r face? What
caused it?"

"Something unexpected, I believe, some shock, or the sight of
something shocking. That was how it struck me, and so forcibly
that I turned to look over my shoulder, expecting to find the
reason there. And it was."

"That reason--?"

"Was the entrance of the Italian, who came just behind me. I am
certain of this; he almost told me so himself, not in words, but
the mistakable leer he gave her in reply. It was wicked, sardonic,
devilish, and proved beyond doubt that there was some secret, some
guilty secret perhaps, between them."

"And was that all?" cried both the Judge and M. Flocon in a
breath, leaning forward in their eagerness to hear more.

"For the moment, yes. But I was made so interested, so suspicious
by this, that I watched the Italian closely, awaiting, expecting
further developments. They were long in coming; indeed, I am only
at the end now."

"Explain, pray, as quickly as possible, and in your own words."

"It was like this, monsieur. When we were all seated, I looked
round, and did not at first see our Italian. At last I discovered
he had taken a back seat, through modesty perhaps, or to be out of
observation--how was I to know? He sat in the shadow by a door,
that, in fact, which leads into this room. He was thus in the
background, rather out of the way, but I could see his eyes
glittering in that far-off corner, and they were turned in our
direction, always fixed upon the lady, you understand. She was
next me, the whole time.

"Then, as you will remember, monsieur, you called us in one by
one, and I, with M. Lafolay, was the first to appear before you.
When I returned to the outer room, the Italian was still staring,
but not so fixedly or continuously, at the lady. From time to time
his eyes wandered towards a table near which he sat, and which was
just in the gangway or passage by which people must pass into your
presence.

"There was some reason for this, I felt sure, although I did not
understand it immediately.

"Presently I got at the hidden meaning There was a small piece of
paper, rolled up or crumpled up into a ball, lying upon this
table, and the Italian wished, nay, was desperately anxious, to
call the lady's attention to it. If I had had any doubt of this,
it was quite removed after the man had gone into the inner room.
As he left us, he turned his head over his shoulder significantly
and nodded very slightly, but still perceptibly, at the ball of
pap