resently opened, and Owen appeared.

He held a letter in his hands, and after hesitating a minute, he
appeared to have taken his determination, and mounted the staircase.

"Good," said Dubois, "he has tasted the forbidden fruit, and he is
mine."

Then, stopping Owen: "Give me the letter which you were bringing me, and
wait here."

"How did you know I had a letter?" asked Owen, bewildered.

Dubois shrugged his shoulders, took the letter, and disappeared.

In his room he examined the seal; the chevalier, who had no wax, had
used that on the bottle, and had sealed it with the stone of a ring.

Dubois held the letter above the candle, and the wax melted. He opened
the letter and read:

"DEAR HELENE--Your courage has doubled mine; manage so
that I can enter the house, and you shall know my
plans."

"Oh!" said Dubois, "it seems she does not know them yet. Things are not
as far advanced as I supposed."

He resealed the letter with one of the numerous rings which he wore, and
which resembled that of the chevalier, and calling Owen--

"Here," said he, "is your master's letter; deliver it faithfully, bring
me the answer, and you shall have ten louis."

"Ah!" thought Owen, "has this man a mine of gold?" And he went off.

Ten minutes after he returned with the reply.

It was on scented and ornamented paper, sealed with the letter H.

Dubois opened a box, took out a kind of paste in which he was about to
take the impression of the seal, when he observed that from the manner
in which it was folded, he could read it without opening. It was as
follows:

"The person who sent for me at Bretagne is coming to
meet me here instead of waiting at Paris, so impatient
is he, I am told, to see me. I think he will leave
again to-night. Come to-morrow morning before nine. I
will tell you all that has passed, and then we can
arrange how to act."

"This," said Dubois, still taking Helene for the chevalier's accomplice,
"makes it clearer. If this is the way they bring up young ladies at
Clisson, I congratulate them and monseigneur, who, from her age,
concludes her to be simple and ingenuous. Here," said he to Owen, "here
is the letter, and your ten louis."

Owen took them.

At this moment ten o'clock struck, and the rolling of a carriage was
heard. Dubois went to the window, and saw it stop at the hotel door.

In the carriage was a gentleman whom Dubois at once recognized as
Lafa