became
alarmed--especially when he suddenly disappeared--and wisely decided
that the safest thing they then could do was to return quietly to their
hotel.

"We cannot be too guarded in our conduct," whispered Clameran; "we must
discover who he is before taking any further steps in this matter."

Once more, Raoul tried to induce him to give up his project of marrying
Madeleine.

"Never!" he exclaimed fiercely, "I will marry her or perish in the
attempt!"

He thought that, now they were warned, the danger of being caught was
lessened; when on his guard, few people could entrap so experienced and
skilful a rogue.

Little did Clameran know that a man who was a hundred-fold more skilful
than he was closely pursuing him.

XXII

THE CATASTROPHE

Such are the facts that, with an almost incredible talent for
investigation, had been collected and prepared by the stout man with the
jovial face who had taken Prosper under his protection, M. Verduret.

Reaching Paris at nine o'clock in the evening, not by the Lyons road
as he had said, but by the Orleans train, M. Verduret hurried up to the
Archangel, where he found the cashier impatiently expecting him.

"You are about to hear some rich developments," he said to Prosper, "and
see how far back into the past one has to seek for the primary cause of
a crime. All things are linked together and dependent upon each other in
this world of ours. If Gaston de Clameran had not entered a little
cafe at Tarascon to play a game of billiards twenty years ago, your
money-safe would not have been robbed three weeks ago.

"Valentine de la Verberie is punished in 1866 for the murder committed
for her sake in 1840. Nothing is neglected or forgotten, when stern
Retribution asserts her sway. Listen."

And he forthwith related all that he had discovered, referring, as he
went along, to a voluminous manuscript which he had prepared, with many
notes and authenticated proofs attached.

During the last week M. Verduret had not had twenty-four hours' rest,
but he bore no traces of fatigue. His iron muscles braved any amount of
labor, and his elastic nature was too well tempered to give way beneath
such pressure.

While any other man would have sunk exhausted in a chair, he stood up
and described, with the enthusiasm and captivating animation peculiar
to him, the minutest details and intricacies of the plot that he had
devoted his whole energy to unravelling; personating every charact