Suky had been very intimate with her; she had never hesitated to tell her that Burnett was not an Englishman; that his name was not Burnett, and that he was concealing himself in Vine Street under a false name, for the purpose of meeting there his lady-love, who was a grand, fine lady, and marvellously beautiful.  Finally, at the outbreak of the war, Suky had told her that she was going back to England to her relations.  When they left the old bachelor’s house, Goudar said to the young advocate,—­

“We have obtained but little information, and the jurymen would pay little attention to it; but there is enough of it to confirm, at least in part, M. de Boiscoran’s statement.  We can prove that he met a lady here who had the greatest interest in remaining unknown.  Was this, as he says, the Countess Claudieuse?  We might find this out from Suky; for she has seen her, beyond all doubt.  Hence we must hunt up Suky.  And now, let us take our carriage, and go to headquarters.  You can wait for me at the cafe near the Palais de Justice.  I shall not be away more than a quarter of an hour.”

It took him, however, a good hour and a half; M. Folgat was beginning to be troubled, when he at last reappeared, looking very well pleased.

“Waiter, a glass of beer!” he said.

And, sitting down so as to face the advocate, he said,—­

“I stayed away rather long; but I did not lose any time.  In the first place, I procured a month’s leave of absence; then I put my hand upon the very man whom I wanted to send after Sir Burnett and Miss Suky.  He is a good fellow, called Barousse, fine like a needle, and speaks English like a native.  He demands twenty-five francs a day, his travelling-expenses, and a gratuity of fifteen hundred francs if he succeeds.  I have agreed to meet him at six to give him a definite answer.  If you accept the conditions, he will leave for England to-night, well drilled by me.”

Instead of any answer, M. Folgat drew from his pocket-book a thousand-franc note, and said,—­

“Here is something to begin with.”

Goudar had finished his beer, and said,—­

“Well, then, I must leave you.  I am going to hang abut M. de Tassar’s house, and make my inquiries.  Perhaps I may pick up something there.  To-morrow I shall spend my day in searching the house in Vine Street and in questioning all the tradesmen on your list.  The day after to-morrow I shall probably have finished here.  So that in four or five days there will arrive in Sauveterre a somebody, who will be myself.”  And as he got up, he added,—­

“For I must save M. de Boiscoran.  I will and I must do it.  He has too nice a house.  Well, we shall see each other at Sauveterre.”

It struck four o’clock.  M. Folgat left the cafe immediately after Goudar, and went down the river to University Street.  He was anxious to see the marquis and the marchioness.

“The marchioness is resting,” said the valet; “but the marquis is in his cabinet.”