All of a sudden he raised his head and saw me, and in a second he turned on his heel and began to run up the street in the direction whence he had come.  At once I gave chase.  I ran after him—­and then, Sir, he came for a second within the circle of light projected by a street lanthorn.  But in that one second I had seen that which turned my frozen blood into liquid lava—­a tail, Sir!—­a dog’s tail, fluffy and curly, projecting from beneath that recreant’s left arm.

A dog, Sir! a dog!  Carissimo! the darling of Mme. la Comtesse de Nole’s heart!  Carissimo, the recovery of whom would mean five thousand francs into my pocket!  Carissimo!  I knew it!  For me there existed but one dog in all the world; one dog and one spawn of the devil, one arch-traitor, one limb of Satan!  Theodore!

How he had come by Carissimo I had not time to con-conjecture.  I called to him.  I called his accursed name, using appellations which fell far short of those which he deserved.  But the louder I called the faster he ran, and I, breathless, panting, ran after him, determined to run him to earth, fearful lest I should lose him in the darkness of the night.  All down the Rue Beaune we ran, and already I could hear behind me the heavy and more leisured tramp of a couple of gendarmes who in their turn had started to give chase.

I tell you, Sir, the sound lent wings to my feet.  A chance—­a last chance—­was being offered me by a benevolent Fate to earn that five thousand francs, the keystone to my future fortune.  If I had the strength to seize and hold Theodore until the gendarmes came up, and before he had time to do away with the dog, the five thousand francs could still be mine.

So I ran, Sir, as I had never run before; the beads of perspiration poured down from my forehead; the breath came stertorous and hot from my heaving breast.

Then suddenly Theodore disappeared!

Disappeared, Sir, as if the earth had swallowed him up!  A second ago I had seen him dimly, yet distinctly through the veil of snow and rain ahead of me, running with that unmistakable shuffling gait of his, hugging the dog closely under his arm.  I had seen him—­another effort and I might have touched him!—­now the long and deserted street lay dark and mysterious before me, and behind me I could hear the measured tramp of the gendarmes and their peremptory call of “Halt, in the name of the King!”

But not in vain, Sir, am I called Hector Ratichon; not in vain have kings and emperors reposed confidence in my valour and my presence of mind.  In less time than it takes to relate I had already marked with my eye the very spot—­down the street—­where I had last seen Theodore.  I hurried forward and saw at once that my surmise had been correct.  At that very spot, Sir, there was a low doorway which gave on a dark and dank passage.  The door itself was open.  I did not hesitate.  My life stood in the balance but I did not falter.  I might be affronting within the next second or two a gang of desperate thieves, but I did not quake.