Cassatti had a bad-tempered gesture; he put back his hat on and after a silent bow, left the room, rather annoyed. However, he waited outside for the young woman's departure. She went past him ignoring him completely. He wandered through the corridors, extremely pleased to survey all the female bodies around the ring's entrance and hoping nevertheless to be able to talk with Bianca. Once again, he was knocked about by the performing ponies who in the narrow path were croup against croup, whinnying, shaking theirs heads, proud like artists who know there are the stars of the show.

He saw Bianca again but she wasn't alone. Tito, dressed in his clown attire was with her, his banjo under his arm. Cassatti looked with contempt at this face covered with white, red and blue make up, extremely unhappy not to be able to gaze upon that man's real face. He already felt a strong aversion and would have liked to slap his face in order to unload his ill temper on somebody.

He wanted at all cost to meet Bianca and talk to her on her own. He had something very special to tell her and he was furious he hadn't done it earlier and gave her a present. The icy reception in the dressing room had prevented him from doing it. He had a stroke of luck. Providence sometimes helps evil doers. When the ponies moved sideways to let the clowns make their entrance, Tito got separated from Bianca. Quickly Cassatti, who observed the young woman, went to her and gave her a small case he had in his hand.

- I forgot, he said quickly, to offer you a souvenir from our meeting. Allow me to make up for my forgetfulness.

With just one finger, he open the case revealing before Bianca's eyes the most ravishing pearl bracelet she could imagine. She didn't have many jewels as so far, as nobody had ever offered her pricey gifts. The circus public likes its artists but unlike the theatre and the music hall, they rarely make gifts. They show their admiration by applause, rarely by giving flowers and jewels. The small presents from Tito fitted nicely in a small box on her dressing table. It only contained a small ring with a sapphire and a pair of earrings with glass beads. She didn't even touch the Count's present and look at it without batting an eyelid. He staid there rather disconcerted and surprised to see his present rejected. She was wondering how to get rid of this annoying intruder whose admiration was getting troublesome. What did he want, anyway? Admittedly, he was attracted by her, and she was sharp enough to guess his intentions. But, he hadn't expressed any hurtful or precise desire.

Tito came to her rescue. He saw the scene from afar, caught by the horses and not been able to intervene. Father Barretti's ponies were important figures and had to come on the ring in a special order. The first pony didn't tolerate to see the second pony go ahead of him and the third one was virtually glued to the croup of the second one.

However, Tito managed to escape and went directly to take Bianca's arm. He turned towards the count and pushing the young woman in front of him, he told the troublesome admirer:

- You! Go away at once with your roses and keep your gifts for the type of women who likes them.

Bianca took advantage of the incident to move away. She had complete confidence in her partner to get rid of the Count. She knew that Tito had decisive arguments, and if his vocabulary was not always polite, he knew the right word to silence any opponent. Taken aback, the Count didn't reply. He had only contempt for this clown and he was still wondering how he should react. Tito took advantage of this lull to equip himself for his second number. It was a spoof bullfight where he had to wear a small cardboard horse costume to play a comical picador. When he raised his head, he saw that the Count was still there laughing at the unusual get-up Bianca's champion was wearing. There was something very offensive in this laugh and Tito was not in a frame of mind to take lightly any mockery.

- What? He growled in a menacing tone, though very low, you haven't gone yet?

Cassatti mocked:

- Your are too beautiful! I am allowed to look at you; after all, I paid for my seat.

Tito decided to punish this man, the first one who managed to disturb the circus' serenity and to place himself between him and Bianca. Unfortunately, the cardboard horse he was wearing prevented him from approaching the Count. It's always rather ridiculous to play the white knight in such a costume and the clown started to curse his cumbersome accessory. Anyway, it was too late to do something serious; the ring leader pushed the green serge curtain to bark in the wings:

- Tito and Bianca…quickly on stage!

Bianca reappeared as if by magic. She had stayed nearby listening to the words exchanged between her fiancé and the Count. She didn't want the argument to go any further, fearing it could become physical or it could affect her partner's standing with the public. Scandal is always feared in circuses where everybody works for the public's entertainment and must be friendly to quality customers. Father Barretti himself, in spite of all his friendship for artists, would have not tolerated to see a customer with a first class ticket manhandled, especially one wearing a black suit and a white tie.

There is in the world of entertainment a general feeling that governs all domesticity: "All for the public" said Father Barretti, who added philosophizing gladly: "It's our glory and also our decline, but, it is so."

He was right the old man when he was vaguely aware that when trying to seduce the public to get some applause, one could also despises it because it's such a hard taskmaster.

- Come, Tito.

She dragged the clown towards the ring flooded with lights, beyond the barriers guarded by men in blue uniforms. He followed her. But, beforehand, using a clown's natural gesture, an exercise that usually brought the house down, he took a wicked delight in giving a good kick in the Count's pants. A very well aimed kick which hit him just above the coat-tails. And Cassatti couldn't guess where it came from because Tito was just beside him on the same line. When the Count turned around, furious, to punish the person who behaved in such a bold and disrespectful way, he found nobody.

Tito and Bianca had already disappeared and one could here the public laughing. The Count wondered if he was going back to his seat. He hesitated, tight-lipped, chewing his moustache as he usually did when things didn't turn out the way he wanted them. If you had met him for the first time there, you would never have guessed he was in a bad temper. An unusual character this Count Cassatti, his composure as dangerous as his anger; he never let go anything he wanted. He probably had some dangerous memories that one shouldn't try to uncover. Where did he come from? Who was he? Nobody seemed to know around him, or either preferred to stay silent rather than having to cope with his ill-temper.

In the end, he decided not to return to his box, and going outside, now that the corridor was empty or nearly as he met only a few ordinary grooms with their canvas bucket and broom. He came out slowly through the private door reserved to the artists.

The night was still young, but, so many things had happened during the evening that the count wondered if he had not lived a century. He recalled the events without the slightest visible emotion. Everything seemed so perfectly natural that even the memory of being an object of ridicule didn't affect him. And then, he thought about Bianca more than anything else. As he moved away, the desire he had for this girl increased. He saw her in his mind with charms she didn't even possess. For the first time, he had been rejected and he couldn't think of any argument to make her change her mind. He thought:

- If I come back to the circus after this adventure, I'll be ridiculous.

He stopped one moment in front of the hotel doorstep, thinking about some new battle plans. After that, he entered the hotel lobby. The manager, who chatted with the concierge, stopped his conversation and went to this client for whom everybody in this palatial hotel showed so much regards.

- I couldn't find a new suite for you, my Lord, said he, but, be reassured, my Lord, that we cleaned up the suite so that no trace of this sad adventure is left. We change the bed's position. The view is absolutely superb.

He would have gone through a whole list of all the charms of the suite if the Count hadn't stopped him:

- I really don't care, said he, can you call the lift attendant?

The manager took personally to the lift and when he was about to close the lift's door and begging goodnight to the Count in the most obsequious way, he added:

- By the way, the police superintendent finished his inquiry on the…small evening incident. Everything complies with My Lord's account. I managed to obtain complete silence in tomorrow morning's newspaper as well as the others.

The Count shook his head as if he didn't care one way or the other. But, when the lift started to go up, he couldn't avoid a small smile on his lips as he tasted for the first time all the funny side of the situation.