of anguish.

He quickly reached the salon, where Marianne was in a robe de chambre of
black satin, and was standing near the chimney with an expression of
anger in her eyes, holding the bell-rope, whose iron chain had struck
against the wall.

Before her stood a young man with a heavy moustache, his hat tilted over
his ear, whom Monsieur de Rosas did not know.

His manner was insolent and he looked thick-set in his black,
close-buttoned frock-coat. His style was vulgar, and, with his hands in
his pockets, he appeared both low and threatening.

Marianne rang for a servant. She was flushed with rage. She became livid
on seeing Jose.

"What is the matter, then?" asked Rosas coldly, as he stepped between
the duchess and the man.

The man looked at him, took off his hat, and in a loud voice that was
itself odoriferous, said:

"You are Monsieur le Duc de Rosas, doubtless?"

"Yes," said Jose, "and may I know--?"

"Nothing! it is nothing!" cried Marianne, running hastily to Jose and
taking his hands as if she desired to drag him away.

"How, nothing?" the man then said, as he took a seat, holding his hat in
his hand and placing his fist on his left hip, in the attitude of a
fencing-master posing for an elegant effect. "To treat a gentleman as
you have just treated me; you call that nothing?"

He turned to Rosas and said, as he saluted him with the airs of a _sub.
off._ on the stage:

"Adolphe Gochard! You do not know me, Monsieur le duc?"

"No," said Jose.

"What do you want?--"

"Ah! pardon me," said Gochard, as he interrupted Marianne. "You rang,
you wished to have the presence of the servants. You threatened to have
me pitched out of the door by the shoulders. Since you have called,
they shall hear me."

The servants, hurrying to the spot, now appeared in the indistinct
shadow of the doorway.

"Be off!" cried Marianne.

"Why?" asked the duke severely, and astonished.

"Because madame prefers that I should only tell you what I have to say
to you," said Gochard. "Ah! you claimed that I wanted to extort
blackmail. I, an old brigadier, extort blackmail? Well, so let it be!
Let us sing our little song!"

"Monsieur," said the duke, who had become pallid and whose clenched
teeth showed beneath his red beard, "I do not know what Madame la
Duchesse de Rosas has said to you, or what you have dared to say to her,
but you will leave this place instanter!"

"Is that so?" said the man, as he shrugged his shou