ess, which was only made
visible by a solitary bracket lamp, that Edith felt some anxiety as to
whether or not she would be able to recognize the house into which
mademoiselle disappeared, should her destination be close at hand.

There were, of course, many other people in the street besides
themselves, else Edith's self-imposed piece of espionage would have been
rendered difficult, if not impossible.

Men, women, and children lounged about the doorways and kept up a
constant cackle of conversation in a mysterious _patois_ which Miss
Talbot, though an excellent French scholar, could make nothing of. The
presence of these people naturally shielded her from the direct
observation of La Belle Chasseuse, but nevertheless threatened a slight
danger should it be necessary for her to stand still, for she well
understood that in such a locality each person was known to the other,
and the loitering of a stranger could not fail to arouse curiosity.

Soon after passing beneath the lamp mademoiselle vanished into a
doorway. Edith perceived to her joy that at this point there was no
group of loungers. Indeed, for a few yards the street was empty. Keeping
her eyes sedulously fixed upon the exact spot where the Frenchwoman
disappeared, she reached the door, and, after a moment's hesitation,
stepped lightly into the interior darkness.

The narrow entrance was at once lessened to half its width by a
staircase. She listened intently, and could hear the other woman
ascending the second flight of stairs.

At the next landing mademoiselle paused and knocked three times.
Presumably in reply to a question within, she murmured something which
Edith could not catch, and was at once admitted. The shooting of a rusty
bolt supplied further evidence that the door was locked behind her.

Edith's next task was to identify the house. She stepped out into the
street again and crossed to the opposite pavement. She looked up to the
second storey, but, owing to the short distance--barely fourteen
feet--that separated her from the house--she could discern nothing, save
that the windows on that floor were closely shuttered.

She rapidly noted that the door was the third removed from the lamp.

Whilst wondering what to do next, a couple of girls approached her. They
were young and of course inquisitive. Without any dissimulation, they
stood in front of her and scrutinized her face, wondering, no doubt, who
this tall and graceful newcomer could be.