e had made all sorts of _detours_, and waited
thus, late at night, for fear of being watched and followed. But I do
not think he was. At any rate, as I afterwards learnt from him, the
Baron Roeder, on hearing of the similitude of this murder with that of
his wife in every particular, made such a search after the assassins,
that, although they were not discovered, they were compelled to take to
flight for the time.

I can hardly tell you now by what arguments Dr. Voss, at first merely
my benefactor, sparing me a portion of his small modicum, at length
persuaded me to become his wife. His wife he called it, I called it;
for we went through the religious ceremony too much slighted at the
time, and as we were both Lutherans, and M. de la Tourelle had
pretended to be of the reformed religion, a divorce from the latter
would have been easily procurable by German law both ecclesiastical and
legal, could we have summoned so fearful a man into any court.

The good doctor took me and my child by stealth to his modest dwelling;
and there I lived in the same deep refinement, never seeing the full
light of day, although when the dye had once passed away from my face
my husband did not wish me to renew it. There was no need; my yellow
hair was grey, my complexion was ashen-coloured, no creature could have
recognized the fresh-coloured, bright-haired young woman of eighteen
months before. The few people whom I saw knew me only as Madame Voss; a
widow much older than himself, whom Dr. Voss had secretly married. They
called me the Grey Woman.

He made me give you his surname. Till now you have known no other
father--while he lived you needed no father's love. Once only, only
once more, did the old terror come upon me. For some reason which I
forget, I broke through my usual custom, and went to the window of my
room for some purpose, either to shut or to open it. Looking out into
the street for an instant, I was fascinated by the sight of M. de la
Tourelle, gay, young, elegant as ever, walking along on the opposite
side of the street. The noise I had made with the window caused him to
look up; he saw me, an old grey woman, and he did not recognize me! Yet
it was not three years since we had parted, and his eyes were keen and
dreadful like those of the lynx.

I told M. Voss, on his return home, and he tried to cheer me, but the
shock of seeing M. de la Tourelle had been too terrible for me. I was
ill for long months afterwards.

Onc