es; she was sleeping badly and evidently having a dreadful
nightmare. She half woke up several times and muttered some
unintelligible words to Marie, who thought that it was the result of
over-excitement. But about six o'clock, just as I arrived, Mlle. Therese
really woke up, and bursting into a fit of sobbing and crying, repeated
the names of her grandmother and the Ramberts and the Baronne de Vibray.
She kept on saying, 'The murderer! the murderer!' and making all sorts
of signs of terror, but we were not able to get from her a clear
statement of what it was all about. I felt her pulse and found she was
very feverish, and Louise prepared a cooling drink, which she persuaded
her to take. In about twenty minutes--it was then nearly half-past
six--Mlle. Therese quietened down, and managed to tell us what she had
heard during the night, and the dreadful interview and conversation
between M. Rambert and his son which she had seen and overheard."

"What did you do then?" enquired M. de Presles.

"I was dreadfully upset myself, sir, and I sent Jean, the coachman, to
Saint-Jaury to fetch the doctor and also to let Sergeant Doucet know.
Sergeant Doucet got here first; I told him all I knew, and then I went
upstairs with the doctor to see Mlle. Therese."

The magistrate turned to the police-sergeant and questioned him.

"Directly M. Dollon told me his story," the sergeant replied, "I thought
it my duty to report to M. Juve, who I knew was not far from the
chateau, on his way to Verrieres: M. Juve told me last night that he
meant to explore that part in the early morning. I left Morand on duty
at the entrance to the chateau, with orders to prevent either of the
Ramberts from leaving."

"And Morand did not see them going away?" the magistrate asked.

Juve had already divined what had happened, and replied for the
sergeant.

"Morand did not see them go out for the obvious reason that they had
left long before--in the middle of the night, directly after their
altercation: in a word, before Mlle. Therese woke up." He turned to the
sergeant. "What has been done since then?"

"Nothing, Inspector."

"Well, sergeant," said Juve. "I imagine his worship will order you to
send out your men at once after the runaways." As a matter of courtesy
he glanced at the magistrate as if asking for his approval, but he only
did so out of politeness, for he took it for granted.

"Of course!" said the magistrate; "please do so at once." The s