fresh, young voice replied:

"Oh, I am not frightened ... besides it's only rue Raffet which is
deserted; as soon as I reach rue Mozart there will be nothing more to
fear!"

The luminous square, drawn on the obscurity of the garden, disappeared.

The mysterious stranger, who had not lost a word of this conversation,
heard the door of the vestibule close, then the gravel of the garden
crunch under the feet of the girl coming down the path. Very soon the
gate of the garden grated on its badly oiled hinges, and then the
elegant outline of a young girl was visible on the badly lighted
pavement. She was walking fast....

The stranger remained stationary until the girl had gone some way; then
pressing against the wall, concealing his movements with practised
ability, he followed her at a discreet distance....

"There can be no doubt about it," he murmured. "I recognised her voice
directly!... It's the very deuce!... It's going to complicate
matters!... A lover's meeting? Not likely!... She must be going to the
post, as she said.... She will return in about a quarter of an hour, and
then ... then!..."

The girl was far from suspecting that she was being followed. She had
walked down rue Mozart, turned into rue Poussin, posted her letter, and
then walked quietly back to the house.

The stranger had not followed her into the more frequented streets: he
awaited her return in a dark and deserted side street. When she came
into view again, he sighed a sigh of great satisfaction.

"Ah, there is the dear child!... That's all right.... Now we shall have
some fun!... or, rather, I shall!"

Anyone seeing his face, whilst making these significant exclamations,
would have been frightened by his sneering chuckle, his hideous grin.

A few minutes later, the girl re-entered the little garden of the house
in the rue Raffet. A stout woman opened to her ring.

"Ah, there you are, darling." There was relief in her tone.

"Yes, here I am, safe and sound, madame!"

"Nothing unpleasant--no one molested you, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth Dollon, for she it was, shook her head and smiled a smile both
sad and sweet.

"Ah, no, madame!... I was sure you would be waiting for me--I am so
sorry!"

"No, not at all!... Tell me, Elizabeth.... Jules has told me that you
would not be going out to-morrow. The poor fellow is so stupid that I
ask myself if he has not made a mistake?"

"No," said Elizabeth. "It is quite true.... I do not think I shall