"I have a carriage below," said Marius. "No one will see us.
Doubtless she understood that it was useless to hesitate.
"As you please," she said.
M. de Tregars took Maxence aside, and in a hurried whisper, "You must," said he, "go at once to the Rue St. Gilles, and in my name request your sister to accompany you. You will take a closed carriage, and you'll go and wait in the Rue St. Lazare, opposite No.25. It may be that Mlle. Gilberte's assistance will become indispensable to me. And, as Lucienne must not be left alone, you will request Mme. Fortin to go and stay with her."
And, without waiting for an answer, "Let us go," he said to Mme. Cadelle.
They started but the young woman was far from being in her usual spirits. It was clear that she was regretting bitterly having gone so far, and not having been able to get away at the last moment.
As the carriage went on, she became paler and a frown appeared upon her face.
"No matter," she began: "it's a nasty thing I am doing there."
"Do you repent then, assisting me to punish your friend's assassins?" said M. de Tregars.
She shook her head.
"I know very well that old Vincent is a scoundrel," she said; "but he had trusted me, and I am betraying him."
"You are mistaken, madame. To furnish me the means of speaking to M. Favoral is not to betray him; and I shall do every thing in my power to enable him to escape the police, and make his way abroad."
"What a joke!"
"It is the exact truth: I give you my word of honor." She seemed to feel easier; and, when the carriage turned into the Rue St.
Lazare, "Let us stop a moment," she said.
"Why?"
"So that I can buy old Vincent's breakfast. He can't go out to eat, of course; and so I have to take all his meals to him."
Marius's mistrust was far from being dissipated; and yet he did not think it prudent to refuse, promising himself, however, not to lose sight of Mme. Zelie. He followed her, therefore, to the baker's and the butcher's; and when she had done her marketing, he entered with her the house of modest appearance where she had her apartment.
They were already going up stairs, when the porter ran out of his lodge.
"Madame!" he said, "madame!"
Mme. Cadelle stopped.
"What is the matter?"
"A letter for you."
"For me?"
"Here it is. A lady brought it less than five minutes ago. Really, she looked annoyed not to find you in. But she is going to come back. She knew you were to be here this morning."
M. de Tregars had also stopped.
"What kind of a looking person was this lady?" he asked.
"Dressed all in black, with a thick veil on her face."
"All right. I thank you."
The porter returned to his lodge. Mme. Zelie broke the seal. The first envelope contained another, upon which she spelt, for she did not read very fluently, "To be handed to M. Vincent."
"Some one knows that he is hiding here," she said in a tone of utter surprise. "Who can it be?"
"Who? Why, the woman whose reputation M. Favoral was so anxious to spare when he put you in the Rue du Cirque house."
There was nothing that irritated the young woman so much 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.
