At The Villa Rose

And now violently the rancour of Helene Vauquier's feelings burst

out once more.

"For her the fine clothes, the pleasure, and the happiness. For

me--I could go to bed!"

Hanaud looked again at the description which Helene Vauquier had

written out, and read it through carefully. Then he asked a

question, of which Ricardo did not quite see the drift.

"So," he said, "when this morning you suggested to Monsieur the

Commissaire that it would be advisable for you to go through Mlle.

Celie's wardrobe, you found that nothing more had been taken away

except the white lace coat?"

"That is so."

"Very well. Now, after Mlle. Celie had gone down the stairs--"

"I put the lights out in her room and, as she had ordered me to

do, I went to bed. The next thing that I remember--but no! It

terrifies me too much to think of it."

Helene shuddered and covered her face spasmodically with her

hands. Hanaud drew her hands gently down.

"Courage! You are safe now, mademoiselle. Calm yourself!"

She lay back with her eyes closed.

"Yes, yes; it is true. I am safe now. But oh! I feel I shall never

dare to sleep again!" And the tears swam in her eyes. "I woke up

with a feeling of being suffocated. Mon Dieu! There was the light

burning in the room, and a woman, the strange woman with the

strong hands, was holding me down by the shoulders, while a man

with his cap drawn over his eyes and a little black moustache

pressed over my lips a pad from which a horribly sweet and sickly

taste filled my mouth. Oh, I was terrified! I could not scream. I

struggled. The woman told me roughly to keep quiet. But I could

not. I must struggle. And then with a brutality unheard of she

dragged me up on to my knees while the man kept the pad right over

my mouth. The man, with the arm which was free, held me close to

him, and she bound my hands with a cord behind me. Look!"

She held out her wrists. They were terribly bruised. Red and angry

lines showed where the cord had cut deeply into her flesh.

"Then they flung me down again upon my back, and the next thing I

remember is the doctor standing over me and this kind nurse

supporting me."

She sank back exhausted in her chair and wiped her forehead with

her handkerchief. The sweat stood upon it in beads.

"Thank you, mademoiselle," said Hanaud gravely. "This has been a

trying ordeal for you. I understand that. But we are coming to the

end. I want you to read this description of Mlle. Celie through

again to make sure that nothing is omitted." He gave the paper

into the maid's hands. "It will be advertised, so it is important

that it should be complete. See that you have left out nothing."