He had lost the sense of what the marquis was saying; M.de Bellegarde's superior style was a mere humming in his ears.

All that he understood, in his deep and simple indignation, was that the matter was not a violent joke, and that the people before him were perfectly serious.

"Do you suppose I can take this ?" he asked.
"Do you suppose it can matter to me what you say?
Do you suppose I can seriously listen to you?
You are simply crazy!" Madame de Bellegarde gave a rap with her fan in the palm of her hand.
"If you don't take it you can leave it, sir.

It matters very little what you do.

My daughter has given you up." "She doesn't mean it," Newman declared after a moment.
"I think I can assure you that she does," said the marquis.
"Poor woman, what damnable thing have you done to her ?" cried Newman.
"Gently, gently!" murmured M.de Bellegarde.
"She told you," said the old lady.