called Adele; the man with the
little black moustache. It was he who drove the motor-car!"

Hanaud held up his hand to check the flow of words, and both read on
again:

"At three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon madame was driven away in the
carriage, and I did not see it return all that evening. Of course, it
may have returned to the stables by another road. But it was not
unusual for the carriage to take her into Geneva and wait a long time.
I went to bed at eleven, but in the night M. Gobin was restless, and I
rose to get him some medicine. We slept in the front of the house,
monsieur, and while I was searching for the matches upon the table in
the middle of the room I heard the sound of carriage wheels in the
silent street. I went to the window, and, raising a corner of the
curtains, looked out. M. Gobin called to me fretfully from the bed to
know why I did not light the candle and get him what he wanted. I have
already told you how fretful sick men can be, always complaining if
just for a minute one distracts oneself by looking out of the window.
But there! One can do nothing to please them. Yet how right I was to
raise the blind and look out of the window! For if I had obeyed my
husband I might have lost four thousand francs. And four thousand
francs are not to be sneezed at by a poor woman whose husband lies in
bed.

"I saw the carriage stop at Mme. Rossignol's house. Almost at once the
house door was opened by the old servant, although the hall of the
house and all the windows in the front were dark. That was the first
thing that surprised me. For when madame came home late and the house
was dark, she used to let herself in with a latchkey. Now, in the dark
house, in the early morning, a servant was watching for them. It was
strange.

"As soon as the door of the house was opened the door of the carriage
opened too, and a young lady stepped quickly out on to the pavement.
The train of her dress caught in the door, and she turned round,
stooped, freed it with her hand, and held it up off the ground. The
night was clear, and there was a lamp in the street close by the door
of Mme. Rossignol's house. As she turned I saw her face under the big
green hat. It was very pretty and young, and the hair was fair. She
wore a white coat, but it was open in front and showed her evening
frock of pale green. When she lifted her skirt I saw the buckles
sparkling on her satin shoes. It was the young lady for whom you are
adverti