The second act passed in the midst of this constant rumor, and none thought to cry for silence. The singers themselves sang rather of the necklace of Shélobe than of the unrequited love of a giant for a dragon-lady. When intermission arrived, Mme. de Sacqueville-Danglars indicated clearly that she expected Réginard to visit her loge; and the latter was not so rude as to refuse. He bowed to Mme. and Mlle. de Sacqueville-Danglars and shook hands with De Brie. (Château-Renard was meanwhile visiting the loge of Mme. de Cloucque and her claque of cuckolds.)
"Ma foi, you have arrived in the nick of time, as when Aragon II saved Mina Tiretta from becoming the kebab of the Haradrins," said De Brie. "Voici madame who besieges me with questions about the Count of Monte Fato; ma foi, I'm not that celebrated solver of riddles who went by the name of Golliostro, so I said: Ask the Viscount de Pérégrin, he knows the Count to the tip of his foot-hair."
"How did he become so extraordinarily wealthy?" said the baroness. ‘He has an unlimited credit with my husband, and they say he keeps an entire hill full of tunnels packed with chests of gold and silver, and jewels. He will have found some mine in Morie and formed a joint-stock company with the Balrogue."
"I would marvel little if he were the heir of Eslitérin," put in De Brie. "And the beautiful woman who accompanies him is reportedly his slave."
