s calculations are based on human folly and incredulity, failure is impossible. That is why business matters possess so little interest.”