Poor Toppi: all he could do was to keep on blinking! The _aides_ broke into loud laughter, but the Cardinal mumbled angrily, casting upon me the burning little coals of his eyes:
"He is indeed a brazen fellow. He said he is Satan. Throw him out, Signor Magnus. This is sacrilege!"
"Is that so?" smiled Magnus politely: "I did not know that Satan, too, belonged to the heavenly chair...."
"Satan is a fallen angel," said the Cardinal in an instructive tone.
"And as such he is in your service? I understand," Magnus bowed his head politely in acceptance of this truth and turned smilingly to me: "Do you hear, Wondergood? His Eminence is irritated by your audacity."
I was silent. Magnus winked at me slyly and continued with an air of artificial importance:
"I believe, Your Eminence, that there must be some sort of misunderstanding here. I know the modesty and well-informed mind of Mr. Wondergood and I suppose that he utilized the name of Satan merely as an artistic gesture. Does Satan ever threaten people with the police? But my unfortunate friend did. And, in general, has anybody ever seen _such_ a Satan?"
He stretched his hand out to me in an effective gesture--and the reply to this was another outburst of laughter. The Cardinal, too, laughed, and Toppi alone shook his wise head, as if to say:
I think Magnus must have noticed that. Or else he fell into intoxication. Or was it because that spirit of murder with which his soul was aflame could not remain passive and was tearing at the leash. He threateningly shook his heavy, explosive head and shouted:
"Enough of this laughter! It is silly. Why are you so sure of yourselves? It is stupid, I tell you. I believe in nothing and that is why I admit _everything_. Press my hand, Wondergood: they are all fools and I am quite ready to admit that you are Satan. Only you have fallen into a bad mess, friend Satan. Because it will not save you. I will soon throw you out anyhow! Do you hear...devil?"
He shook his finger at me threateningly and then lapsed into thought, dropping his head low and heavily, with his red eyes ablaze, like those of a bull, ready to hurl himself upon his enemy. The _aides_ and the insulted Cardinal were silent with confusion. Magnus again shook his finger at me significantly and said: