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Gerard de Montignac found Paul still up and putting the last words to the report of long and solitary wanderings amongst the inland tribes. The report was to be despatched the next morning to the Bureau des Affaires Indigènes at Rabat, and Gerard waited in patience until the packet was sealed up. Then he burst out with his story of what had taken place on the night before at the Villa Iris. Paul listened without an interruption, but his face grew white with anger and his eyes burned, as he heard of Madame Delagrange's coarse abuse and Marguerite's tears and humiliations.
"So you see, Paul, it was your fault in a way," Gerard urged. "Of course sooner or later Petras Tetarnis-damn his soul!-would have presented his ultimatum, as he did last night, but you were the occasion of it being done."