I naturally felt at the simple part I had been led to play--in
the event I now thought probable--I sharply ordered Mademoiselle de
Figeac to retire into the next room; and then I requested my wife to
fetch her maid.

Mademoiselle de Mars had been three days in solitary confinement, and
might be taken to have repented of her rash accusation were it
baseless. I counted somewhat on this; and more on the effect of so
sudden a summons to my presence. But at first sight it seemed that I
did so without cause. Instead of the agitation which she had displayed
when brought before me to confess, she now showed herself quiet and
even sullen; nor did the gleam of passion, which I thought that I
discerned smouldering in her dark eyes, seem to promise either weakness
or repentance. However, I had too often observed the power of the
unknown over a guilty conscience to despair of eliciting the truth.

"I want to ask you two or three questions," I said civilly. "First, was
M. de Vilain with you when you placed the paper in the hollow of the
tree? Or were you alone?"

I saw her eyelids quiver as with sudden fear, and her voice shook as
she stammered, "When I placed the paper?"

"Yes," I said, "when you placed the paper. I have reason to know that
you did it. I wish to learn whether he was present, or you did it
merely under his orders?"

She looked at me, her face a shade paler, and I do not doubt that her
mind was on the rack to divine how much I knew, and how far she might
deny and how far confess. My tone seemed to encourage frankness,
however, and in a moment she said, "I placed it under his directions."

"Yes," I said drily, my last doubt resolved by the admission; "but that
being so, why did Vilain go to the spot?"

She grew still a shade paler, but in a moment she answered, "To meet
the agent."

"Then why did you place the paper in the tree?"

She saw the difficulty in which she had placed herself, and for an
instant she stared at me with the look of a wild animal caught in a
trap. Then, "In case the agent was late," she muttered.

"But since Vilain had to go to the spot, why did he not deposit the
paper in the tree himself? Why did he send you to the place
beforehand? Why did--" and then I broke off and cried harshly, "Shall
I tell you why? Shall I tell you why, you false jade?"

She cowered away from me at the words, and stood terror-stricken,
gazing at me like one fascinated. But she did not answer.