his
shoulders, and laughing loudly said, 'You talk like an idiot; when one
is annoyed by a woman of this sort, one must take measures to get rid of
her administratively.' This idea seemed to amuse them both very much."

"I can understand their being entertained by it," said M. Verduret; "it
is an excellent idea; but the misfortune is, it is too late to carry it
out. The nothing which made Clameran uneasy has already fallen into a
knowing ear."

With breathless curiosity, Prosper listened to this report, every word
of which seemed to throw light upon past events. Now, he thought, he
understood the fragment of Gypsy's letter. He saw that this Raoul, in
whom he had confided so deeply, was nothing more than a scoundrel. A
thousand little circumstances, unnoticed at the time, now recurred to
his mind, and made him wonder how he could have been so blind so long.

Master Joseph Dubois continued his report:

"Yesterday, after dinner, my master decked himself out like a
bridegroom. I shaved him, curled his hair, and perfumed him with special
care, after which I drove him to the Rue de Provence to call on Mme.
Fauvel."

"What!" exclaimed Prosper, "after the insulting language he used the day
of the robbery, did he dare to visit the house?"

"Yes, monsieur, he not only dared this, but he also stayed there until
midnight, to my great discomfort; for I got as wet as a rat, waiting for
him."

"How did he look when he came out?" asked M. Verduret.

"Well, he certainly looked less pleased then when he went in. After
putting away my carriage, and rubbing down my horses, I went to see if
he wanted anything; I found the door locked, and he swore at me like a
trooper, through the key-hole."

And, to assist the digestion of this insult, Master Joseph here gulped
down a glass of absinthe.

"Is that all?" questioned M. Verduret.

"All that occurred yesterday, patron; but this morning my master rose
late, still in a horrible bad humor. At noon Raoul arrived, also in
a rage. They at once began to dispute, and such a row! why, the most
abandoned housebreakers and pickpockets would have blushed to hear such
Billingsgate. At one time my master seized the other by the throat and
shook him like a reed. But Raoul was too quick for him; he saved himself
from strangulation by drawing out a sharp-pointed knife, the sight of
which made my master drop him in a hurry, I can tell you."

"But what did they say?"

"Ah, there is the rub, patro