ethods in order to teach him his lesson gently.
And now he was for making her pay the damages! No, thank you! She was
kindhearted, but not to that extent.

"The devil, but I've had enough of this!" she swore, bringing her fist
down on the furniture. "Yes, yes, I wanted to be faithful--it was all I
could do to be that! Yet if I spoke the word I could be rich tomorrow,
my dear fellow!"

He looked up in surprise. Never once had he thought of the monetary
question. If she only expressed a desire he would realize it at once;
his whole fortune was at her service.

"No, it's too late now," she replied furiously. "I like men who give
without being asked. No, if you were to offer me a million for a single
interview I should say no! It's over between us; I've got other fish to
fry there! So be off or I shan't answer for the consequences. I shall do
something dreadful!"

She advanced threateningly toward him, and while she was raving, as
became a good courtesan who, though driven to desperation, was yet
firmly convinced of her rights and her superiority over tiresome, honest
folks, the door opened suddenly and Steiner presented himself. That
proved the finishing touch. She shrieked aloud:

"Well, I never. Here's the other one!"

Bewildered by her piercing outcry, Steiner stopped short. Muffat's
unexpected presence annoyed him, for he feared an explanation and had
been doing his best to avoid it these three months past. With blinking
eyes he stood first on one leg, then on the other, looking embarrassed
the while and avoiding the count's gaze. He was out of breath, and as
became a man who had rushed across Paris with good news, only to
find himself involved in unforeseen trouble, his face was flushed and
distorted.

"Que veux-tu, toi?" asked Nana roughly, using the second person singular
in open mockery of the count.

"What--what do I--" he stammered. "I've got it for you--you know what."

"Eh?"

He hesitated. The day before yesterday she had given him to understand
that if he could not find her a thousand francs to pay a bill with she
would not receive him any more. For two days he had been loafing about
the town in quest of the money and had at last made the sum up that very
morning.

"The thousand francs!" he ended by declaring as he drew an envelope from
his pocket.

Nana had not remembered.

"The thousand francs!" she cried. "D'you think I'm begging alms? Now
look here, that's what I value your thousand franc