"
"But, monsieur, why will you not tell me?" she asked coaxingly. "You are
a police agent? Have you therefore come to see Madame about the case?"
Rolfe showed that he was taken aback by the direct question.
"The case!" he stammered. "What case?"
"Why, monsieur, what case should it be but that of which I have so often
heard Madame speak? Le judge--the good friend of Monsieur and Madame
Holymead, who was killed by the base assassin! Madame is disconsolate
about his terrible end!" Mademoiselle Chiron here applied the
handkerchief to her eyes on her own account. "Have you come to tell her
that you have caught the wicked man who did assassinate him? Madame will
be overjoyed!"
"Why, hardly that," replied Rolfe, completely off his guard. "But we're
on the track, mademoiselle--we're on the track."
"And is it that you wanted me to tell Madame?" persisted
Mademoiselle Chiron.
"I wanted to ask her a question or two about several things," said Rolfe,
who had determined to disclose his hand sufficiently to bring Mrs.
Holymead back to London if she had anything to do with the crime. "I want
to ask her about some letters that were stolen--no, I won't say
stolen--letters that were removed from Riversbrook.
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