Mme. Acquet had no such qualms; she supped with the men, and in the night had a mysterious interview with Allain behind the walls of Notre-Dame.  Where Mme. Acquet slept that night is not known; she only appeared at the Hotel des Trois Marchands four days later, where she met Mme. de Combray who had just returned from Bayeux.  In her need of comfort the Marquise had tried to see d’Ache and find out if it were true that Allain had acted according to his orders, but d’Ache had assured his old friend that he disapproved of such vile deeds, and that “he was still worthy of her esteem.”  She had returned to Caen much grieved at having allowed herself to be deceived by her daughter and the lawyer; she told them nothing of her visit to Bayeux, except that she had not seen d’Ache and that he was still in England; then, quite put out, she returned to Falaise in the coach, not wanting to travel with her daughter.  Mme. Acquet, the same day,—­Thursday the 23d July—­took a carriage that ran from Caen to Harcourt and got down at Forge-a-Cambro where Lanoe, who had returned to Donnay on Monday, was waiting, with his waggon.

As soon as she was seated Lanoe informed her that the gendarmes had gone to Donnay and searched the Buquets’ house, but left without arresting any one; “a man in a long black coat was conducting them.”  Mme. Acquet asked several questions, then told Lanoe to whip up the horses and remained silent until they reached La Bijude; he observed her with the corner of his eye, and saw that she was very pale.  When they arrived at the village she went immediately to the Buquets and remained a quarter of an hour closeted with Joseph.  No doubt she was making a supreme effort to get some money from him; she reappeared with heightened colour and very excited.  “Quick, to Falaise,” she said.  But Lanoe told her he had something to do at home, and that his horse could not be always on the go.  But she worried him until he consented to take her.

While the horse was being fed Mme. Acquet went to La Bijude and threw herself on the bed, fully dressed.  The day had been very heavy and towards evening lightning flashed brightly.  About two in the morning Lanoe knocked on the window and Mme. Acquet appeared, ready to start.  She got up behind him, and they took the road by the forest of Saint-Clair and Bonnoeil, and when they were going through the wood the storm burst with extraordinary violence, huge gusts bent the trees, breaking the branches, the rain fell in torrents, changing the road to a river; the horse still advanced however, but towards day, when approaching the village of Noron, Mme. Acquet suddenly felt such violent indisposition that she fell to the ground in a faint.  Lanoe laid her on the side of the road in the mud.  When she came to herself she begged him to leave her there, and hasten to Falaise and bring back Lefebre; she seemed to be haunted by the thought of the man in the black overcoat who had