"Hush! It is enough to turn one's brain."
The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a third party, who, addressing M. de Mornand, said, with the most scrupulous politeness:
"Monsieur, will you do me the favour to act as my vis-a-vis?"
M. de Mornand's surprise was so great that he started back without uttering a word on hearing this request, for the person who had just made it was no other than the Marquis de Maillefort, the singular hunchback, of whom frequent mention has already been made in these pages.
There was also another feeling that prevented M. de Mornand from immediately replying to this strange proposition, for, in the full, vibrating voice of the speaker, M. de Mornand fancied, for an instant, that he recognised the voice of the unseen person who had called him a scoundrel when he spoke in such disparaging terms of Madame de Beaumesnil.
The Marquis de Maillefort, pretending not to notice the air of displeased surprise with which M. de Mornand had greeted the proposal, repeated in the same tone of scrupulous politeness:
"Monsieur, will you do me the favour to act as my vis-a-vis in the next quadrille?"
On hearing this request on the part of the deformed man thus reiterated, M. de Mornand, without concealing his desire to laugh, exclaimed:
"Act as your vis-a-vis,--yours, monsieur?"
"Yes, monsieur," replied the marquis, with the most innocent air imaginable.
"But,--but what you ask is--is--permit me to say--very remarkable."
"And very dangerous, my dear marquis," added the Baron de Ravil, with his usual sneer.
"As for you, baron, I might put a no less offensive and, perhaps, even more dangerous question to you," retorted the marquis, smiling. "When will you return the thousand francs I had the pleasure of loaning to you the other evening?"
"You are too inquisitive, marquis."
"Come, come, baron, don't treat M. de Talleyrand's _bon mots_ as you treat thousand franc notes."
"What do you mean by that, marquis?"
"I mean that it costs you no more to put one in circulation than the other."
M. de Ravil bit his lip.
"This explanation is not altogether satisfactory, M. le marquis," he said, coldly.
"You have an unquestionable right to be very exacting in the matter of explanations, baron," retorted the marquis, in the same tone of contemptuous persiflage; "but you have no right to be indiscreet, as you certainly are at this moment. I had the honour to address M. de Mornand, and you intrude yourself into our conversation, which is exceedingly annoying to me."
Then, turning to M. de Mornand, the hunchback continued:
"You did me the honour, just now, to say that my request that you would act as my vis-a-vis was very remarkable, I believe."
"Yes, monsieur," replied M. de Mornand, quite gravely this time, for he began to suspect that this singular proposal was only a pretext, and the longer he listened to the voice, the more certain he became that it was the same which had styled him a scoundrel. "Yes, monsieur," he continued, with mingled hauteur and assurance, "I did say, and I repeat it, that this request to act as your vis-a-vis was very remarkable on your part."
"And why, may I ask, if you do not think me too inquisitive?"
"Because--why--because it is--it is, I think, very singular that--"
Then as M. de Mornand did not finish the sentence:
"I have a rather peculiar habit, monsieur," the marquis said, lightly.
"What is it, monsieur?"
"Having the misfortune to be a hunchback and consequently an object of ridicule, I have reserved for myself the exclusive right to ridicule my deformity, and as I flatter myself I do that to the satisfaction of people in general--excuse my conceit, monsieur, I beg--I do not permit any one to do badly what I do so well myself."
"Monsieur!" exclaimed M. de Mornand, vehemently.
"Permit me to give you an example," continued the marquis in the same airy tone, "I just asked you to do me the favour to act as my vis-a-vis.
Ah, well, instead of answering, 'Yes, monsieur,' or 'No, monsieur,' in a polite manner, you respond in a voice choked with laughter, 'Your request for me to act as your vis-a-vis is very remarkable.' And when I ask you to finish the sentence, you hesitate and stammer and say nothing."
"But, monsieur--"
"But, monsieur," hastily exclaimed the hunchback, interrupting his companion afresh; "if, instead of being polite, you are disposed to enjoy yourself at my expense, you ought to say something decidedly impertinent, as, for example: 'M. de Maillefort, I have a horror of deformities and really cannot bear the idea of seeing you dance;' or 'Really, M. de Maillefort, I have too much pride to show myself in the back to back figure with you.' So you see, my dear M. de Mornand,"
continued the hunchback, with increasing jovialness, "that, as I can ridicule myself better than any one else can, I am perfectly right not to allow any one else to do clumsily what I can do so admirably myself."
"You say that you will not allow," began M. de Mornand, impatiently--
"Come, come, Mornand, this is all nonsense," exclaimed Ravil. "And, you, marquis, are much too sensible a man--"
"That is not the question," replied Mornand, hotly. "This gentleman says he will not allow--"
"Any person to ridicule me," interrupted the marquis. "No, I will not tolerate it for a single instant; I repeat it."
"But Mornand certainly never thought for a single instant of ridiculing you, I am sure, marquis," cried Ravil.
"Is that true, baron?"
"Yes, certainly, certainly."
"Then the gentleman will do me the favour to explain what he meant by his reply."
"That is very simple. I will volunteer--"
"My dear Ravil," interposed M. de Mornand, firmly, "you are going entirely too far. As M. de Maillefort descends to sarcasm and threats, I deem it proper to refuse him any explanation whatever, and M. de Maillefort is at perfect liberty to impute any meaning he pleases to my words."
"Impute any meaning to your words?" exclaimed the hunchback, laughing.
"Really, I could not take any such task as that upon myself. That is the business of your honourable colleagues in the Chamber of Peers when you treat them to one of those superb speeches--which you alone have the ability to understand--"
"Let us put an end to this," exclaimed M. de Mornand, exasperated beyond endurance. "Consider my words as insulting as any words could possibly be, monsieur."
"You are mad," cried Ravil. "All this is, or will be, supremely ridiculous if taken seriously."
"You are right, my poor baron," said the marquis, with a contrite air; "it will become supremely ridiculous as you say, but, monsieur, see what a good fellow I am, I will be content with the following apology made verbally by M. de Mornand in the presence of three or four witnesses of my own choosing: 'M. le Marquis de Maillefort, I very humbly and contritely ask your pardon for having dared--'"
"Enough, monsieur!" exclaimed M. de Mornand. "You must believe me either a coward or an egregious fool."