or a needle in a hay-stack.

His efforts were not absolutely wasted.

After three days' investigation, he felt comparatively certain that the
assassin had not left the train at Rueil, as all the people of Bougival,
La Jonchere, and Marly do, but had gone on as far as Chatou.

Tabaret thought he recognized him in a man described to him by the
porters at that station as rather young, dark, and with black whiskers,
carrying an overcoat and an umbrella.

This person, who arrived by the train which left Paris for St. Germain
at thirty-five minutes past eight in the evening, had appeared to be in
a very great hurry.

On quitting the station, he had started off at a rapid pace on the road
which led to Bougival. Upon the way, two men from Marly and a woman from
La Malmaison had noticed him on account of his rapid pace. He smoked as
he hurried along.

On crossing the bridge which joins the two banks of the Seine at
Bougival, he had been still more noticed.

It is usual to pay a toll on crossing this bridge; and the supposed
assassin had apparently forgotten this circumstance. He passed without
paying, keeping up his rapid pace, pressing his elbows to his side,
husbanding his breath, and the gate-keeper was obliged to run after him
for his toll.

He seemed greatly annoyed at the circumstance, threw the man a ten sou
piece, and hurried on, without waiting for the nine sous change.

Nor was that all.

The station master at Rueil remembered, that, two minutes before the
quarter past ten train came up, a passenger arrived very agitated, and
so out of breath that he could scarcely ask for a second class ticket
for Paris.

The appearance of this man corresponded exactly with the description
given of him by the porters at Chatou, and by the gatekeeper at the
bridge.

Finally, the old man thought he was on the track of some one who entered
the same carriage as the breathless passenger. He had been told of a
baker living at Asnieres, and he had written to him, asking him to call
at his house.

Such was old Tabaret's information, when on the Monday morning he called
at the Palais de Justice, in order to find out if the record of Widow
Lerouge's past life had been received. He found that nothing had
arrived, but in the passage he met Gevrol and his man.

The chief of detectives was triumphant, and showed it too. As soon as
he saw Tabaret, he called out, "Well, my illustrious mare's-nest hunter,
what news? Have you had any