e, surely, that there were names in
this list of persons you knew, or had heard of? Search your memory a
little, mademoiselle."

"I don't know! I cannot remember!" cried Elizabeth nervously.

"Come now," said Fandor encouragingly, "I know an excellent way of
assisting the memory. The eyes are like a sensitive photographic plate:
what the brain does not always retain, the mirror of the eye registers:
do not try to remember, but try, as it were, to read on white paper what
your eyes saw!..."

"Let us sit down a minute and I will help you to do it!" Fandor pointed
out a rustic seat, under the trees, in front of which was a garden
table. They sat down together and Fandor drew from his pocket a sheet of
white paper and his fountain pen.

Elizabeth's arm touched his shoulder.

As though electrified by this contact, the two young people trembled,
their eyes met in a glance full of troubled emotion--a feeling new to
both--whose immense significance neither understood. Fandor remained
speechless, and Elizabeth blushed.

They gazed at each other, embarrassed, not knowing what to say for
themselves; and their embarrassment was only relieved by the appearance
of the sister who attended to the turning box at the entrance gate. She
stood at the top of the steps leading down to the park and called
Elizabeth.

"Mademoiselle! Mademoiselle! There is someone on the telephone who
wishes to speak to you!"

Fandor rose.

"Will you allow me to accompany you, mademoiselle? I am very curious to
know whether the person now asking for you is identical with the person
who asked for you a little while ago?"

The young couple hurried to the big parlour, and Elizabeth went to the
telephone.

"Hullo?..."

Elizabeth had handed one of the receivers to Fandor. He heard a
voice--an unknown voice, but beyond question masculine--who said, over
the wire:

"Hullo!... Is it really Mademoiselle Dollon to whom I have the honour of
speaking?"

"Yes, monsieur. Who is speaking to me?"

But just as Elizabeth was about to repeat her question, Fandor thought
he heard whoever had called up Elizabeth, hang up the receivers. No
reply reached them!...

Elizabeth cried impatiently:

"Hullo!... Hullo!... Who is speaking to me?"

But there was no one at the end of the line!

Fandor swore softly to himself, then seizing the two receivers he
called:

"Hullo! Come, monsieur, reply!... Whom do you want? Who are you?"

He could not obtain any reply.