no more out of her mind than you or I. There
is something very serious behind this, and that man Sartorius is a
terrible menace to her safety. I can't explain now, but you'll know it
all soon enough."

He left her bewildered and shaken, and rejoined the butler in the hall.
Outside the boudoir door stood Aline, her brows drawn together under
her ragged fringe of hair, her thin lips set in a line that betokened
anxiety.

"_Monsieur, monsieur,_" she exclaimed accusingly, "_dites moi,
qu'est-ce que vous avez fait?_"

"_Je n'ai rien fait, Aline,_" he replied coldly; "_je ne sais rien._"

She gazed at him in a puzzled fashion. For all her habitual crafty
appearance, he felt sure she had no knowledge of this dreadful
business. In her way she had a certain loyalty to her mistress which
might readily dispose her to regard him as an enemy.

"_Moi non plus, monsieur,_" she said with hesitation. "_Mais vous
savez, hier soir Madame a ete tellement fachee contre Monsieur que je
croyais..._"

"_Ca ne fait rien,_" he interrupted, striding past her impatiently.

With the muddled feeling of sleep still upon him he unlocked his own
door and went through to the bathroom, where he hastily washed his face
in cold water. Then as he dried it with a bath-towel he took a quick
survey of the room. All was exactly as he had left it the night
before: the full-length casement window stood half open, as it usually
did; the bottle of Evian was on the shelf where he had placed it. That
at any rate was still safe, he reflected. Therese had not been able to
get at it, thanks to his precautions.

As he quitted the room, relocking the door, Chalmers approached him and
spoke in a whisper.

"Do you think it's all right, sir?" he inquired. "She's gone to ask
the doctor if he knows anything about her ladyship."

Following the direction of the old man's eyes, Roger saw the black-clad
figure of the maid at the first door along the passage. Her voice,
high-pitched with excitement, reached his ears, mingled with the
doctor's heavy tones.

"Let her alone; it can't do any harm. You are still sure he didn't
communicate with her ladyship at all?"

"Positive, sir. I'm sure he's never stirred from his room."

"We'd better make quite sure she's not in the house somewhere," said
Roger slowly. "And then if we don't find her----"

"What then, sir?"

"Then I think there is nothing for me to do but communicate with the
police."

"I see, sir