for what you might be justified in complaining of as an act of
disloyalty between friends, but for the fact that I can plead as my
excuse the complete ignorance in which you left me of certain mysterious
relations. You must know very well that a simple word from you, my
relative, my _friend_, would have made me stop short on the brink of the
precipice."

I appreciated the reproachful irony concealed in this last sentence; but
I had gone too far to trouble myself about remorses of conscience
regarding him.

"So then," I replied, "you have nothing to say, no satisfaction to
demand of me in respect to this lecture?"

"None whatever, my dear fellow!" he answered, in the same easy tone
which he had preserved all along. "And I may add that there could be
nothing more ridiculous than a quarrel between two friends like you and
me upon such a matter!"

"Let's think no more about it then!" I continued, imitating his
composure. "Since you take it so good-naturedly, I sha'n't press it.
But, having settled this first point, it remains now for us to discuss
what you have termed the _confidence_."

At this he could not repress a slight gesture. His dark eye flashed up,
but for a moment only: he was soon quite calm again.

"Ah, yes!" he said carelessly; "now we've come to the second point."

"This is the point of importance for me," I added; "and I am going to
ask you, on my side, what you propose to do after this revelation?"

"I must compliment you, my dear fellow, for upon my word it's a most
wonderful romance. Do you really mean to say that this beautiful young
lady whom we have all been admiring from a distance, fascinated by her
charms, and who like a young queen has been starring it in the most
aristocratic drawing-rooms of your society, exciting enthusiastic praise
wherever she goes,--that she is your slave?--You must admit that no
mortal man could help envying you!"

"Do your compliments," I continued, "imply an engagement, on your part,
to abandon importunities, which you now recognise to be useless?"

"Oh, indeed!" he exclaimed, with a laugh; "so you're going to ask me now
to make _my_ confession?"

Exasperated by this imperturbable composure of his, which I could not
break down, I again looked him straight in the face, and asked--

"Do you mean to say you refuse to understand me?"

"No, my good sir!" he answered, resuming his peculiar smile, "I
understand you perfectly well; you want to pick a quarrel with m