uletabille had already
taken the road back to the villa. Matrena Petrovna was watching for his
return, seated on the first step of the landing on the great staircase
which ran up from the veranda. When she saw him she ran to him. He had
already reached the dining-room.

"Anyone in the house?" he asked.

"No one. Natacha has not returned, and..."

"Your step-daughter is coming in now. Ask her where she has been, if she
has seen the orderlies, and if they said they would return this evening,
in case she answers that she has seen them."

"Very well, little domovoi doukh. The orderlies left without my seeing
when they went."

"Ah," interrupted Rouletabille, "before she arrives, give me all her
hat-pins."

"What!"

"I say, all her hat-pins. Quickly!"

Matrena ran to Natacha's chamber and returned with three enormous
hat-pins with beautifully-cut stones in them.

"These are all?"

"They are all I have found. I know she has two others. She has one on
her head, or two, perhaps; I can't find them."

"Take these back where you found them," said the reporter, after
glancing at them.

Matrena returned immediately, not understanding what he was doing.

"And now, your hat-pins. Yes, your hat-pins."

"Oh, I have only two, and here they are," said she, drawing them from
the toque she had been wearing and had thrown on the sofa when she
re-entered the house.

Rouletabille gave hers the same inspection.

"Thanks. Here is your step-daughter."

Natacha entered, flushed and smiling.

"Ah, well," said she, quite breathless, "you may boast that I had to
search for you. I made the entire round, clear past the Barque. Has the
promenade done papa good?"

"Yes, he is asleep," replied Matrena. "Have you met Boris and Michael?"

She appeared to hesitate a second, then replied:

"Yes, for an instant."

"Did they say whether they would return this evening?"

"No," she replied, slightly troubled. "Why all these questions?"

She flushed still more.

"Because I thought it strange," parried Matrena, "that they went away
as they did, without saying goodby, without a word, without inquiring
if the general needed them. There is something stranger yet. Did you see
Kaltsof with them, the grand-marshal of the court?"

"No."

"Kaltsof came for a moment, entered the garden and went away again
without seeing us, without saying even a word to the general."

"Ah," said Natacha.

With apparent indifference, she raised her arms