. "Perhaps you are
right," she remarked, "but it is necessary to prove the truth of your
assertion."

"I can prove that Valorsay hasn't a shilling, and that he has lived for
a year by expedients which render him liable to arrest and prosecution
at any time. I can prove that he deceived M. de Chalusse as to his
financial position. I can prove that he conspired with M. de Coralth to
ruin your lover. Wouldn't this be something?"

She smiled in a way that was exceedingly irritating to his vanity, and
in a tone of good-natured incredulity, she remarked: "It is easy to SAY
these things."

"And to do them," rejoined M. Fortunat, quickly. "I never promise what I
cannot perform. A man should never touch a pen when he is meditating any
evil act. Of course, no one is fool enough to write down his infamy in
detail. But a man cannot always be on the qui vive. There will be a word
in one letter, a sentence in another, an allusion in a third. And by
combining these words, phrases, and allusions, one may finally discover
the truth."

He suddenly checked himself, warned of his fresh imprudence by the
expression on Mademoiselle Marguerite's face. She drew back, and looking
him full in the eyes, she exclaimed: "Then you have been in M. de
Valorsay's confidence, sir? Would you be willing to swear that you never
helped him in his designs?"

A silent and ignored witness of this scene, Victor Chupin was secretly
delighted. "Hit!" he thought--"hit just in the bull's-eye. Zounds!
there's a woman for you! She has beaten the guv'nor on every point."

M. Fortunat was so taken by surprise that he made no attempt to deny
his guilt. "I confess that I acted as M. de Valorsay's adviser for some
time," he replied, "and he frequently spoke to me of his intention of
marrying a rich wife in order to retrieve his shattered fortunes. Upon
my word, I see nothing so very bad about that! It is not a strictly
honest proceeding, perhaps, but it is done every day. What is marriage
in this age? Merely a business transaction, is it not? Perhaps it would
be more correct to say that it is a transaction in which one person
tries to cheat the other. The fathers-in-law are deceived, or the
husband, or the wife, and sometimes all of them together. But when I
discovered this scheme for mining M. Ferailleur, I cried 'halt!' My
conscience revolted at that. Dishonor an innocent man! It was base,
cowardly, outrageous! And not being able to prevent this infamous act, I