ch as this idea.

"You are right," she said. "What a fool he made of me; the old rascal!
But never mind. I am going to pay him for it now."

Nevertheless when she reached her story, the third, and at the moment
of slipping the key into the keyhole, she again seemed perplexed.

"If some misfortune should happen," she sighed.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Old Vincent has got all sorts of arms in there. He has sworn to me
that the first person who forced his way into the apartments, he
would kill him like a dog. Suppose he should fire at us?"

She was afraid, terribly afraid: she was livid, and her teeth
chattered.

"Let me go first," suggested M. de Tregars.

"No. Only, if you were a good fellow, you would do what I am going
to ask you. Say, will you?"

"If it can be done."

"Oh, certainly! Here is the thing. We'll go in together; but you
must not make any noise. There is a large closet with glass doors,
from which every thing can be heard and seen that goes on in the
large room. You'll get in there. I'll go ahead, and draw out old
Vincent into the parlor and at the right moment, v'lan! you appear."

It was after all, quite reasonable.

"Agreed!" said Marius.

"Then," she said, "every thing will go on right. The entrance of
the closet with the glass doors is on the right as you go in. Come
along now, and walk easy."

And she opened the door.

XI

The apartment was exactly as described by Mme. Cadelle. In the
dark and narrow ante-chamber, three doors opened,--on the left,
that of the dining-room; in the centre, that of a parlor and
bedroom which communicated; on the right, that of the closet. M.
de Tregars slipped in noiselessly through the latter, and at once
recognized that Mme. Zelie had not deceived him, and that he would
see and hear every thing that went on in the parlor. He saw the
young woman walk into it. She laid her provisions down upon the
table, and called,

"Vincent!"

The former cashier of the Mutual Credit appeared at once, coming
out of the bedroom.

He was so changed, that his wife and children would have hesitated
in recognizing him. He had cut off his beard, pulled out almost
the whole of his thick eye-brows, and covered his rough and
straight hair under a brown curly wig. He wore patent-leather boots,
wide pantaloons, and one of those short jackets of rough material,
and with broad sleeves which French elegance has borrowed from
English stable-boys. He