which he attached to the window-sill,
and drew forth from a small leathern bag sundry newspapers and
pamphlets. Graham flung himself back, and in a minute or so again came
his sigh.

"Allow me to offer you those evening journals--you may not have had
time to read them before starting," said the fellow-traveller, leaning
forward, and extending the newspapers with one hand, while with the
other he lifted his lantern. Graham turned, and the faces of the two men
were close to each other--Graham with his travelling-cap drawn over his
brows, the other with head uncovered.

"Monsieur Lebeau!"

"Bon soir, Mr. Lamb!"

Again silence for a moment or so. Monsieur Lebeau then broke it--

"I think, Mr. Lamb, that in better society than that of the Faubourg
Montmartre you are known under another name." Graham had no heart then
for the stage-play of a part, and answered, with quiet haughtiness,
"Possibly--and what name?"

"Graham Vane. And, sir," continued Lebeau, with a haughtiness equally
quiet, but somewhat more menacing, "since we two gentlemen find
ourselves thus close, do I ask too much if I inquire why you condescend
to seek my acquaintance in disguise?"

"Monsieur le Vicomte de Mauleon, when you talk of disguise, is it too
much to inquire why my acquaintance was accepted by Monsieur Lebeau?"

"Ha! Then you confess that it was Victor de Mauleon whom you sought when
you first visited the cafe Jean Jacques?"

"Frankly I confess it."

Monsieur Lebeau drew himself back, and seemed to reflect.

"I see! Solely for the purpose of learning whether Victor de Mauleon
could give you any information about Louise Duval. Is it so?"

"Monsieur le Vicomte, you say truly."

Again M. Lebeau paused as if in reflection; and Graham, in that state
of mind when a man who may most despise and detest the practice of
duelling, may yet feel a thrill of delight if some homicide would be
good enough to put him out of his misery, flung aside his cap, lifted
his broad frank forehead, and stamped his foot impatiently as if to
provoke a quarrel.

M. Lebeau lowered his spectacles, and, with those calm, keen, searching
eyes of his, gazed at the Englishman.

"It strikes me," he said, with a smile, the fascination of which not
even those faded whiskers could disguise--"it strikes me that there are
two ways in which gentlemen such as you and I are can converse: firstly,
with reservation and guard against each other; secondly, with perfect
opennes