hese men, however, were not
attacked; and hence the robbers must be acquainted with this
contrivance also. Desgrais absolutely despaired.

One morning Desgrais came to President La Regnie pale and perturbed,
quite distracted in fact. "What's the matter? What news? Have you got a
clue?" cried the President "Oh! your excellency," began Desgrais,
stammering with rage, "oh! your excellency--last night--not far from
the Louvre--the Marquis de la Fare[13] was attacked in my presence."
"By Heaven then!" shouted La Regnie, exultant with joy, "we have them."
"But first listen to me," interrupted Desgrais with a bitter smile,
"and hear how it all came about. Well then, I was standing near the
Louvre on the watch for these devils who mock me, and my heart was on
fire with fury. Then there came a figure close past me without noticing
me, walking with unsteady steps and looking behind him. By the faint
moonlight I saw that it was Marquis de la Fare. I was not surprised to
see him; I knew where he was stealing to. But he had not gone more than
ten or twelve paces past me when a man started up right out of the
earth as it seemed and knocked him down, and stooped over him. In the
sudden surprise and on the impulse of the moment, which would else have
delivered the murderer into my hands, I was thoughtless enough to cry
out; and I was just bursting out of my hiding-place with a rush,
intending to throw myself upon him, when I got entangled in my mantle
and fell down. I saw the man hurrying away on the wings of the wind; I
made haste and picked myself up and ran after him; and as I ran I blew
my horn; from the distance came the answering whistles of the man; the
streets were all alive; there was a rattle of arms and a trampling of
horses in all directions. 'Here! here! Desgrais! Desgrais!' I shouted
till the streets echoed. By the bright moonlight I could always see the
man in front of me, doubling here and there to deceive me. We came
to the Rue Nicaise, and there his strength appeared to fail him:
I redoubled my efforts; and he only led me by fifteen paces at the
most"---- "You caught him up; you seized him; the patrol came up?"
cried La Regnie, his eyes flashing, whilst he seized Desgrais by
the arm as though he were the flying murderer. "Fifteen paces,"
continued Desgrais in a hollow voice and with difficulty drawing his
breath--"fifteen paces from me the man sprang aside into the shade and
disappeared through the wall." "Disappeared