At The Villa Rose

Ricardo moved uneasily. The solemnity of Hanaud's manner impressed

him. He had no wish to take the responsibility of the decision

upon himself. But Hanaud sat with his eyes strangely fixed upon

Ricardo, waiting for his answer.

"Well," said Ricardo, at length, "good news will be none the worse

for waiting a few hours. Bad news will be a little the better."

"Yes," said Hanaud; "so I thought you would decide." He took up a

Continental Bradshaw from a bookshelf in the room. "From Geneva

she will come through Culoz. Let us see!" He turned over the

pages. "There is a train from Culoz which reaches Aix at seven

minutes past three. It is by that train she will come. You have a

motor-car?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Will you pick me up in it at three at my hotel? We

will drive down to the station and see the arrivals by that train.

It may help us to get some idea of the person with whom we have to

deal. That is always an advantage. Now I will leave you, for I

have much to do. But I will look in upon M. Wethermill as I go

down and tell him that there is as yet no news."

He took up his hat and stick, and stood for a moment staring out

of the window. Then he roused himself from his reverie with a

start.

"You look out upon Mont Revard, I see. I think M. Wethermill's

view over the garden and the town is the better one," he said, and

went out of the room.

At three o'clock Ricardo called in his car, which was an open car

of high power, at Hanaud's hotel, and the two men went to the

station. They waited outside the exit while the passengers gave up

their tickets. Amongst them a middle-aged, short woman, of a

plethoric tendency, attracted their notice. She was neatly but

shabbily dressed in black; her gloves were darned, and she was

obviously in a hurry. As she came out she asked a commissionaire: "How far is it to the Hotel Majestic?"

The man told her the hotel was at the very top of the town, and

the way was steep.

"But madame can go up in the omnibus of the hotel," he suggested.

Madame, however, was in too much of a hurry. The omnibus would

have to wait for luggage. She hailed a closed cab and drove off

inside it.

"Now, if we go back in the car, we shall be all ready for her when

she arrives," said Hanaud.

They passed the cab, indeed, a few yards up the steep hill which

leads from the station. The cab was moving at a walk.

"She looks honest," said Hanaud, with a sigh of relief. "She is

some good bourgeoise anxious to earn four thousand francs."