"And quite right, too! For it was necessary to put a stop to his

nonsense. I will attend to it."

"But what if my mother wants to separate us?"

"Your mother, indeed!" I exclaimed; "your mother who sold you, abandoned

you to the life of a slave, do you think she can come and claim the

rights which she has thrown away?"

"Can you defend me against her, then?"

"Yes, dear, I will defend you," I exclaimed in a passion, "and now set

your mind at ease. There is a miserable plot at the bottom of all this,

which I intend demolishing. When I leave you I am going to Count Kiusko,

and I assure you that he sha'n't trouble you any more: after that I

shall see your mother."

"Good heavens!" said Kondjé-Gul, "are you going to fight him?"

"No, no," I answered with a laugh, in order to remove her fears; "but

you must understand that it is necessary for me to have an explanation

with him."

In the morning I returned home and arranged all my affairs ready for any

eventuality; then when all was in order I went after two of my friends,

and asked them to hold themselves ready to act as my seconds in an

affair which I might be compelled by grave circumstances to settle that

very day. Having obtained their promise to do so, I proceeded to

Kiusko's in the Rue de l'Elysée.

When I arrived at his house, I saw from the windows being open that he

was up. A footman, who knew me, was standing under the peristyle. He

told me that he did not think his master would see anyone then. I gave

him my card and instructed him to send it up at once to the count. In a

minute or two after he returned and asked me to come up to his master's

private room: he showed me into a little smoking-room adjoining the

bedroom, to which the count's intimate friends only are admitted. I had

hardly entered it when Daniel appeared; he was dressed in a Moldavian

costume which he uses as a dressing-gown.

"Hullo, here's our dear friend André!" he said when he saw me, in such

an indifferent tone that I could detect in it the intentional

affectation of a calmness to which his pale countenance gave the lie.

Still he did not hold out his hand to me, nor did I proffer mine; he sat

down, indicating to me an arm-chair on the other side of the fire-place.




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