te put
out, she returned to Falaise in the coach, not wanting to travel with
her daughter. Mme. Acquet, the same day,--Thursday the 23d July--took a
carriage that ran from Caen to Harcourt and got down at Forge-a-Cambro
where Lanoe, who had returned to Donnay on Monday, was waiting, with his
waggon.

As soon as she was seated Lanoe informed her that the gendarmes had gone
to Donnay and searched the Buquets' house, but left without arresting
any one; "a man in a long black coat was conducting them." Mme. Acquet
asked several questions, then told Lanoe to whip up the horses and
remained silent until they reached La Bijude; he observed her with the
corner of his eye, and saw that she was very pale. When they arrived at
the village she went immediately to the Buquets and remained a quarter
of an hour closeted with Joseph. No doubt she was making a supreme
effort to get some money from him; she reappeared with heightened colour
and very excited. "Quick, to Falaise," she said. But Lanoe told her he
had something to do at home, and that his horse could not be always on
the go. But she worried him until he consented to take her.

While the horse was being fed Mme. Acquet went to La Bijude and threw
herself on the bed, fully dressed. The day had been very heavy and
towards evening lightning flashed brightly. About two in the morning
Lanoe knocked on the window and Mme. Acquet appeared, ready to start.
She got up behind him, and they took the road by the forest of
Saint-Clair and Bonnoeil, and when they were going through the wood
the storm burst with extraordinary violence, huge gusts bent the trees,
breaking the branches, the rain fell in torrents, changing the road to
a river; the horse still advanced however, but towards day, when
approaching the village of Noron, Mme. Acquet suddenly felt such violent
indisposition that she fell to the ground in a faint. Lanoe laid her on
the side of the road in the mud. When she came to herself she begged him
to leave her there, and hasten to Falaise and bring back Lefebre; she
seemed to be haunted by the thought of the man in the black overcoat who
had guided the gendarmes at Donnay. Lanoe, in a great fright, obeyed,
but Lefebre could not come before afternoon; at Noron they found Mme.
Acquet in an inn to which she had dragged herself. The poor woman was in
a fever, and almost raving she told Lefebre that she had no money to
give him; that the gendarmes had been to Donnay; that the man wh