"Ribeira," snarled M. Lenormand. "Always Ribeira! . . . Ribeira, _alias_ Parbury. . . . Oh, the impudence of the scoundrel! He was afraid of what old Steinweg might say . . . and came to fetch him away under my very nose!" And, stamping his foot with anger, "But, dash it, how did he know that Steinweg was here, the blackguard! It's only four hours since I was chasing him in the Saint-Cucufa woods . . . and now he's here! . . . How did he know? . . . One would think he lived inside my skin! . . ." He was seized with one of those fits of dreaming in which he seemed to hear nothing and see nothing. Mrs. Kesselbach, who passed at that moment, bowed without his replying. But a sound of footsteps in the corridor roused him from his lethargy. "At last, is that you, Gourel?" "I've found out how it was, chief," said Gourel, panting for breath. "There were two of them. They went this way and out of the Place Dauphine. There was a motor-car waiting for them. There were two people inside: one was a man dressed in black, with a soft hat pulled over his eyes . . ." "That's he," muttered M. Lenormand, "that's the murderer, the accomplice of Ribeira,--Parbury. And who was the other?" "A woman, a woman without a hat, a servant-girl, it might be. . . . And good-looking, I'm told, with red hair." "Eh, what! You say she had red hair?" "Yes." M. Lenormand turned round with a bound, ran down the stairs four steps at a time, hurried across the courtyard and came out on the Quai des Orfèvres: "Stop!" he shouted. A victoria and pair was driving off. It was Mrs. Kesselbach's carriage. The coachman heard and pulled up his horses. M. Lenormand sprang on the step: "I beg a thousand pardons, madame, but I cannot do without your assistance. I will ask you to let me go with you. . . . But we must act swiftly. . . . Gourel, where's my taxi?" "I've sent it away, chief." "Well then, get another, quick!" . . . The men all ran in different directions. But ten minutes elapsed before one of them returned with a motor-cab. M. Lenormand was boiling with impatience. Mrs. Kesselbach, standing on the pavement, swayed from side to side, with her smelling-salts in her hand. At last they were seated. "Gourel, get up beside the driver and go straight to Garches." "To my house?" asked Dolores, astounded. He did not reply. He leant out of the window, waved his pass, explained who he was to the policeman regulating the traffic in the streets. At last, when they reached the Cours-la-Reine, he sat down again and said: "I beseech you, madame, to give me plain answers to my questions. Did you see Mlle. Geneviève Ernemont just now, at about four o'clock?" "Geneviève? . . . Yes. . . . I was dressing to go out." "Did she tell you of the advertisement about Steinweg in the _Journal_?" "She did." "And it was that which made you come to see me?" "Yes." "Were you alone during Mlle. Ernemont's visit?" "Upon my word, I can't say. . . . Why?"