 down about.«
    M. de Bellegarde meditated a moment, as if he had not heard Newman's
refusal. »My mother and I, last evening,« he said, »talked over your story. You
will be surprised to learn that we think your little document is - a« - and he
held back his word a moment - »is genuine.«
    »You forget that with you I am used to surprises!« exclaimed Newman, with a
laugh.
    »The very smallest amount of respect that we owe to my father's memory,« the
marquis continued, »makes us desire that he should not be held up to the world
as the author of so - so infernal an attack upon the reputation of a wife whose
only fault was that she had been submissive to accumulated injury.«
    »Oh, I see,« said Newman. »It's for your father's sake.« And he laughed the
laugh in which he indulged when he was most amused - a noiseless laugh, with his
lips closed.
    But M. de Bellegarde's gravity held good. »There are a few of my father's
particular friends for whom the knowledge of so - so unfortunate an -
inspiration - would be a real grief. Even say we firmly established by medical
evidence the presumption of a mind disordered by fever, il en resterait quelque
chose. At the best it would look ill in him. Very ill!«
    »Don't try medical evidence,« said Newman. »Don't touch the doctors and they
won't touch you. I don't mind your knowing that I have not written to them.«
    Newman fancied that he saw signs in M. de Bellegarde's discoloured mask that
this information was extremely pertinent. But it may have been merely fancy; for
the marquis remained majestically argumentative. »For instance, Madame
d'Outreville,« he said, »of whom you spoke yesterday. I can imagine nothing that
would shock her more.«
    »Oh, I am quite prepared to shock Madame d'Outreville, you know. That's on
the cards. I expect to shock a great many people.«
    M. de Bellegarde examined for a moment the stitching on the back of one of
his gloves. Then, without looking up, »We don't offer you money,« he said. »That
we suppose to be useless.«
    Newman, turning away, took a few turns about the room, and then came back.
»What do you offer me
