g the country in company of a ship's captain; but he carefully
gave her to understand that she must be detained until they got to
Rouen, whither Delaitre would be escorted to receive a reprimand from
the commandant of the port. Mme. Acquet was convinced that it was
nothing but a misunderstanding which would be cleared up at Rouen, and
troubled very little about the incident; and as she was worn out with
fatigue, she expressed a wish to spend that night and the following day
at Pont-Audemer. The little officer consented with alacrity, and whilst
appearing only to keep an eye on Delaitre, he never for an instant lost
sight of the young woman, whose attitudes, gestures and appearance he
scrutinised with malicious eyes. It was Licquet, as we have already
guessed, who in his haste to know the result of the false Delaitre's
adventures, had dressed himself up in a borrowed uniform and come to
receive his new victim. He was full of forethought for her; he took her
in a carriage from Pont-Audemer to Bourg-Achard, where he allowed her to
rest. On the morning of the seventh they left Bourg-Achard and arrived
at Rouen before midday. The kindly officer was so persuasive that Mme.
Acquet offered no resistance nor recriminations when she was taken to
the Conciergerie, where she was entered under the name of Rosalie
Bourdon, doubtless the one under which she had travelled. She appeared
quite indifferent to all that went on around her. On entering this
prison, where she knew her mother was, she showed absolutely no emotion.
She remained in this state of resigned lassitude for two days. Licquet,
who came to see her several times, endeavoured to keep her under the
impression that her imprisonment had no other cause than Delaitre's
infringement of the maritime regulations; he even took the precaution of
pretending not to know her name.

Meanwhile, he laid his plans for attack. At first his joy, at capturing
the much desired prey had been so keen that he could not withstand the
pleasure of writing the news straight to Real whom he asked to keep it
secret for a fortnight. On reflexion he realised how difficult it would
be to obtain confessions from a woman who had been so hideously
deceived, and he felt that the traps, into which the naive Mme. de
Combray had fallen would be of no avail in her daughter's case. He had
better ones: on his person he carried the letter which Mme. de Combray
had written to her dear Delaitre, which he had taken fro