greeted with:

"Why! Monsieur Fandor!"

"I am delighted to see you!" cried Fandor, shaking hands with Monsieur
Barbey and Monsieur Nanteuil. Both gave him a pleasant smile of welcome.

"You have come to see Mademoiselle Dollon, I suppose?"

"Yes. We have come to assure her that we will do all in our power to
help her out of her terrible difficulties. She wrote to us a few days
ago to ask if we would act as intermediaries regarding the sale of some
of her unfortunate brother's productions, also to see if we could get
her a situation in some dressmaking establishment.... We have come to
assure her of our entire sympathy."

"That is most kind of you! They told you, did they not, that she had
gone out? I think she will not be absent long, for I have an appointment
with her. But, if you will allow me, I will go to the office and ask if
they have the least idea of which way she has gone, for I have little
time to spare, and if we could go to meet her, it would save, at least,
a few minutes...."

Jerome Fandor rose and went towards one of the drawing-room doors.

"You are making a mistake," said Monsieur Nanteuil, "the office is this
way," and he pointed to another door.

"Bah! All roads lead to Rome!" With that, Fandor went out by the door he
had approached first....

"They are nice fellows," said Fandor to himself. "If Elizabeth Dollon is
really not in!... but... Is she really not in the house? I am by no
means sure.... If she feels timid at the idea of seeing the
bankers--their visit may have made her nervous, considering the state
she is in ... she might have sent to say she was not at home in order to
have time to add some finishing touches to her toilette."

Fandor, who knew the house, mounted the little staircase leading to the
first floor. Elizabeth's room was on this floor. Before her door he
stopped and sniffed.

"Queer smell!" he murmured. "It smells like gas!"

He knocked boldly, calling:

"Mademoiselle Elizabeth! It is I, Fandor!"

The smell of gas became more pronounced as he waited.

A horrible idea, an agonising fear, flashed through his mind.

He knocked as hard as he could on the door.

"Mademoiselle Elizabeth! Mademoiselle!"

No answer.

He called down the stairs:

"Waiter!... Porter!"

But apparently the one and only manservant the house boasted was
occupied elsewhere, for no one answered.

Fandor returned to the door of Elizabeth's room, knelt down and tried to
look through the