other man or two."

"And do you suppose the Company would?" Michu retorted. "By the way,
that poor devil who is going along there, shivering with cold and
hunger, was grumbling to me just now, and I advised him to ask you to
take him on. What do you think he said? Why, that he would have a look
at the work first, and off he went."

"It's a fact, Michu, that it's mighty difficult to come across people
who mean business nowadays. It's quite true that I want more hands. But
if that chap doesn't ask me to engage him in another minute, I'll kick
him out. The embankment is not public property, and I don't trust these
rascals who are for ever coming and going among the workmen to see what
mischief they can make. I'll go and cast an eye over the bolts and
things, for there are all sorts of vagrants about the neighbourhood just
now."

"And criminals, too," said old Michu. "I suppose you have heard of the
murder up at the chateau of Beaulieu?"

"Rather! My men are talking of nothing else. But you are right, Michu, I
will get a closer look at all strangers, and at your friend in
particular."

The foreman stopped abruptly; he had been examining the foot of the
embankment, and was standing quite still, watching. The plate-layer
followed his glance, and also stood fixed. After a few moments' silence
the two men looked at each other and smiled. In the half-light of the
valley they had seen the outline of a gendarme; he was on foot and
appeared to be looking for somebody, while making no attempt to remain
unseen himself.

"Good!" whispered Michu; "that's sergeant Doucet: I know him by his
stripes. They say the murder was not committed by anyone belonging to
this part of the country; everybody was fond of the Marquise de
Langrune."

"Look! Look!" the foreman broke in, pointing to the gendarme who was
slowly climbing up the embankment. "It looks as if the sergeant were
making for the gentleman who was looking for work just now and hoped he
would not find it. The sergeant's got a word for him, eh, what?"

"That might be," said Michu after a moment's further watching. "That
chap has a villainous, ugly face. One can tell from the way he's dressed
that he don't belong to our parts."

The two men waited with utmost interest to see what was going to happen.

Sergeant Doucet reached the top of the embankment at last and hurried
past the navvies, who stopped their work to stare inquisitively after
the representative of authority. Fi