Part 4 (1/2)
”Unusual condescension,” said Andre-Louis, and quoted ”Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”
”Why?” asked Philippe
”Let us go and discover--unless you consider that I shall be in the way”
Into a roo as he should elect to honour it, the youngbrightly at the room's far end, and by this sat now M de La Tour d'Azyr and his cousin, the Chevalier de Chabrillane Both rose as M de Vil, paused to close the door
”You oblige me by your prompt courtesy, M de Vilmorin,” said the Marquis, but in a tone so cold as to belie the politeness of his words
”A chair, I beg Ah, Moreau?” The note was frigidly interrogative ”He accompanies you, monsieur?” he asked
”If you please, M le Marquis”
”Why not? Find yourself a seat, Moreau” He spoke over his shoulder as to a lackey
”It is good of you, monsieur,” said Philippe, ”to have offeredthe subject that took me so fruitlessly, as it happens, to Gavrillac”
The Marquis crossed his legs, and held one of his fine hands to the blaze He replied, without troubling to turn to the young oodness of my request ill leave out of question for the hed Andre-Louis thought him easily moved to rateful,” Philippe insisted, ”that you should condescend to hear me plead their cause”
The Marquis stared at him over his shoulder ”Whose cause?” quoth he
”Why, the cause of theand orphans of this unfortunate Mabey”
The Marquis looked frohed, slapping his leg this time
”I think,” said M de La Tour d'Azyr, slowly, ”that we are at cross-purposes I asked you to come here because the Chateau de Gavrillac was hardly a suitable place in which to carry our discussion further, and because I hesitated to inco that you should come all the way to Azyr But my object is connected with certain expressions that you let fall up there It is on the subject of those expressions, monsieur, that I would hear you further--if you will honour an to apprehend that there was so sinister in the air He was a man of quick intuitions, quicker far than those of M de Vilmorin, who evinced no more than a mild surprise
”I am at a loss, monsieur,” said he ”To what expressions does monsieur allude?”
”It seems, monsieur, that I s, and swung sideways on his chair, so that at last he directly faced M de Vilmorin ”You spoke, monsieur--and however mistaken you may have been, you spoke very eloquently, too eloquently almost, it seemed to me--of the infamy of such a deed as the act of su fellow Mabey, or whatever his name may be Infamy was the precise word you used You did not retract that hen I had the honour to inforamekeeper Benet proceeded as he did”
”If,” said M de Vilmorin, ”the deed was infamous, its infamy is not modified by the rank, however exalted, of the person responsible Rather is it aggravated”
”Ah!” said M le Marquis, and drew a gold snuffbox from his pocket ”You say, 'if the deed was infaer as convinced as you appeared to be of its infamy?”
M de Vilmorin's fine face wore a look of perplexity He did not understand the drift of this
”It occurs to me, M le Marquis, in view of your readiness to assume responsibility, that you must believe justification for the deed which is not apparent to myself”
”That is better That is distinctly better” The Marquis took snuff delicately, dusting the fragments from the fine lace at his throat ”You realize that with an i yourself a landowner, you may have rushed to unjustifiable conclusions