'No offence,' he said. 'But you do not seem, M. de Berault, to comprehend the difficulty. If we do not settle things now, we shall be bickering twenty times a day.'
'Well, what do you want?' I asked impatiently, 'Simply to know how you are going to proceed. So that our plans may not clash.'
'But surely, M. le Capitaine, that is my affair,' I said.
'The clashing?' he answered bitterly. Then he waved aside my wrath 'Pardon,' he said, 'the point is simply this. How do you propose to find him if he is here?'
'That again is my affair,' I answered.
He threw up his hands in despair; but in a moment his place was taken by an unexpected disputant.
The Lieutenant, who had stood by all the time, listening and tugging at his grey moustache, suddenly spoke.
Look here, M. de Berault,' he said, confronting me roughly, 'I do not fight duels. I am from the ranks. I proved my courage at Montauban in '21, and my honour is good enough to take care of itself. So I say what I like, and I ask you plainly what M. le Capitaine doubtless has in his mind, but does not ask: Are you running with the hare, and hunting with the hounds in this matter? In other words, have you thrown up Monseigneur's commission in all but name, and become Madame's ally; or--it is the only other alternative--are you getting at the man through the women?'
'You villain!' I cried, glaring at him in such a rage and fury that I could scarcely get the words out. This was plain speaking with a vengeance! How dare you? How dare you say that I am false to the hand that pays me?'
I thought that he would blench, but he did not. He stood up stiff as a poker.
'I do not say; I ask!' he replied, facing me squarely, and slapping his fist into his open hand to drive home his words the better. 'I ask you whether you are playing the traitor to the Cardinal, or to these two women? It is a simple question.'
I fairly choked. 'You impudent scoundrel!' I said.
'Steady, steady!' he replied. 'Pitch sticks where it belongs, and nowhere else. But that is enough. I see which it is, M. le Capitaine; this way a moment, by your leave.'
And in a very cavalier fashion he took his officer by the arm, and drew him into a sidewalk, leaving me to stand in the sun, bursting with anger and spleen. The gutter-bred rascal! That such a man should insult me, and with impunity! In Paris, I might have made him fight, but here it was impossible.
I was still foaming with rage when they returned.
'We have come to a determination,' the Lieutenant said, tugging his grey moustachios, and standing like a ramrod. 'We shall leave you the house and Madame, and you can take your own line to find the man, for ourselves, we shall draw off our men to the village, and we shall take our line. That is all, M. le Capitaine, is it not?'
'I think so,' the Captain muttered, looking anywhere but at me.
'Then we bid you good-day, Monsieur,' the Lieutenant added, and in a moment he turned his companion round, and the two retired up the walk to the house, leaving me to look after them in a black fit of rage and incredulity.
At the first flush, there was something so offensive in the manner of their going that anger had the upper hand. I thought of the Lieutenant's words, and I cursed him to hell with a sickening consciousness that I should not forget them in a hurry.
