A violent effort shook the taxi. It appeared, instead of rolling, to proceed by bounds, like a darting fawn, and, slipping by the roadside slope, ready to smash any obstacle, it caught up the carriage, came level with it, passed it. . . . An oath from M. Lenormand . . . shouts of fury. . . . The carriage was empty! The carriage was empty. The horse was going along peacefully, with the reins on its back, no doubt returning to the stable of some inn in the neighborhood, where it had been hired for the day. . . . Suppressing his inward rage, the chief detective merely said: "The major must have jumped out during the few seconds when we lost sight of the carriage, at the top of the descent." "We have only to beat the woods, chief, and we are sure . . ." "To return empty-handed. The beggar is far away by this time. He's not one of those who are caught twice in one day. Oh, hang it all, hang it all!" They went back to the young girl, whom they found in the company of Jacques Doudeville and apparently none the worse for her adventure. M. Lenormand introduced himself, offered to take her back home and at once questioned her about the English major, Parbury. She expressed astonishment: "He is neither English nor a major; and his name is not Parbury." "Then what is his name?" "Juan Ribeira. He is a Spaniard sent by his government to study the working of the French schools." "As you please. His name and his nationality are of no importance. He is the man we are looking for. Have you known him long?" "A fortnight or so. He had heard about a school which I have founded at Garches and he interested himself in my experiment to the extent of proposing to make me an annual grant, on the one condition that he might come from time to time to observe the progress of my pupils. I had not the right to refuse. . . ." "No, of course not; but you should have consulted your acquaintances. Is not Prince Sernine a friend of yours? He is a man of good counsel." "Oh, I have the greatest confidence in him; but he is abroad at present." "Did you not know his address?" "No. And, besides, what could I have said to him? That gentleman behaved very well. It was not until to-day . . . But I don't know if . . ." "I beg you, mademoiselle, speak frankly. You can have confidence in me also." "Well, M. Ribeira came just now. He told me that he had been sent by a French lady who was paying a short visit to Bougival, that this lady had a little girl whose education she would like to entrust to me and that she wished me to come and see her without delay. The thing seemed quite natural. And, as this is a holiday and as M. Ribeira had hired a carriage which was waiting for him at the end of the road, I made no difficulty about accepting a seat in it." "But what was his object, after all?" She blushed and said: "To carry me off, quite simply. He confessed it to me after half an hour. . . ." "Do you know nothing about him?" "No." "Does he live in Paris?"