, with her eyes fixed on
Beautrelet, and then, addressing M. Filleul:

"I should like you to ask monsieur the reason why he was walking
yesterday in the sunk road which leads up to the little door."

It was an unexpected and dramatic stroke. Isidore Beautrelet appeared
nonplussed:

"I, mademoiselle? I? You saw me yesterday?"

Raymonde remained thoughtful, with her eyes upon Beautrelet, as though
she were trying to settle her own conviction, and then said, in a
steady voice:

"At four o'clock in the afternoon, as I was crossing the wood, I met in
the sunk road a young man of monsieur's height, dressed like him and
wearing a beard cut in the same way--and I received a very clear
impression that he was trying to hide."

"And it was I?"

"I could not say that as an absolute certainty, for my recollection is
a little vague. Still--still, I think so--if not, it would be an
unusual resemblance--"

M. Filleul was perplexed. Already taken in by one of the confederates,
was he now going to let himself be tricked by this self-styled
schoolboy? Certainly, the young man's manner spoke in his favor; but
one can never tell!

"What have you to say, sir?"

"That mademoiselle is mistaken, as I can easily show you with one word.
Yesterday, at the time stated, I was at Veules."

"You will have to prove it, you will have to. In any case, the position
is not what it was. Sergeant, one of your men will keep monsieur
company."

Isidore Beautrelet's face denoted a keen vexation.

"Will it be for long?"

"Long enough to collect the necessary information."

"Monsieur le Juge d'Instruction, I beseech you to collect it with all
possible speed and discretion."

"Why?"

"My father is an old man. We are very much attached to each other--and
I would not have him suffer on my account."

The more or less pathetic note in his voice made a bad impression on M.
Filleul. It suggested a scene in a melodrama. Nevertheless, he promised:

"This evening--or to-morrow at latest, I shall know what to think."

The afternoon was wearing on. The examining magistrate returned to the
ruins of the cloisters, after giving orders that no unauthorized
persons were to be admitted, and patiently, methodically, dividing the
ground into lots which were successively explored, himself directed the
search. But at the end of the day he was no farther than at the start;
and he declared, before an army of reporters who, during that time, had
invaded the ch