save from the executioner. She observed that since she was
miserably destined to die, Chauvel, who called himself her friend, had
done very wrong in preventing her from taking poison: all would have
been over by now. But she hoped that grief would kill her before they
had time to condemn her.

As she said these words she turned her beautiful piercing eyes to a dark
corner of her cell. Licquet, following her gaze, saw a very prominent
nail sticking in the wall at a height of about six feet. Without letting
her see his anxiety, he tried to direct the prisoner's attention to
other objects, and succeeded in working her up to a state of "wild
gaiety."

That very day the nail was taken out, but there still remained the
bolts of the door and the bed-posts, to which, being of such low
stature, she could hang herself; a woman from Bicetre was therefore set
to watch her.

It would be impossible to follow Licquet through all the phases of the
inquiry. This diabolical man seems to have possessed the gift of
ubiquity. He was in the prison where he worked upon the prisoners; at
the prefecture directing the examinations; at Caen, making inquiries
under the very nose of Caffarelli, who believed that the affair had long
since been buried; at Falaise, where he was collecting testimony; at
Honfleur, at Pont-Audemer, at Paris. He drew up innumerable reports, and
sent them to the prefect or to Real, with whom he corresponded directly,
and when he was asked what reward he was ambitious of obtaining for his
devoted service to the State, he replied philosophically: "I do not work
for my own glory, but only for that of the police generally, and of our
dear Councillor, whom I love with all my heart. As for me, poor devil, I
am destined to remain obscure, which, I must say, pleases me, since I
recognise the inconvenience of having a reputation."

* * * * *

One of the most picturesque events of his enquiry was another journey
taken towards the end of October by the false Captain Delaitre and his
false nephew in search of Allain and Buquet, whom they had not found on
the day mentioned at the inn at Cany. At Caen Delaitre saw again the
lawyer Langelley, the Placenes and Monderard's daughter, and they
entertained him. He gave them very good news of Mme. Acquet, who, he
said, was comfortably settled at a place on the English coast; but
although he had a very important letter for Allain, which Mme. de
Combray wishe