He drank in the German's words.

This clever man, who had never till then been duped, had found his master in Herzog.
Pierre and Marechal had come nearer, and Madame Desvarennes, profiting by this mingling of groups, introduced the men to each other.

On hearing the name of Pierre Delarue, Herzog looked thoughtful, and asked if the young man was the renowned engineer whose works on the coast of Africa had caused so much talk in Europe?
On Madame Desvarennes replying in the affirmative, he showered well-chosen compliments on Pierre.

He had had the pleasure of meeting Delarue in Algeria, when he had gone over to finish the railroad in Morocco.
But Pierre had stepped back on learning that the constructor of that important line was before him.
"Ah! is it you, sir, who carried out that job ?" said he.

"Faith! you treated those poor Moors rather hardly!" He remembered the misery of the poor natives employed by Europeans who superintended the work.