“Why did you so awkwardly let it fall?”

“I have said, Monsieur, and I repeat, that the handkerchief did not fall from my pocket.”

“And thereby you have lied twice, Monsieur, for I saw it fall.”

“Ah, you take it with that tone, do you, Master Gascon? Well, I will teach you how to behave yourself.”

“And I will send you back to your Mass book, Master Abbé. Draw, if you please, and instantly⁠—”

“Not so, if you please, my good friend⁠—not here, at least. Do you not perceive that we are opposite the Hôtel d’Aiguillon, which is full of the cardinal’s creatures? How do I know that this is not his Eminence who has honored you with the commission to procure my head? Now, I entertain a ridiculous partiality for my head, it seems to suit my shoulders so correctly. I wish to kill you, be at rest as to that, but to kill you quietly in a snug, remote place, where you will not be able to boast of your death to anybody.”