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 shoulders, which were like those of a suburban bully.

“Just so!”

“That would surprise me!” said Gochard.  “But, saperlipopette, you are not very polite in your set!”

“Not very polite with boors!  You are in my house!”

“Oh! you can’t teach me where I am!” said the Dujarrier’s lover, with a wink of his eye.  “But, madame has been perching at my cost for a long time at Rue Prony and it is upon my signature, yes, my own signature, if you please, that she has obtained the means of renting the Hotel Vanda.  She has not so much to be impudent about!”

“Your signature?—­The Hotel Vanda?”

The duke looked at Marianne, who, as white as a corpse, instead of becoming indignant, entreated and tried to lead her husband away from this man, as if they were in the presence of grave danger.

“Ah! bless me!” cried Jose, “you will explain to me—!”

“That is very easy!—­I was in want of money.  The Dujarrier furnished me with a little for that affair.  She is too niggardly.  I ask madame for some.  She assumes a haughty tone, and, instead of comprehending that I come as a friend, she threatens to have me put out of doors.  Blackmail!  I?—­I?—­What nonsense!”