prayers, or threats, obtained no
other answer. He went to the lawyer in the rue de Paon, to the
schoolmaster, and found the same uncertainty, the same ignorance. His
wife and his son had gone to Versailles, there the clue ended which ought
to guide his investigations. He went to this town; no one could give him
any information, the very name of Lamotte was unknown. He returned to
Paris, questioned and examined the people of the quarter, the proprietor
of the Hotel de France, where his wife had stayed on her former visit; at
length, wearied with useless efforts, he implored help from justice.
Then his complaints ceased; he was advised to maintain a prudent silence,
and to await Derues' return.

The latter thoroughly understood that, having failed to dissipate
Monsieur de Lamotte's fears, there was no longer an instant to lose, and
that the pretended private contract of February 12th would not of itself
prove the existence of Madame de Lamotte. This is how he employed the
time spent by the unhappy husband in fruitless investigation.

On March 12th, a woman, her face hidden in the hood of her cloak, or
"Therese," as it was then called, appeared in the office of Maitre
N-----, a notary at Lyons. She gave her name as Marie Francoise
Perffier, wife of Monsieur Saint-Faust de Lamotte, but separated, as to
goods and estate, from him. She caused a deed to be drawn up,
authorising her husband to receive the arrears of thirty thousand livres
remaining from the price of the estate of Buisson-Souef, situated near
Villeneuve-le-Roi-lez-Sens. The deed was drawn up and signed by Madame
de Lamotte, by the notary, and one of his colleagues.

This woman was Derues. If we remember that he only arrived at Buisson
February 28th, and remained there for some days, it becomes difficult to
understand how at that period so long a journey as that from Paris to
Lyons could have been accomplished with such rapidity. Fear must have
given him wings. We will now explain what use he intended to make of it,
and what fable, a masterpiece of cunning and of lies, he had invented.

On his arrival in Paris he found a summons to appear before the
magistrate of police. He expected this, and appeared quite tranquil,
ready to answer any questions. Monsieur de Lamotte was present. It was
a formal examination, and the magistrate first asked why he had left
Paris.

"Monsieur," replied Derues, "I have nothing to hide, and none of my
actions need fea