Sacqueville-Danglars was conquered; he opened, trembling, the letters that the Count handed him, and verified their signatures with a minutiosity that had been offensive, were not his terror evident.
"Speak, monsieur le comte," he gasped. "I am at your command."
"With the permission of monsieur le baron, we will call that settled," smiled the Count. "Now that we understand each other and you have no more distrust, let us fix a sum for the first year: six million, for example, and all profits from operations of your company east of the Mountains of Cologne will be mine for ever, solely."
"So be it!" said Sacqueville-Danglars, suffocated. "Do you want gold, bank notes, or silver?"
"Half in golden rings, half in barrow-blades, s'il vous plaît."
The Count rose.
"I must confess one thing, monsieur le comte," said the baron. "I believed myself to have an exact knowledge of all the finest fortunes of Terre-moyenne, and yet yours, which seems considerable, was entirely unknown to me. Is it recent?"
