es, with sufficient astuteness and
experience to know that she had taken the most careful precautions,
having destroyed every evidence of her own complicity, and feeling quite
safe in that direction. Moreover, she had studied Malgat's character,
as she studied afterwards Kergrist's. She was quite sure that neither of
them would accuse her, even at the moment of death. And yet, in the
case of this Mutual Discount Society, her calculations did not prove
absolutely correct."

"How so?"

"It became known that she had received Malgat two or three times
secretly, for he did not openly enter her house; and the penny papers
had it, that 'the fair stranger was no stranger to small peculations.'
Public opinion was veering around, when it was reported that she
had been summoned to appear before a magistrate. That, however, was
fortunate for her; she came out from the trial whiter and purer than
Alpine snow."

"Oh!"

"And so perfectly cleared, that, when the whole matter was brought up in
court, she was not even summoned as a witness."

Daniel started up, and exclaimed,--

"What! Malgat had the sublime self-abnegation to undergo the agonies of
a trial, and the infamy of a condemnation, without allowing a word to
escape?"

"No. For the simple reason that Malgat was sentenced _in contumaciam_ to
ten years in the penitentiary."

"And what has become of the poor wretch?"

"Who knows? They say he killed himself. Two months later, a half
decomposed body was found in the forest of Saint Germain, which people
declared to be Malgat. However"--

He had become livid, in his turn; but he continued in an almost
inaudible voice, as if to meet Daniel's objections before they were
expressed,--

"However, somebody who used to be intimate with Malgat has assured me
that he met him one day in Dronot Street, before the great auction-
mart. The man said he recognized him, although he seemed to be most
artistically disguised. This is what has set me thinking more than once,
that, if people were not mistaken, a day might, after all, yet come,
when Miss Sarah would have a terrible bill to settle with her implacable
creditor."

He passed his hand across his brow as if to drive away such
uncomfortable thoughts, and then said with a forced laugh,--

"Now, my dear fellow, I have come to the end of my budget. The details
were all given me by Miss Sarah's friends as well as by her enemies.
Some you may read of in the papers; but most I know f